ArtsAutosBooksBusinessEducationEntertainmentFamilyFashionFoodGamesGenderHealthHolidaysHomeHubPagesPersonal FinancePetsPoliticsReligionSportsTechnologyTravel

Essentials for Surviving Your First Year in College

Updated on February 5, 2024
Aibrean82 profile image

Ada is a freelance writer who loved being a college student. Now her stepson is in college and she gets to relive parts of it all over again

Source

Going back to school after the summer has never been more fun!

Autumn has always been my favourite time of year. Why? For oh-so-many reasons! The air gets crispier every morning, we're getting closer and closer to Christmas with each passing day, and it's the perfect season for staying inside with a good book and a cup of tea.

But more than anything, autumn comes with the promise of new beginnings. Going back to school after the long summer holidays was always something I looked forward to.

So very few things in life could possibly beat the excitement of not only going back to school after the summer, but also starting a whole new life - as a college student!

So what do you need when going off to college for the first time?

I'm so glad you asked!

It is really very simple. You need things that make studying easier and more effective, and items that make it easier to do all the things you're not as excited about - like getting up early to go to that research methods class (yes, I speak from experience). And items to get non-studying things, like laundry, out of the way so that you can focus on what you are there to do.

(Studying, remember?)

Whether you're a first year student or just changed your major for the third time, here follows a list of five essential things for surviving a(nother) year as a college student. Some of these items may be things you haven't even thought about, but all of them are things that either made my own college life a lot easier, or that I have since discovered and wish that I had back then.

Hint: It's more than instant coffee and stationary.

Source

#1: A thermal mug for your morning coffee! - I mean - seriously! What could be more important for a college student?

Let's get back to those research method classes. I studied psychology for five years, and some of the subjects I loved, some were just kind of meh!, and others... well, others I hated!

My research method classes started at eight o'clock in the morning on Fridays. What an ungodly hour! I once fell asleep while the lecturer showed us a video of, eh, something. After that I started making a big batch of coffee in the morning and drink half before shuffling out the door, and pour the rest in a thermal mug with a lid for the lecture. Brilliant idea! I had no problem staying awake anymore.

Though I desperately needed the bathroom about fifteen minutes in.

The Travel Mug of my Dreams

Bodum Travel Press, 350ml, Red
Bodum Travel Press, 350ml, Red
I wish I had known about this mug when I was a student. I discovered it a little too late for that, but it is now my companion for work every morning. It is so close to the perfect travel mug it is almost unbearable! It functions both as a coffee/ tea press and a travel mug. It has a nonslip silicone grip, which makes it easy to hold on to on the subway, bus, or even while walking, and also stops your fingers getting burned. It is available in different sizes and colours, though the red is absolutely my favourite. You can also find cheaper versions on Amazon, though it is definitely worth the price I paid for it. It even comes with a "normal" lid, for those days when you don't need the coffee press function. It keeps the beverage hot for hours. In fact, I can't drink from it for a little while unless I keep the lid off at first, because it's too hot. It also keeps cold beverages cold. I have used it many times for breakfast smoothies. I must admit I have three of these! One red, one green with a normal lid, and one purple 0,30 L mug with both a press lid and normal lid. I'm obsessed!
 

Tell me about yourself:

Are you going off to college this year?

See results

#2: A laundry hamper

It is a fact universially known that all college students produce an enormous amount of laundry.

Being a student in a city only one hour's drive from my parents' house allowed me to take my laundry home every weekend. The official explanation was that there were rats in the laundry room at the dorm. The less official explanation was that it was just so much more convenient to hand it over to Mom Saturday morning and have it returned, freshly cleaned, smelling of flowers and neatly folded on Sunday.

When I moved to Dublin, Ireland, for one semester, the whole going-back-to-my-parents-in-Norway-to-do-laundry thing was a little less convenient. Also, there were no rats. Let's just say the learning curve was steep...

I quickly learned the convenience of having a laundry hamper one could also carry around with you. You save time and energy (you need those for studying, remember?) by not having to move the dirty clothes from the hamper to a bag before going to the laundry.

