10 Things I Didn't Need in College

It's a rite of passage. Freshman year, if you didn't bring too much stuff, are you really a freshman? Some things were suggestions from my mom, some were from online, and some were things that I'm very thankful I absolutely did not pack. Beware: some of these are considered controversial here in the college world.


   1. A shower caddy

I know everyone and your mom will tell you that you'll need a shower caddy, but as someone who lived in a suite and doesn't have to wash their hair every day, a shower caddy would be too much for only needing body wash most days. It also took up a lot of space that first month in my dorm floor and I was honestly grateful to be going home over labor day just so I could get that $10 plastic bin out of my life. It literally never got used.

   2. A TV/Netflix/Hulu/HBO/whatever else you can think of

I can count on one hand the exact number of times I used Netflix and Hulu combined my entire freshman year, and it probably adds up to a grand total of 24 hours due to Marvel movies. The only time I watched TV (like with an actual screen) was during kickbacks and we'd all be watching Harry Potter or something via PlayStation. Well, and the one time we watched CSPAN. I had free movies every Friday and Sunday, and I had friends who commuted and would bring their gaming systems into the student center every Friday morning.

It was never that I was always busy- it was just that my idea of entertainment does not involve movies or TV, especially paying for them.

    3. Flash drives

This one definitely depends on your major and where you go to school. UAH uses Google drive, so there's honestly no reason to use a flash drive. One of my lab partners used it once to take a graph from our physics lab to put it in our lab report before we found an easier way to do it. An external hard drive on the other hand, I really can't recommend enough.

   4. Graph paper/looseleaf paper

Any time I needed paper, I just took a sheet out of a notebook. Graph paper never really came up until I took calc B, and even then, it wasn't really every useful. I do keep graph paper around simply because of my major however, worst case scenario, you can buy some later.

   5. Graphing calculator

This may just be my school, but we're not allowed calculators in math classes and we can only use scientific calculators, even in calculus based physics. That was a tough adjustment- I've used a TI-84 since 8th grade, so my mom had to find my brother's spare TI-30 and mail it to me first week of classes. Yeah, not a fun time. I do keep a TI-84 around for checking math homework or physics labs, but as a freshman, you won't need one. Worst case scenario, someone will have done what I did and have one you can borrow.

   6. Extra binders

I use some binders for my looseleaf textbooks. I use one for the parts of the book we use in that class in the series while the rest of the book goes into another binder for the next class. It keeps the binder from being so heavy and pages from being lost. Unfortunately, I brought more than 5 binders when I only have 4 textbooks (including my sophomore year books), and only 2 are looseleaf editions. They took up a lot of space on my bookshelf that I could have used for things I used more frequently. I'll explain my textbook organization more in a future post.

   7. Nail polish and remover

I barely used this stuff, but one of my friends used it all the time. I'm personally only bringing one color this year, especially since I might start getting dip done before spring semester and again before spring break. It took up precious counter space, but at least now I know I actually have room for all the makeup I love and use.

   8.  Second set of sheets

I straight up forgot I had a second set of sheets. It's not a complete waste since I'm the oldest and my brothers can use my extra set, but the package still sits unopened on my shelf in my room. I already don't use a flat sheet, so I basically already have a built in second sheet. Even if you do sleep with your flat sheet, I promise, no matter how trash your dryers are, the sheets will dry quick. It's the comforter/quilts you have to worry about.

   9. Dryer sheets

This was one of those things that it feels like everyone uses, but it's actually worse for the dryer and your clothes. I stopped using mine maybe halfway through the first semester and just brought them home. My family used them up for me.

   10. Leggings

This is definitely just a me thing, but I wore my leggings exactly ONCE all of freshman year, and it was just because I was dying part of my hair in the sink and didn't want to ruin any of my nice pajama pants. I lived in running shorts or dresses and only really wore jeans for chem labs or when it was painfully cold in the winter. I actually sold my leggings not long after that day, so needless to say, I'm not bringing them this year.

There you go! These are the 10 things I really, truly did not need my freshman year of college. Hopefully this helps you out if you're trying to decide what to bring.