Dorm Room Before
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A little under a year ago, my oldest child was in the home stretch of her senior year of high school. She was gearing up to head off to college in the very early summer to begin volleyball training at her new home, about three hours away from the place she had always called home.
She was my first. Which meant everything felt bigger. The emotions. The pressure. The planning. And suddenly, it felt like my responsibility to make sure she had every single thing she could possibly need.
Her situation came with an added layer. She wasn’t just moving into a dorm… she was stepping into life as a college athlete. That meant early mornings, long training days, practices, lifting sessions, and a schedule that left little room for quick trips home or last-minute supply runs. At the time, I wasn’t sure if she would even make it home during the summer months, and if she did, I knew her visits back would be limited, which made it even more important to set her up for success right from the start.
Of course, there were stores nearby. And yes, she could always pick up anything we missed later. But I needed to drive home after move-in, knowing we had done everything we reasonably could to support her during those long days of training and practices, without her having to think about whether she had what she needed.
Her living situation was… unique. I say this in the best way. She had her own private bedroom (I would have died for this as a college kid!), shared a common living space, and had three roommates. Between the four girls, there were two bathrooms, essentially split so that two girls shared one.
On paper, it sounded manageable. In reality, it introduced a whole new layer of questions.
- What should she bring for her room?
- What should she bring, or not bring, for shared spaces?
- How do you prepare without overstepping or overpowering roommates you haven’t even met yet?
And here’s the thing: I went to college over 25 years ago. Dorm life looked very different back then. So while I thought I knew what she’d need, I also knew enough to know… I didn’t really know at all.
So I did the only thing I knew how to do… I went into panic mode. Just kidding. Sort of. All jokes aside, I knew I needed a plan. Partially for my sanity, but mostly to know where to start. I spent weeks reading dorm room checklists, blog posts, and articles. Some were helpful. Some were overwhelming. Some contradicted each other entirely. And almost all of them left me asking the same question: Where do you even start?
What we wanted was simple: Not to forget anything important; Not to overbuy things she didn’t need; Not to step on roommates’ toes; And ideally… not to make emergency Target runs on move-in day.
Move-in day came, and somehow, almost magically, we knocked it out of the park. She had what she needed. We didn’t scramble. We brought very little back home. And for a first-time college send-off, that felt like a huge win.
That experience planted a seed. Because now, here we are again, preparing to send our son, our second child, off to college. This time, he’s still undecided on where he’ll land, which means we’re doing a lot more “winging it” than I’m comfortable with. But it also reminded me how valuable it was to have a clear, thoughtful plan the first time around.
So I decided to build one. Not just another generic dorm checklist, but a real, parent-tested guide. One that accounts for different living situations, shared vs private bathrooms, what’s truly essential vs what can wait, and even move-in day survival.
Sending your first child to college comes with its own set of challenges: A lot of planning, a lot of unknowns, and a lot of emotions you don’t always expect. My hope is that by sharing what worked for us and organizing it in a way that actually makes sense, other families can feel a little more confident heading into this new (or repeating) season.
A Note on “Realistic Counts”
As I worked through this initial list of core items and started making edits along the way, I realized there were a few things worth calling out, especially for parents. When it comes to clothing, those “realistic counts” are just that: a starting point. In real life, they can vary quite a bit depending on your child’s schedule, lifestyle, and even the season they’re moving in.
In my daughter’s case, her athletic schedule played a big role. Between training, practices, and long days, finding consistent time to do laundry wasn’t always easy. She started off with a few items she probably had too much of, things she thought she’d wear more, and quickly realized there were other items she didn’t have enough of.
One thing we didn’t fully anticipate was towels. Because she sometimes showers multiple times a day and didn’t always have the flexibility to do laundry as often as planned, she ended up needing more towels than we initially thought.
Timing and Technology
One strategy that worked especially well for us was waiting until fairly close to move-in to purchase items like power strips, extension cords, and Command hooks. Doing it this way meant we were comfortably within the return window if we arrived on campus and realized we didn’t need them.
Technology was another area where we intentionally slowed ourselves down. I was very close to buying what my daughter wanted right away, which turned out to be quite different from what she actually needed for her courses. We decided to pause on the tablet purchase until she was further into her classes, and it turned out to be the right call. In fact, she often preferred carrying a tote bag to class instead of a traditional backpack.
The “Nice to Have” Finds
There were a few items that we found to be incredibly helpful: A four-tier rolling cart for toiletries and snacks, thin velvet space saving hangers that made the closet transition a dream (we just placed them straight into moving bags), and strategic under-bed storage using rolling three-drawer storage units. Adding a couple of small lamps around the room also completely changed the feel of the space.
Finally, we put together a simple Health & First Aid setup in a small plastic shoebox. Inside, we included basic first-aid supplies and cold medicine from the dollar store. It’s been one of those quiet wins that’s made the transition feel just a little easier.
Closing
To wrap up, thank you so much if you’ve made it this far. To make things easier, I’ve put together a complete checklist of the tried-and-true items that actually worked for us. As you enter this exciting (and emotional!) phase, I hope you’re able to embrace it, trust the process, and enjoy all the moments along the way!
Dorm Room After!
The Checklist Essentials
Featured in this Post
Thank you for being part of the journey.
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