There are plenty of checklists that incoming college students can turn to when trying to decide what to bring from home to campus. While it’s important to not over pack, oftentimes the fear of not bringing enough causes students to overwhelm themselves during the transition from their parents’ home to the dorms.
Because dorm rooms aren’t that big to begin with, it’s essential that students understand the difference between what to bring to campus and what to leave at home. When it comes to the items that need to be left behind, it isn’t just a matter of lessening the load of things that need to be moved. In some cases, it’s also a matter of personal safety.
Before loading the moving van, college students should carefully read over the rules and regulation policies that will be provided once they’ve been approved to move into the campus dorms. Each dorm facility has its own list of specific items that students are not allowed to bring. Knowing this information well in advance will make things less stressful as well as prevent any unpleasant surprises.
Important Documentation
Although there are instances where providing an authentic birth certificate and/or social security card might be necessarily, in general, it is better to leave the original versions at home.
As much as college and university dorms do their best to enforce safety, there is always the possibility of break-ins and thefts. Keeping sensitive documents like birth certificates and social security cards in a dorm room increases the chances of becoming a victim of identify theft.
Students that don’t feel comfortable leaving these documents behind will want to make sure they have a secure safe or other storage type of compartment with a lock on it as a deterrent for would-be thieves.
High School Memorabilia
Recent high school graduates might be looking forward to college life but may not want to completely leave their high school memories behind. Even though bringing high school memorabilia to the dorms can help fight homesickness and provide comfort, the reality is that it’ll end up becoming extra stuff that will take up much-needed space inside a small dorm room. High school photos or yearbooks are ideal.
Candles
This may seem like a random item to mention on the list but the truth is that candles present a huge risk of fire and injury, which is why many dorm facilities strictly prohibit students from bringing candles into the dorms. Think it won’t be a big deal to sneak them in under the radar? Breaking dorm rules of any kind–large or small–carry its own set of consequences. Incoming freshmen won’t do themselves any favors by trying to get away with having candles in their rooms.
Pricey Electronic Devices
Ideal electronic devices that belong in the dorms include laptops, desktop computers and printers. Anything else, such as surround sound stereo equipment and other gadgets, should be left at home. Damage, loss or theft of these items only increases by having them in the dorms.