The laundry at my dorm in Dublin. I once slammed my face into the door of the far right washing machine. Ahh, the memories.
The laundry at my dorm in Dublin. I once slammed my face into the door of the far right washing machine. Ahh, the memories. | Source

The perfect laundry hamper - I kid you not!

Smart Design Deluxe Mesh Pop Up Square Laundry Hamper w/ Side Pocket & Handles - VentilAir Fabric Collapsible Design - for Clothes & Laundry - Home - (Holds 2 Loads) (14 x 23 Inch) [Black]
Smart Design Deluxe Mesh Pop Up Square Laundry Hamper w/ Side Pocket & Handles - VentilAir Fabric Collapsible Design - for Clothes & Laundry - Home - (Holds 2 Loads) (14 x 23 Inch) [Black]
This pop-up hamper is the work of a genius. Solid, easy to carry, and when not in use it is collapsible for easy storage. It holds an extra big load of laundry, and has two side pockets for the easy storage and carrying of detergent, dryer sheets and fabric softener. Never forget your cleaning accessories again! Rather than using an Ikea carry bag like I did - you know, the big ones that are hard to carry - this will allow your dirty clothes to breathe rather than create a stink bomb for you to detonate in front of other people in the laundry. Not that I ever did that. Ever.
 

#3: A kettle - My kingdom for a kettle!

Keep one in your room for all those cups of tea or French press coffee. Or instant coffee. Or instant noodles. The possibilities are endless! Buying an electric kettle was one of the first things I did when I moved into my dorm. And apart from my pillow it was possibly the most used item in the room.

BOMICHING Electric Water Kettle, Double Wall Food Grade Stainless Steel Tea Kettles For Boiling BPA Free, Auto Shut-off, Boil-Dry Protection
BOMICHING Electric Water Kettle, Double Wall Food Grade Stainless Steel Tea Kettles For Boiling BPA Free, Auto Shut-off, Boil-Dry Protection
This kettle holds 1 L of water, which makes it big enough to fill your French press coffee maker and make your instant oatmeal without having to refill it - for an instant nutritious breakfast. The kettle itself is cordless, and shuts off automatically once the water has boiled. The handle stays cool and the spout doesn't drip. All in all a great jug for your money! And honestly, how cute and retro is it?
 

#4: A shower caddy - Keep private things private - also in college

Raise your hand if you don't like to share a bar of soap with other people in the community shower. I thought so! When in college I was always looking for ways to make the morning shower more efficient, quick and painless. It didn't help that we had only two shower stalls to service the entire floor, and I inevitably ended up rinsing out my conditioner to the sound of increasingly impatient knockings on the door.

Additionally, I really preferred an easy way to carry all my belongings into the shower as conveniently as possible, without dropping anything or carrying my razor in full view of everyone I may meet on the way there.

famichan Mesh Shower Caddy Portable, Dorm Room Essentials for College Students, Large Capacity with 8 Pockets Shower Bag for Camping,Swimming,Gym,Travel
famichan Mesh Shower Caddy Portable, Dorm Room Essentials for College Students, Large Capacity with 8 Pockets Shower Bag for Camping,Swimming,Gym,Travel
This portable shower caddy makes it easy to ferry all the things you will need for your shower, including your towel, flip flops (those shower floors can be both slippery and nasty), soaps and shampoo. It has a large storage space inside, as well as 8 convenient pockets. The mesh fabric makes it quick-dry, and includes a drawstring top in the main pocket which will keep your private belongings from view.
 

#5: A cookbook - One that you will actually use

Once you have moved away from home it doesn't take you long to realize that

1) Takeaway food is expensive (not to mention often unhealthy)

2) Instant noodles get old real quick

and

3) Your Mom will not come over and cook pancakes for your breakfast or her famous meatloaf for dinner, no matter how much you crave it.

There is only one solution. You must learn how to cook. On your own. Sorry about that.

