10 essential items to survive first year

With the official start of the fall semester behind us, incoming first-year students may have been frantically searching Google or asking parents, siblings, or peers what they need to ensure that their first year of university living in residence is a smooth and enjoyable process. 

Well Warriors, look no further — through research, friends, and personal insight, Imprint has created a list of the 10 most essential items to ensure your survival for the first year living on campus.

1. Noise cancelling headphones 

For many individuals entering their first year of university, this will be their first taste of freedom away from home. This excitement may come with a lot of noise. Having a good pair of noise cancelling headphones will allow you to have the quiet you need in the comfort of your own room, whether it be for sleeping or studying. They can be purchased from various electronic stores throughout the city such as Best Buy or Walmart.

2. Shower caddy 

Regardless of the residence you are living in, chances are that you will have to share a shower with many other students. The last thing you want to have happen is to leave your soap in the shower and have others use it, and before you know it, the soap you planned to use for the entire semester is gone (trust me, it happens). Having a shower caddy to fetch back and forth provides a practical solution to housing the various shower products you use on a daily basis and allows you to keep them all in one place without running the risk of others stealing your soap. 

3. Your favourite snacks 

Although many residences across campus offer a great variety of food options for all students, the truth is sometimes those options may not be your favourite. Or maybe what was served for dinner didn’t quite hit the spot.. Keeping your room loaded with some of your favourite snacks will not only allow you to skip out on some meals that you would rather not have, but it will also save you from having to leave your room if and when those late night cravings hit. 

4. Two sets of bedding (sheets, pillow cases, blanket) 

Next time you talk to one of your friends that is also a student, ask them when they last changed their bedding. In my experience, the majority of the people I talk to would respond with “I don’t know but it’s been a while.” Don’t be that person, getting a good sleep is essential to strong academic and social performance. The best way to start a good sleep is with clean bedding materials. Come prepared by bringing two sets of bedding so that when it’s time to wash the old ones, you have another clean set ready to roll. Bedding sets can be found at Walmart, Homesense, Amazon, and so on. 

5. Mattress cover or mattress topper

On the topic of bedding, if you are someone who enjoys a soft comfortable mattress, be sure to pick yourself up a pillow top mattress cover or a mattress topper. Many people find the mattresses provided in the dorms uncomfortable. Getting a pillow top cover or topper will provide that extra comfort and allow you to get the good sleep that you need to perform the various tasks required on a daily basis. If you are someone who prefers a firm mattress, I would still suggest buying a mattress cover, you probably don’t want to know how many people used that same mattress before you did. 

6. Laundry detergent 

If you are anything like me, the first time you will be constantly doing laundry is when you have moved away from home. Luckily, many residences across campus offer access to washing and drying machines for students living on campus. My suggestion for first-time laundry doers: buy laundry pods. Laundry pods (such as Tide PODS) take all the hassle and worry out of doing laundry — all you do is throw one in with all your clothes and wait for the cycle to be finished, and there you have it, clean clothes. Although laundry pods are not the cheapest option for doing laundry, what they lack in cheap pricing, they make up for in convenience and accessibility. 

7. Drying rack

On the topic of laundry, another essential item to have is a drying rack where you can let your clothes air-dry. The residences offer no equipment or designated space for you to hang dry your clothes. Naturally, not all clothes are made to be thrown in the dryer and be fully dry in under an hour. Some of your nicer clothes may need to be air dried and some clothes when put in the dryer will shrink. By purchasing a drying rack, you can ensure that you have somewhere to dry the clothes that you do not feel comfortable throwing in the dryer. On top of that, the drying rack has many uses, like having a place for your towel after using it.  

8. Small space organizers 

It is no secret that the majority of the residences, especially the double rooms, do not provide a large amount of space for students. Naturally, this can lead to spaces feeling cluttered quickly. To solve this, look into buying small organizers for your desk, clothing, etc. By doing this, you can easily optimize your space and feel a sense of organization which will ultimately allow you to be more productive in your daily endeavors. Space organizers can be purchased at Walmart, Staples, Amazon, etc. 

9. Extension cord/power blocks

Extension cords and power blocks are essential to ensuring that you can have all your devices charged and ready to be used whenever you need them. Some residences will have as little as two outlets in the entire room. For many of us who have various electronic devices, this is simply not enough. By purchasing extension cords and power blocks, you can ensure that many of your devices are being charged at once, and can even have those devices charging while you are using them, whether that’s winding down after a long day watching some Netflix or studying. 

10. Confidence

Finally, to wrap up this article, the final essential to surviving first-year is to put yourself out there to meet new people and have fun. There is no denying that the first year of university can be very intimidating for many people, as it’s their first time away from home and their first time meeting hundreds of new people. I highly suggest to all students that it is absolutely essential to put yourself out there to try new things and meet new people. At the end of the day, university is what you make of it and I am confident in saying that your experience will be all the more enhanced if you build relationships with peers all across the university.