There are a num­ber of things you will need upon arriv­ing to col­lege that will come in handy and make you feel more at home.

Of course, you are going to need essen­tials such as bed­ding, tow­els, a lap­top, microwave, and fridge. However, there are a few extra items that will help your dorm room feel like your own.I advise you invest in a rug or car­pet. While I was out shop­ping for my col­lege needs I was told I would want a rug to add a home-like feel to my new small space. I sug­gest get­ting car­pet since the floors are not com­fort­able to sit on.

A fan is nice to have as well. My dorm room dur­ing my fresh­man year was on the third floor of the build­ing and it got quite warm. If you notice your room becomes very warm on a reg­u­lar basis, you may want to get a fan.

While you will be fre­quent­ing the din­ing halls, snacks such as soup, chips, cook­ies and fruit are nice to have in stor­age if you end up hav­ing a long night study ses­sion and don’t want to make a trip to the din­ing hall.

Also, a TV along with a DVD player is nice to have. Although you may not be able (and prob­a­bly won’t want to) spend a lot of time watch­ing TV, it is nice to relax and watch a movie every once in awhile.

Although my room was small, not all of the rooms in the res­i­dence halls are the same size. If you end up resid­ing in a room that allows space for a chair or a futon, you should invest in one of those as well. A chair or futon will make your room feel home-like and is a nice addition.

If you end up arriv­ing to col­lege with a lot of shoes, I sug­gest you get a shoe holder for shoe stor­age. You are already com­ing with cloth­ing and other items, so there will prob­a­bly not be a lot of room in your closet. A shoe holder for stor­age will be very convenient.

Flowers or a plant of some sort also, I believe, will add a bit of color and life to your room. I’ve found that mak­ing your dorm room feel more like home will make you feel more comfortable.

Pictures and posters are nice to put up in your room. Investing in pic­ture frames, cork boards or a pic­ture holder for your desk will also add some comfort.

Just adding some of these items to your first-year-of-college list will make the tran­si­tion a lot eas­ier. I know it did for me, and it prob­a­bly will for you.