University Housing Services provides itemized lists of what residents should bring to live comfortably on campus. While that list is pretty thorough, my experience has shown me that there’s at least five essential items that no resident should overlook.
1) Shower shoes/flip flops: As much fun as my freshman year in Alamitos Hall was with tons of people around me and always having someone to talk to (even at 4 a.m.), there was one rude hang up – the cleanliness of the bathroom and shower areas. You definitely want some waterproof footwear when you’re taking a shower because, the person who used it before you could be shameless. I also remember – and unfortunately rather vividly – coming across the remnants of students’ previous meals on a few occasions, which made having flip flops all the more important. It didn’t happen often, but let’s face it: It’s college, accidents happen.
It’s also just a good idea to never walk barefoot anywhere in the residence halls because you never know if there will be a sharp object camouflaged in the carpet. With literally hundreds of people living in a relatively small area, a lot happens in such a short amount of time; no matter how hard the custodians work and how spotless they make floors become on a daily basis, the sheer volume of traffic has a tendency to mess that up in a few hours.
2) Pushpins/thumbtacks: Speaking of sharp objects laying on the floor, the typical culprits seem to be pushpins and thumbtacks. While they can be potential hazards, they are very useful and often necessary tools. The cool thing about the dorms is that there are two large cork boards inside each room; I used thumbtacks on my cork board to post class schedules, placards for upcoming Associated Students, Inc. events, random reminder notes, syllabi and even a few pictures of my girlfriend. To help make sure they don’t end up in somebody’s foot or your own, consider keeping your thumbtacks in a large plastic container – maybe even store them with paperclips and rubber bands so everything’s easier to find when needed.
3) Microwave & refrigerator: You should probably get these after you move in and have already met your roommate. There’s no sense in each of you accidentally having your own refrigerator and microwave. Sharing those items not only saves valuable space, but a bit of money as well. While these items may not seem necessary during your first quarter, you’ll probably wish you had them during the following two quarters. Even though Los Olivos has a lot of great food every day (seriously, it beats the stigma of a college dining commons), there will be times when you’d rather cash out your meals and eat in for the night. There will also be mornings when you have a 6-hour block of classes beginning at 8 a.m. and will have no time to eat a hearty breakfast at the Bronco Commons, so pulling some milk out of your fridge and making a bowl of cereal or oatmeal can help you start the day well.
4) Large Water Container: Having a gallon jug of drinking water bought from Target, Walmart or Cal Poly Pomona’s Vista Market would have really made my dorm life easier. One of the bigger issues I faced when it came to living in the dorms was having easy access to adequate amounts of water to drink or make noodles with. While I have a phobia about using water from bathroom sinks, there was a drinking fountain in the hallway that I frequently used; the hitch was that it only filled water in a bottle to a fraction of its capacity because of the low water flow and the low angle you had to turn your bottle at to get any water. Not only did I get half or three-quarter-full bottles of water, but the fountain’s flow was relatively slow and made something as simple as getting water a bit of a hassle. Some of the dorms are equipped with kitchenettes on the first floor – which are other potential sources of water – but I lived on the third floor and my lazy college student self reasoned that spending five minutes to get a half-full bottle of water was somehow more efficient.
5) Clothes hangers: While these items may seem as obvious as bringing a pillow and bed sheets, they could be overlooked by some as “optional.” Believe me, they’re not. While I always had clothes hangers, it was the first time I did laundry – and naturally the day I ran out of clean clothes – that I truly understood their value. I had just pulled my clothes from the dryer and hauled them up to the third floor and all the way to the end of the hall, where my room was located. It was already late and I was tired, so I left my bag of clothes on my bed and surfed the Internet for an hour. To my dismay, I discovered while hanging my clothes that there’s a very good reason for doing so sooner: wrinkles. Every shirt and pair of jeans was wrinkly beyond belief because dryers don’t totally eliminate water. Like the panicky 18-year-old I once was, I called my mother who told me to just throw them in the dryer again. I did so and promptly hung my clothes to dry.
Just remember: These are items I felt were some of the more important ones to have while living in the dorms. Everyone’s experience is going to be different, but I feel like everyone can benefit from these five essentials.
For more information, visit asi.csupomona.edu
