A clear sky. Low 71F. Winds light and variable..

A clear sky. Low 71F. Winds light and variable.

While college can be exciting, it is important to know some essentials to keep in your dorm room for the upcoming year. 

While college can be exciting, it is important to know some essentials to keep in your dorm room for the upcoming year. 

It’s no secret that move in day is right around the corner, and students are scrambling to get everything ready on time. Oklahoma State University and all of Google have a million different dorm essential lists and I’m about to give you another one. 

Here’s a list of the top ten dorm essentials that incoming freshmen might not think of at Oklahoma State University. 

Stillwater, Oklahoma, is a very green place and the way that it got like that was, of course, a lot of rain. I can’t say how many times I got caught in the rain on my walk to class and had to pull out my umbrella. Having an umbrella or a rain jacket in your dorm or backpack is super handy when the Oklahoma weather changes as often as it does. 

I love some coffee, and I didn’t love waking up for my 8:30 a.m. class three days a week. My Keurig got me through some rough mornings and all-night study sessions. The coffee shops on campus don’t stay open 24 hours and you don’t always want to leave your dorm. If you are a coffee lover like me, get yourself a Keurig and some creamer to put in your dorm fridge for those tired mornings. 

One of the saddest things I was told before I started college was that candles, wax melts and burning anything that smelt good was not allowed in the dorms. One thing that I loved having so I wouldn’t have to keep spraying room spray was those wall plug ins from Febreze or Bath and Body Works. The plug-ins disperse scents automatically and are dorm friendly. My personally favorite, Bath and Body Works, have all different smells you can buy and replace the plug in with. It’s a good alternative to candles. 

Dorms don’t come with standing mirrors and one thing that I used all the time was my long mirror I bought from Hobby Lobby. A long mirror and a desktop or handheld one was very useful for getting ready and something that people don’t normally think of. 

This next one is a big one. For how much stuff a college student needs, there is not a lot of storage in the dorm rooms. Make sure to bring some additional storage. The best ones would probably be bins and baskets under your bed, a rolling cart for easy access to move stuff, especially for your bathroom essentials, and additional furniture. I brought a little nightstand because there wasn’t one in the room, a small square table to set my fridge on top of, and a six-cube piece of furniture with storage bins for extra space. All these things were super handy to have and aren’t stressed enough on other lists I’ve seen. 

A power strip is a great thing to have if you have a lot of electronics. If you have a roommate, there aren’t a lot of outlets for two people to share. A power strip can help plug in your TV, Xbox, computer and charge all your devices. 

A first aid kit is essential for all college students, not just freshmen. I’m super accident prone and this was one thing that I didn’t have that I wish I did. Every time I got a cut or needed medicine, I reached for something that wasn’t there. It’s something I think every college freshman needs if nothing else on this list. 

Starting off our top three on the dorm essentials list is a Brita Filter. The tap water in Stillwater is not the best thing in the world, and even if reducing plastic usage is not your thing, it gets tiring after a while to always have a case of water in your room. A Brita Filter and a reusable water bottle in your dorm room are essential to staying hydrated and not using a whole lot of plastic. It’s also really convenient to have clean, cold water on hand. 

This next one really earned its spot on the list. Dorm room mattresses are not exactly the most comfortable sleeping mechanisms and there’s not much that can be done about it. Except buy a mattress topper. Having a three-inch memory foam mattress topper added to my bed in my dorm made it even more comfortable than my bed at home. It is one of the best investments for college freshmen. 

#1: Cowboy Boots & Cowboy Hat 

Coming in at number one and the best essential for students at Oklahoma State University would be cowboy boots and a cowboy hat for OSU events. Everything from game days to nights out, everyone needs a good pair of boots to grab. Going down to Cavender’s and getting a nice cowboy hat was a landmark experience for me as an Oklahoma native. Cowboy boots and hats go with everything and are a staple for OSU Cowboys.