Source
Help! My Apartment Has A Kitchen Cookbook: 100 + Great Recipes with Foolproof Instructions
Help! My Apartment Has A Kitchen Cookbook: 100 + Great Recipes with Foolproof Instructions
The easiest way to learn how to cook is by getting a cookbook. The best way to learn how to cook from a cookbook is to get one that is absolutely foolproof, and with detailed recipes. All this mixed with a dash of humor must be perfect. With more than a hundred recipes and a title that makes you smile, this cookbook for beginners makes a both useful and funny present for that friend, sibling, son or daughter who is leaving the nest. I find the Mom Tips at the end of the recipes especially helpful - and cute!
 
working

This website uses cookies

As a user in the EEA, your approval is needed on a few things. To provide a better website experience, hubpages.com uses cookies (and other similar technologies) and may collect, process, and share personal data. Please choose which areas of our service you consent to our doing so.

For more information on managing or withdrawing consents and how we handle data, visit our Privacy Policy at: https://corp.maven.io/privacy-policy

Show Details
Necessary
HubPages Device IDThis is used to identify particular browsers or devices when the access the service, and is used for security reasons.
LoginThis is necessary to sign in to the HubPages Service.
Google RecaptchaThis is used to prevent bots and spam. (Privacy Policy)
AkismetThis is used to detect comment spam. (Privacy Policy)
HubPages Google AnalyticsThis is used to provide data on traffic to our website, all personally identifyable data is anonymized. (Privacy Policy)
HubPages Traffic PixelThis is used to collect data on traffic to articles and other pages on our site. Unless you are signed in to a HubPages account, all personally identifiable information is anonymized.
Amazon Web ServicesThis is a cloud services platform that we used to host our service. (Privacy Policy)
CloudflareThis is a cloud CDN service that we use to efficiently deliver files required for our service to operate such as javascript, cascading style sheets, images, and videos. (Privacy Policy)
Google Hosted LibrariesJavascript software libraries such as jQuery are loaded at endpoints on the googleapis.com or gstatic.com domains, for performance and efficiency reasons. (Privacy Policy)
Features
Google Custom SearchThis is feature allows you to search the site. (Privacy Policy)
Google MapsSome articles have Google Maps embedded in them. (Privacy Policy)
Google ChartsThis is used to display charts and graphs on articles and the author center. (Privacy Policy)
Google AdSense Host APIThis service allows you to sign up for or associate a Google AdSense account with HubPages, so that you can earn money from ads on your articles. No data is shared unless you engage with this feature. (Privacy Policy)
Google YouTubeSome articles have YouTube videos embedded in them. (Privacy Policy)
VimeoSome articles have Vimeo videos embedded in them. (Privacy Policy)
PaypalThis is used for a registered author who enrolls in the HubPages Earnings program and requests to be paid via PayPal. No data is shared with Paypal unless you engage with this feature. (Privacy Policy)
Facebook LoginYou can use this to streamline signing up for, or signing in to your Hubpages account. No data is shared with Facebook unless you engage with this feature. (Privacy Policy)
MavenThis supports the Maven widget and search functionality. (Privacy Policy)
Marketing
Google AdSenseThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
Google DoubleClickGoogle provides ad serving technology and runs an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
Index ExchangeThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
SovrnThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
Facebook AdsThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
Amazon Unified Ad MarketplaceThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
AppNexusThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
OpenxThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
Rubicon ProjectThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
TripleLiftThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
Say MediaWe partner with Say Media to deliver ad campaigns on our sites. (Privacy Policy)
Remarketing PixelsWe may use remarketing pixels from advertising networks such as Google AdWords, Bing Ads, and Facebook in order to advertise the HubPages Service to people that have visited our sites.
Conversion Tracking PixelsWe may use conversion tracking pixels from advertising networks such as Google AdWords, Bing Ads, and Facebook in order to identify when an advertisement has successfully resulted in the desired action, such as signing up for the HubPages Service or publishing an article on the HubPages Service.
Statistics
Author Google AnalyticsThis is used to provide traffic data and reports to the authors of articles on the HubPages Service. (Privacy Policy)
ComscoreComScore is a media measurement and analytics company providing marketing data and analytics to enterprises, media and advertising agencies, and publishers. Non-consent will result in ComScore only processing obfuscated personal data. (Privacy Policy)
Amazon Tracking PixelSome articles display amazon products as part of the Amazon Affiliate program, this pixel provides traffic statistics for those products (Privacy Policy)
ClickscoThis is a data management platform studying reader behavior (Privacy Policy)