Two friends laughing and chatting on a colorful bed in a bright dorm room.
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This fall will be the fourteenth time I drop a kid off at college. I put my eldest through a three-and-a-half year program that required seven dropoffs, and now my youngest is starting his senior year in a four-year program, so we're coming up on dropoff number seven for him.

I deliver them with a seemingly insane amount of stuff. But I feel like I've dialed in on what they really need, and what's nice to have. I've also learned what to skip. Hot plates aren't allowed. The kids go out for coffee, so don't get a coffee maker (which my youngest says are forbidden in his dorm anyway). Their phone is their alarm clock, and assignments are submitted electronically, so they don't need a printer. I wasted money on a boot tray and soft slippers, never used. A giant poof chair took up way too much space. Most startling to those of us who went to college in the previous century: Students don't buy hundreds of dollars worth of textbooks anymore. Everything is online.

I'm leaving off clothing, shoes, and outerwear since that depends on your kid and the climate. Just don't forget extra big packing bags for all of that. For these dorm essentials, I've also folded in advice I've heard from other parents. As a parent advisor at my younger son's college, I feel like I've learned plenty of helpful tips!

Bed & Dorm Decorating

Your kid spends most of their time at their desk or in their bed. Optimize comfort at those two spots. The dorm will have a desk chair, but it will likely be the rigid, wooden kind from the days before kids had to sit at a computer for hours. My hack, or maybe I should say confession: Several times I've ordered a desk chair for pickup at the Staples in a college town, had the kid use it for the school year, and then I've donated it to Goodwill at the end. A chair takes up so much room in a van.

If your kid makes contact with their roommate(s) during the summer, this list can get sharper. They might coordinate bedding colors, or decide only one of them is bringing a nice-to-have floor lamp or mini fridge.

Checklist of bed and dorm essentials for college, categorized into musts and nice-to-haves.

Musts:

Nice-to-haves:

For Their Studies

This is what they're going for, after all! A laptop that moves around with them is smarter than a desktop in the dorm, though my youngest, a game programming/computer science major, has both plus a monitor. What your kid is studying might change this list a bit, but probably not much.

College essentials checklist with "musts" and "nice to have" categories for students.

Musts:

Nice-to-haves:

Personal Care & Wellness

For years I packed a lot of cleaning supplies. But I learned, over and over, that the person who used them was me, at the end of the semester, at pickup. I recommend sending kids off with disinfecting wipes and laundry pods, and bringing large trash bags, paper towels, a broom, and a dust pan from home at the end of the year.

Checklist of must-have and nice-to-have personal care items for college students.

Musts:

  • Two towels ($18.50, amazon.com)
  • Six wash cloths ($14, amazon.com)
  • Bathrobe ($30, amazon.com)
  • Shower caddy ($9, amazon.com)
  • Waterproof shoes for the shower ($14, amazon.com)
  • Soap, shampoo, and conditioner, though to save space, I love an all-in-one for body and hair, like the one from Irish Spring ($7, amazon.com)
  • Toothbrush holder ($6, amazon.com)
  • Laundry bag ($8, amazon.com)
  • Laundry pods ($16, amazon.com)
  • Disinfecting wipes ($11 for three, amazon.com)
  • Medications, vitamins, eyeglasses, contacts—all the personal stuff they need on a daily basis, plus things like deodorant, toothpaste, ibuprofen, and period products
  • Tissue boxes ($6, amazon.com)
  • Umbrella ($12, amazon.com)
  • Leakproof water bottle of choice, my kids like HydroFlask ($50, amazon.com)

Nice-to-haves:

  • Favorite snacks. Check with roommates about allergies.
  • Cutlery set for one ($10, amazon.com)
  • Big mug that could also be a bowl ($16, amazon.com)
  • Dish spray ($5, amazon.com)
  • Fitness supplies, like 10-pound weights ($30, amazon.com) and a yoga mat ($22, amazon.com)
  • First-Aid Kit, though my kids just went to the RA or college medical office ($11, amazon.com)
  • Laundry hamper that the bag sits in ($8, amazon.com)

There Will Be Other Things!

Closing this with the craziest things that have gone back and forth to college with my kids. I don't recommend them, but they might end up in your vehicle, so I'm listing them in solidarity. My eldest brought a cat starting in sophomore year. He got official paperwork for it. That also meant a litter box, litter, a scooper, a bowl, water dish, and cat food. It felt like lunacy to me, but the cat genuinely eased anxiety for him. And yes, that was in a dorm, an on-campus upperclassman apartment, and an off-campus apartment.

My youngest still frequently brings a skateboard, which doesn't take up much room but is clunky to store. Being a parenting editor I also insist on a helmet. If your kids is bringing a bike, pack both a lock and a helmet for them.

Both kids have taken musical instruments, which sometimes get used and sometimes sit neglected because college kids are busy. Finally, both live with plenty of plushies, for decoration and nostalgia. Your young adult won't be the only one on the floor with their childhood bear or a collection of Jellycats.