A Guy’s Guide to College Must-Haves

Parents, I know the days are ticking away and soon you’ll be dropping your children off at college. Last week I asked my soon-to-be-college senior to share her must-haves for school. Today, my junior son Eddie offers what he thinks are musts to have at school.

But first a side note on this sweet boy. We all joke that Eddie is a movie and we’re all lucky enough to have a small role in that very special film. Everything is just more fun when he’s nearby. I’m not always sure his college roommates always feel that way, but I know he made them laugh harder than they ever knew they could.

Words from Eddie

Everyone knows the basics. Shower slides, bins for storage, a steady supply of snacks, a mattress topper for the dorm room. These items are your bread and butter for navigating college life in the dorms. They’re the things you simply cannot live without during your time on campus. However, I want to go off brand a bit and list off five of the lesser expected items that will serve you well throughout your college experience—particularly for our male demographic.

1. Scented spray/air freshener: From my own personal experience, living in an all-guys dorm has its perks. One of those is definitely not the smell. That’s where the air freshener comes into the picture. Whether it’s after your roommates get back from the gym or the dining hall makes a rather unfortunate decision to serve its spicy chili special, getting your hands on a Febreze Odor-Eliminating spray might be one of the best possible investments you make over the course of the semester.

2. Airpods or bluetooth headphones: Sometimes you just need to tune out from the world around you. Maybe you’re looking for a little music to get you going on your morning walk to class. Or perhaps, you’d prefer to not have to listen to your roommate go back-and-forth with his long-distance girlfriend over FaceTime about how much they miss each other. And more so now than ever with online classes, having a pair of Airpods or bluetooth headphones allows you to take your virtual classes from just about anywhere you’d like. That’s why in the end, a trusty pair of noise canceling headphones will go a long way as you venture into life within the dorms.

3. Pair of shoes to go out in: There’s no worse feeling than waking up the morning after a night out and seeing your favorite pair of kicks absolutely demolished. Well, rest assured. Making the small sacrifice of designating a single pair of shoes as your “going out” shoes will save you both time and effort. Instead of meticulously cleaning up your kicks after a night out or spending the energy trying to keep a nicer pair clean while you’re out, having a set of shoes that you’re comfortable with getting a little dirty will prove to be one of the best decisions you make when you’re out on the town—if not the only good decision you make that night.

4. Fan: Believe it or not, fans are one of the most versatile items one can have in their arsonal when it comes to successfully tackling the dorm room experience. From faulty air conditioning systems to roommates with egregious snoring tendencies, fans can be the quick and easy solution to many of the dorm’s most pressing issues.

5. Coffee Keurig: From late nights spent slaving away in the library to early morning lectures, caffeine will quickly become one of your best friends. Just the scent of coffee alone from your Keurig will give you enough of a second wind to prepare you for that 8 am lecture you’ve been looking forward to….At the end of the day, having coffee on command thanks to your Keurig will be the item that gets you over the hump and provides you with enough of an energy boost to finish up that essay or tackle a night of studying head on.

xo,

Eddie’s Mom