College Packing Lists

These comprehensive lists are designed for you to pick and choose, to inspire personal design choices to make your student feel at home. They are designed for you to refer back to when you need something so that you have everything at your fingertips, organized in one place.

To access all of the college life blog posts, please scroll down to the College Life section on the home page and Click for More Information. You will find each post full of direct links to shop or you can just browse for ideas. 

While most of the items linked in these posts are from Amazon and Target, some of my other favorite places to shop for school are TJ Maxx / Marshalls / Home Goods, Overstock, The Container Store, and Room 422.  

One other resource that has been helpful for me is the parent Facebook page.  Facebook has its pros and cons, but as a resource for a parent new to any school, it has been very helpful for me each time. Most schools have an official parents page where you can find information on the best places to stay nearby or when to book a hotel for parents’ weekend (the answer is now or yesterday), and if your school has a shuttle that runs to the airport for Thanksgiving break, etc.  For move-in purposes, one of the best things you can do is search for the name of your child’s dorm on the group page.  You will likely find every question that anyone has thought of asking about that dorm, as well as photos of the rooms (doubles, triples, quads, and suites). YouTube also has lots of dorm tours, so that’s another place to check out once you have your child’s housing assignment. As I write this, I am cringing because I sound like a helicopter mom, but  with each move in, these tools have reduced everyone’s anxiety and allowed us to plan what we need, what we don’t need, and what looks like it will fit, so I have found these to be helpful, I hope that you do too.