Learn everything you do and don’t need to bring to college going into your freshman year! Plus, I am sharing everything you should be bringing instead of these items.
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Going into my freshman year, I felt like I brought wayyyyyy too many things. Especially moving out at the end of the year, I realized how many things in my room I never touched once throughout the year.
To help you from making the same mistakes I did, here’s everything you definitely do not need to bring to college as a freshman! I am also giving you all my best recommendations for things to bring instead of some of these items so you are as prepared as possible for college.
This post is all about what not to bring to college!
TV
A TV is one of those items that you definitely do not need in your dorm, especially during your freshman year. Anything you are watching on a TV, you can just watch on your laptop instead.
I also loved having a projector for movie nights with friends!
T-shirts
I 100% made this mistake going into my freshman year. Even though I only brought about 4-5 t-shirts, it was still too many.
You are going to get so many free t-shirts over your first year, I would say bring 1, many 2 with you when you start. You will have more than enough after your first week and first semester.
too many clothes
I know how hard it is to figure out what clothes you should be bringing to college and what you should leave home (coming from someone who took basically everything and then didn’t wear half of it).
To help you figure it out, I would recommend only bringing what you have worn in the last 3 months. Of course, exceptions should be made to this when it comes to fancier clothes, business clothes, and some other special clothing. However, for the most part, only bring your favorites.
You can also adjust from semester to semester. When you go home for breaks, bring clothes home that you find you aren’t wearing.
books
You aren’t going to need or want a million and one books in your dorm room. As someone who obsessively reads, unfortunately, you just don’t have the space for all your books. You can definitely bring a couple of your favorites if you really really want to, but I wouldn’t suggest bringing too many.
I love downloading books to my iPad instead. This way, I am able to read whatever I want online without having to buy a physical book.
For some of my favorite book recommendations, check out this article: 23 Best Books For College Girls That You Have To Read
iron or ironing board
You 100% will not need an iron or ironing board in college. If I’m being completely honest, I wouldn’t even know what to do with an iron.
Not only are you not going to have space for it, but the odds that you will actually use an iron in college are very slim. Trust me, you can do without this.
steamer
You might be thinking that a smaller alternative to an iron is a steamer, but I am here to tell you that you don’t need this either. Trust me, I almost bought one and am so glad I didn’t because I would not have used it once.
An EVEN smaller alternative to both of these items is a bottle of wrinkle-release spray. This I did use in college and it was such a lifesaver. This stuff works SOOO well and is nice and easy to store when you aren’t using it.
tons of school supplies
You are not going to need or use most of the school supplies you bring to college. I literally brought one of everything to school and barely used most of it.
With so much online these days, school supplies really just aren’t that important.
too many dishes
My biggest recommendation when it comes to dishes is to buy as little as possible. By little, I mean one, maybe 2 of whatever you are getting. And that is it!
The more you have, the more you are going to have to wash and store. And you just don’t need them all. One of each will do you just fine.
I also recommend buying paper dishes and plastic silverware. I bought a small box of plastic silverware and a pack of paper plates when I started and it lasted my entire freshman year.
Not that I am recommending this (wink, wink), but I also may have “borrowed” a pair or two of silverware from my dining hall during my freshman year.
printer
This one is debatable if you need it in college. Whether or not you need a printer in college will definitely depend on your school.
For me, I didn’t get a printer because there was one in my building that was easy for me to use. I would suggest waiting until you move in before buying one so you can check out the printing situation at your school.
too many sheets/towels
Do not bring more than 2 sets of sheets and towels. You will have one set in use and one that can sit in a bin under your bed.
If I am being completely honest, I never ever touched my second set of sheets, but it was good to have in case I needed it. However, you do NOT need more than 2 of each.
shareable items
Make sure you are communicating with your roommate about what shareable items each of you is buying. There are a lot of items that you can share and don’t need duplicates of.
too many throw pillows
As cute as they are, try your absolute hardest not to have too many throw pillows for your bed. I would recommend 2-3 if you are having any.
The more you have, the more you are going to have to deal with. And trust me, in a small dorm room, you aren’t going to want to have to figure out where you are supposed to put massive pillows.
large luggage
This one will definitely depend on how far you are traveling to college. If you are a drive away, you definitely do not need to bring any large luggage. Instead, just pack all your clothes in the under-bed bins that they will be staying in throughout the year in your dorm room.
For people flying to college, it is up for debate whether or not to bring large luggage. For me, I left one suitcase and one carry-on at school with me for when I came home. I was lucky enough to have a space for this above my closet, but you could also put it under your bed.
If you don’t want to waste space with a hard suitcase, there are also plenty of collapsible luggage options that fold up super small.
You can even check Ikea bags on an airplane if you want the absolute smallest option for luggage.
This post was all about what not to bring to college!
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