Underrated College Items

Blankets, pillows, clothing hangers… blah, blah, etc. These are things we all know that we are supposed to bring with us to university. We have probably seen and read tons of articles and watched a plethora of videos on YouTube about what to bring when going to University. I’m here to talk to you about the most underrated items to bring/buy when starting University. Some of these apply to items used in dorms and the others are just general.

1. Phone wallet – This is one of the items which I didn’t find any of the YouTube videos or articles online talking about. When I say these things are life savers, I genuinely mean it. I didn’t have any place to put my M-card, so I put it in my wallet with my Debit cards and my cash. I was taking my wallet everyday to classes (as you need an M-Card to open doors in some buildings), even though I didn’t need my cash or debit cards. During the first week of classes, I saw mostly everyone have a phone wallet stuck on the back of their phone.  

You can find these phone wallets in the M-Den for $7. I bought mine from there, but it ripped near the end of the school year. However, I did get two free phone wallets from the first-year engineering fest. In addition, you can also get these from Amazon for just $6.

2. Netted Shower caddy – When showering, water dripping into your caddy can cause a puddle of water to collect near its bottom, which is obviously something you want to avoid having. I suggest buying a Netted/Holed shower caddy as the water will easily pass out of the caddy without collecting at the bottom of the caddy. Consequently, when you try to buy one from Amazon, try to make sure your caddy is netted/has holes in it.

3. Shelf- Hanging shelf organizer – This is especially for people living in dorms. The closet in my opinion is not that big and doesn’t have that much space. These organizers can either be found on Target or Amazon for $15 and increase the amount of storage clothing space enormously.

Option #2 Storage stools/ottoman – If you want something that can be used as a stool to sit on or to step on, this is the one for you. This is costly at around $25 - $30 cost but is multifunctional.

4. Shoulder strapped/Easy to Carry Laundry bag – Most laundry rooms in residential halls are either in the basement or on the first floor. I lived on the 4th floor and the nearest elevator from my room was a little far, but that distance felt even further when I was carrying my heavy laundry bag. I made the mistake of buying a bag without a shoulder strap. Having a laundry bag which acts like a Backpack is way easier to carry around. These backpack-like laundry bags with shoulder straps are good. Furthermore, they are around the same cost as other laundry hampers of $12. These can be found on Amazon for between $12 - $20. 

P.S - I’ve also seen a few people in dorms use laundry bags with wheels, so if you prefer those over these, go for those.

Some other honorable mentions: Detergent Eco-Sheets (Better than carrying the whole detergent liquid), Tupperware boxes, and sticky notes (during a class, you don’t know when a teacher might say something important).

Written by Harshit Nanda

Summer Orientation Peer Advisor

Undergraduate Student

Zambia/India