miss twenty something ❤︎

Hey lovelies! I hope you’re having a great day (or night) wherever you are!

I recently had to send off my younger sister to college in New York! Super exciting stuff, but very bittersweet because I’m going to miss her so much.

I’m entering my senior year of college and since she’ll be a freshman, I kind of got to relive my freshman experience with her! I made her a long list of things that you absolutely need, and the things that you really don’t. So I thought I’d share!

I feel like dorm shopping can be a bit overwhelming and it’s really easy to get a little too excited and splurge. But you have to keep in mind that you won’t have a lot of space, and chances are you’ll be sharing a room with another person! So everything you get needs a place and a purpose.

Both my sister and I had a suite with two doubles, which basically means two rooms with two people each that share a bathroom. But my tips should apply to all types of rooms, whether you have a single or triple, shared bathroom or communal.

For reference, this is a picture of my dorm room from my freshman year!

I’ve split the categories into 3: bedroom, bathroom, and storage. I’ll also be linking things that I used or find cute (disclaimer: I do not make a profit from these links! So these are things I would genuinely recommend).

MY FAVORITE AFFORDABLE PLACES TO SHOP FOR REFERENCE:

• IKEA
• Homegoods
• TJ Maxx
• Target
• Walmart
• Amazon

Without further ado, here’s my list of 16 non-negotiable dorm room essentials as a college senior!

Bedroom

Bedding, sheets, pillows, and throw blanket

This is quite obvious, but it wouldn’t be a dorm list without including these! I hate to break it to you, but your dorm room is a bit of shoebox. Making sure you find something that suits your style is essential because it takes up quite a lot of room! My favorite combo is a plain colored comforter with patterned sheets, and a throw blanket that matches your sheets to pull it all together. I’m linking a combination that I think is really cute:

• White comforter with rosebud sheets and a pink throw blanket

String lights / desk lamp (or both!)

Personally, I hate overhead lighting. Like absolutely despise it. I would rather sit in the dark than have the big ugly yellow light shining down on me. That’s why I absolutely loved my fairy lights and desk lamp. As you can see above, I hung them around my desk and bed and had my lamp right next to my bed as well. I would just plug it in after class and the vibes were so nice. Having the lamp next to me was great too when I wanted to read!

Microwave + mini fridge

This is so important to have, even if you have a meal plan! Late night ramen and mac and cheese is bound to happen; it’s a rite of passage. Having a fridge is also really nice when you have leftovers (which I had a lot of). My campus had a small convenience and grocery store as well as several restaurants, so it was nice to have a fridge to keep snacks and frozen meals in. I would get a mini fridge that also has a freezer department!

• BONUS: my roommate and I had a little extra space so we got a shelf unit with open shelves to put baskets in. This was really nice extra storage to put pantry items in! I think that’s something a lot of these lists forget: you need space for non-perishable foods too!

“Kitchen” necessities

You don’t really have a kitchen in your dorm room, but there are a few things that I think are really helpful! I had a mini plug in skillet which I don’t think is necessary but it was a fun bonding experience to make cookies with my dorm mates in the common room! Also, and I cannot stress this enough, USE DISPOSABLE PLATES AND UTENSILS. Seriously, you’re not going to clean your dishes and it’s just more effort than a lazy college student is going to put in. Lastly, I really love smoothies so my mom got me a small blender. It was nice for like a week but then I realized if I make smoothies at 7 in the morning that’s not very considerate to my roommate 😭. But if you really want it it is nice to have and allowed!

Over the door mirror

A full length mirror is an absolute necessity for your dorm room! I hung mine over my wardrobe door, and it was so helpful to see my entire outfit. This especially came in handy for game days and interviews! You can get a cheap one from Target, but beware that the image can be warped a bit. Mine was but it wasn’t a big deal. I found this one on Amazon that is so nice and can be transferred to your apartment after moving out of your dorm!

Reading pillow + desk chair cushion

My reading pillow was by far my favorite item in my room. Genuinely I would dream about getting back into bed just to lay on it! It was so comfy, and any comfort you can get in your dorm is a must. I also got a seat cushion for my desk chair (and you definitely should too) because those desk chairs are not comfortable at all. I would do my makeup, eat, study, do all the things at my desk, so a seat cushion is essential!

