Stuff You Don’t Need to Bring to College
Note: This post was done in collaboration with Julie ‘21, or @texan-smithie
1. Summer/Warm Weather Clothes. This is specifically tailored towards colleges on the East Coast. Only about the first and last month of school (especially since the year ends in May) are really warm enough to wear shorts and tank tops so keep these at a minimum.
2. Tons of Sweaters/Winter Accessories. On the other side of the spectrum, don’t bring too many sweaters and winter accessories. What will likely happen is that you will have a few favorite items that you wear quite a bit. Also, if you come from a warm place like I do, it’s likely that your “warm clothes” aren’t warm enough for the East Coast. If these reasons do not convince you, just think of how crammed your drawers will be all year and how hard it will be at the end of the year to pack up.
3. Tons of clothes in general. This may be redundant, but it’s necessary to put here. Everyone overpacks. Some people, like me, are worried about not being prepared and may (for example) pack a bunch of swimsuits and work out clothes. If you don’t swim or work out, you don’t need this! Others may think that they may wear something that they don’t really wear at home. The truth of the matter is, if you don’t wear it at home that probably won’t change in college. My rule of thumb here is to pack clothes you wear often (that may be in the laundry) while taking into account 1) and 2) above and adding extra undergarments and socks because there will be times when you are too lazy to do laundry or you forget.
4.Lots of Room Decor ( throw pillows, figurines, picture frames, curtains, etc.) Almost everyone wants their room in college to look nice. However, when trying to achieve this, remember that you have a small room that you likely have to share with another person and that you have to transport what you take to college back home at the end of the year. Therefore, if you do want to decorate a lot (as I did), I recommend bringing things that don’t take much space in your room or suitcase like photos, postcards, string lights, tapestries, and posters.
5. Lots of Room Organizing Items (Closet organizers, bins, bookcases, caddys, etc.) You will probably need some stuff eventually. The standard room at Smith only includes a bookcase, dresser, and desk for organization. For big items like plastic bins, laundry bins, plastic organizers, bookcases, caddys, fridges etc. I would recommend waiting until you waiting until you see your room and talk with your roommate. For the smaller stuff, you can often wait until you get to college before trying to purchase them (talking about desk organizers, closet organizers, ottomans). Later I will probably post on what I would recommend using to maximize your space.
6.Appliances (iron, steamer, humidifier, vacuum, drying rack, fridge, Brita, printer, kettle, Keurig, makeup mirror, etc.). This will obviously vary person to person. What is important to remember is that there are resources on campus. There is printing on campus. Dining halls have hot water. Pretty much all houses have cleaning supplies on every floor, drying racks in the basement, and somewhere to fill up your water bottle and do your dishes. Every room has a mirror. If all this fails, you can ask someone in your house if you can borrow theirs. Also, many seniors sell of their appliances at super cheap prices on Free and For Sale (Facebook Group, JOIN if you haven’t already) in what they call senior sales.
7.Tea Supplies. This is probably a Smith thing because I don’t know any campus as obsessed with tea as we are. As such, you have people like Julie who bring a teapot to campus and people like me who bring a literal mountain of tea bags. You don’t need it. It is a tea-loving campus, and as such, you can get tea from the dining halls or during weekly house teas. If you really need your tea fix, buy your tea bags one box at a time. Related to this, you also don’t need a ton of mugs.
8. Cash. In my opinion, people just don’t use cash in college as much as they do elsewhere. A lot of purchases happen through credit or debit cards and people often pay other people on campus through Venmo. Honestly, having a lot of cash can be a hassle at times and it increases the likelihood of someone taking your money.
9.School Supplies/Textbooks. For the incoming freshman out there coming to Smith, you don’t know what classes you will be taking so worrying about the textbooks, notebooks and binders you will need is pointless. For textbooks specifically, you can often find cheaper options on campus (Free and For Sale and Textbook Exchange FB groups or book rental at the bookstore) and for some classes you won’t even use the textbook even if the teacher assigns it. For other school supplies, keep in mind that it isn’t high school where you often have a locker and teachers may not allow you to use your laptop every day. You may find that even though you went through notebooks, binders and folders like crazy in high school, you don’t really need them as much in college. Certain classes will require different supplies, and you won’t know what that is until you go to the first day of class. Also, you can buy school supplies at Smith!
On the other hand, if there are certain specialty items that you know you will need/want, don’t hesitate to bring them. Personally, I really need my planner, white out, scotch and washi tape, stapler, and scissors. I had a ton at home and they easily fit in my suitcase, so I brought them. Similarly, if you know for sure you will be taking an upper-level math class, you may want to bring your calculator.
10.Miscellaneous. Here’s a list of random items I don’t think you really need: pencils (a lot of people use pen or type notes on laptop), tons of art supplies (usually don’t have much time and there is a Michaels and Joann’s nearby), leisure books (with what time?), water bottles (they give them out everywhere), lots of bags (only really need school bag and going out bag), workout equipment (go to the gym + not much space in room, especially when shared), and lots of mementos from high school (you will make new memories!)
