College Dorm Storage Stuff

What should I buy for my College Dorm?

I am getting ready to pack up my stuff and go to college but I am the first one in my family to go so i am not sure what i am doing! What should I buy as far as storage and such... What should I bring with me and what should i leave at home? And can I bring my pet gold fish? (lol.. sadly i am serious about that one) Any advice would be great!
THANKS!

35 years ago, I got a letter from my college with a "recommended" list. I needed a reading lamp for my desk, a waste paper basket, bedding for a single bed, and towels. Beyond that, it's pretty personal. Now days, you can probably get a look at a dorm room on line. Contact your housing administrator for your college and ask for a tour or, if distance is a problem, a virtual tour of your room and make some choices on that basis. You can also find out who your room mate is (if you will have one) and coordinate some choices like colors or a chair for the room if space allows.

Dorms are widely variable. Some colleges provide only a bed and desk. I've seen rooms so small that the desk was little other than a shelf. I've seen other rooms with extravegant built-in shelving and closets. What you will need depends largely on what you will be working with when you get there.

I was not allowed to put up anything on the wall with tacks or nails. There are products to put up posters or photos that do not affect the paint. Those are available at almost any discount store. (3M has a selection.) These will help you personalize your space.

My son had to provide curtains for his dorm room. When I was a freshman, the drapes were provided.

We chose to put our beds flat because neither of us were comfortable with bunk beds, but if you and your room mate can work out the bunk situation, you may have more options, like space for a chair or even a small sofa. I saw one room in which the bunk beds were "dividers" for the room, with curtains on one side from the ceiling to the top bunk, and from the bottom of the top bunk to the floor on the other side, so that the students had at least the illusion of privacy. (One was a neat freak, and her room mate's less fussy habits drover her nuts.)

There are as many ways to set up the room as there are students. If you will do most of your homework at the library or student union, and only use the room to crash, what you need is different than if your room will be geek central.

In any case, try not to be intimidated. I was also the first in my family to graduate from a 4 year college. It's a real challenge to work out the differences with a stranger with whom you will now be spending a lot of time, but it can be a glorious time. Good luck.

(Added as an edit - I went to school in the dark ages, and mini-friges were not available. At Tulane University, you could have a mini-fridge, but it had to be purchased or rented through a sanctioned provider, not just one picked up at the Walmart. They said it was a safety issue. I think it was a racket. In any case, before you buy one, make sure you will be allowed to use it in the room. We were forbidden to have anything - hot plate, electric skillet - to cook in. Microwaves are often available in a central location. ASK before you pack a lot of cookware or cooking appliances.)

What to Bring to College Series: Toiletries, Body/Skin Care and Shower Items.

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