House slippers

These are a godsend!! Even if you have a rug (which I don’t really recommend but if you do get, just make sure it’s not fluffy and white), the dorm room gets so nasty so fast. And my roommate and I were very clean; we’d take turns sweeping every 3-4 days so it wasn’t terrible. But you don’t want to wear your shoes around your room, and you definitely don’t want to walk around barefoot. Buy the slippers, it is so worth it. I got mine for less than 15 dollars at Walmart, and they were SO cute!

Makeup mirror + bag

If there’s one thing you get from this entire list that isn’t technically an essential, please get these. I still use my dorm room mirror because it’s small and compact AND lights up, so it’s perfect for everyday and travel. A makeup bag filled with the everyday essentials and a few things to change it up for nights out is essential. I’ve always been a girl with one of everything, so that’s what I brought. But if you’re someone who buys multiple blushes or concealers, just pick your favorites. Trust me. You won’t have space and you don’t need it. This is my favorite light up mirror, and this makeup bag set is so cute I’m gonna go buy it right now!

Bathroom

Bathroom caddy

Whether you have a shared suite bathroom between 4 people or a communal bathroom with the whole floor, a bathroom caddy is a necessity. There’s been a lot of debate on whether a plastic or fabric bathroom caddy is better (because some people’s caddies grew mold??). I got a really cheap plastic one from Target and I couldn’t recommend it more. And I don’t think you’ll have any mold growing problems as long as you let it completely dry and wash it out once in a while. I would have my body soap, shampoo, conditioner, razor, and curly hair products in here and it worked perfectly!

Shower shoes

Again, same idea as having house slippers but this is DEFINITELY a necessity. Just think about all the germs and people who have showered there before you!! Especially if you’re using a communal shower. I would at least get them to wear after the shower if you think wearing them in the shower is weird. I got these quick drying shower shoes from Amazon.

Toiletry/skincare bag

This was so nice for me because usually at home I keep everything organized on my bathroom counter, but in college you don’t have that space! So I would keep my skincare bag next to my desk and apply after the shower (in front of the light up mirror!) and it was nice having everything in one place. The toiletry bag is really nice to take sanitary products with you in your bag wherever you go. Luckily, the set linked earlier has a makeup bag, toiletry bag, and skincare bag all in one!

Towel robe

This is especially nice when you’re sharing a communal bathroom! It keeps everything secure and prevents any mishaps that you don’t want happening. I didn’t personally use this because I had a suite bathroom, but this would be really helpful even if you want to wear it outside of the bathroom! I found this set that comes with a hair towel wrap as well!

Storage

Ottoman with storage!!

THIS IS A NECESSITY! Actual life saver. This is one thing I recommend to everyone who has ever asked me what they need for their dorm, and I can’t stress how much I loved it. It came with three uses: storage, an extra seat for friends, and a leg up to a surprisingly high bed. I put my random knick knacks and books as well as some snacks (for after a night out when I was too lazy to get out of bed) and it was amazing.

Hanging closet storage

Depending on how big your wardrobe is, I would 100% recommend this. I put all my workout tops, bottoms, and shoes on this hanging storage, and it was really nice being able to see everything in front of me.

Storage bins with lids

My bed was lofted halfway, so I had room to put my university sanctioned dressers under my bed (where I put my jeans, pants, sweatshirts, etc), but I also had some extra room on top of my dressers and next to them. In these storage bins I put extra decorations, more books, and used them as my “junk drawer” of sorts. You could also use it to put more shoes, clothes, accessories, going out tops, food, whatever. These just add extra storage and are really nice to have.

Backpack laundry bag

I lived on the 11th floor, and my dorm was pretty old so I had to use the stairs quite often. That’s why I’m so glad I got a backpack laundry bag because it made doing laundry so much easier. The one I used also had storage to put detergent and dryer sheets!

So there we have it! Those are my top essentials for your dorm room. It’s easy to get overwhelmed and carried away with unnecessary things that you don’t really need, so hopefully this list will inspire you and make sure you stick to what’s needed!

This is also first in the series of “ultimate checklists for college”, where I’ll be sharing things like what clothes, accessories, shoes, school supplies, hair tools, etc are nice to have for college, coming from a college senior! So keep an eye out for that.

Thanks so much for reading! As always, feel free to comment and connect with me on my socials, I’d love to get to know you! Lots of love always ❤