Practical Advice For Guys New To Dorming

Living on a college campus is perhaps the best way to get a taste for university life. Dorming brings people together and makes lasting bonds in a way few other experiences can. Here are a few quick tips for getting you or your student settled into campus housing and making the most of the experience.

Everyone should be ready with the essentials of everyday college life, like a workable wardrobe, bathroom supplies, sheets, sleepwear, etc. Time and time again, though, people want to bring their entire movie collection and other burdensome items that simply reek of overpacking. Stylish minimalism is highly underrated and no one wants to look like a packrat.

On the accessories note, it’s pretty common to get by with a cell phone to substitute for an alarm clock and watch, since it goes almost everywhere a student does. Nonetheless, for the guys out there, I would still recommend wearing a men’s sport watch every now and again. It adds an air of class that separates you from the rest of the pack.

One clothing item that can also help you stand out is a few pairs of quality jeans, or even skinny jeans. Even though they’re an iconic element of the much derided hipster style, they will get you noticed. The style isn’t quite common enough on most campuses to be cliche, so if you have a body type that fits the style, go for it while they’re available.

Every college student needs a computer for writing papers, communicating with friends, and a lot of other uses. There’s almost no campus-provided substitute for a personal computer or laptop unless the university provides a computer to each individual student, as I have read that some do. However, with the right time management it’s usually possible to get away with not having a printer in the dorm room.

Indeed, depending on the limits bought by a student technology or media fee, it’s feasible to do all necessary printing from a university computing area like a library or lab. Use an email account with upload storage, send your files as attachments, or use a USB stick to move materials from place to place. This process can save hundreds of dollars, just so long as no printing has to be done at the last minute.

But when it comes to non-academic activities, try to limit items brought to those that can help a student interact with the community a little and don’t reinforce isolation. Musical instruments or good books for example are individual activities, but can also be shared experiences.