8 Things You Definitely NEED to Bring (But Maybe Thought You Didn't)

The past few weeks have been super stressful; not for the week that just occurred, but for the week before, I had to prepare two presentations in Chinese (one of which I didn't end up giving until last week because of my professor, but that's a completely different story), write a paper for Poli-sci, and take a Spanish exam, on top of all of my regular week-to-week work. Through it all, I've also been extensively planning for my summer study abroad and post-study travels. In addition, with only two weeks until those of us who aren't staying for the summer have to move out of Brookdale, I've been towing things to my dad to take home so that there's less stuff on move out day. Which got me thinking about me this time last year, with papers and papers of what to bring to college - I scoured the internet, drew diagrams of how I wanted my room to look, and made revised list after revised list! So here's a new list, 8 things you definitely need to bring but maybe thought you didn't (in no particular order).

1. An electric kettle - Okay, so not everyone is a die-hard tea drinker like my friends and I, but I'm going to include this here. Even if you don't drink tea, or instant coffee/hot chocolate, on a regular basis, an electric kettle is a must-have. There are plenty of college-friendly foods (ie ramen) that are much easier to make if you just use an electric kettle. Instead of waiting behind a line of people to stick cup-of-noodles in the microwave, just heat up some water in your own kettle and pour it into the styrofoam. Also, you cut out the need for a separate jug for water - just fill up the kettle (with cold water from the kitchen sink which in NYC is totally fine) and use it to pour water from. And if you're maybe thinking about buying one that doesn't turn off until you unplug it, don't, there are great ones that turn themselves off and don't cause an earache with their whistling.
2. Slippers - This is the first type of footwear that will be included on this list. When I'm at home, I rarely wear slippers unless it is truly freezing, but in Brookdale I've used my slippers almost daily. They're great simply because they're easy to put on when you need to rush down the hall to the bathroom in the middle of the night. I love walking around barefoot, but I would not do that in the bathrooms here.
3. Extra (shower) flip-flops - With that said, shower shoes are a must. I just use an extra pair of flip-flops that I have dedicated to the job, but there are probably shoes out there that are supposed to be worn for this. I find that flip-flops are good though because they dry out pretty fast, and when you're done in the shower you can rinse off your feet without taking your protection (the shoes) off. Also, they make that sound which is fun too.
4. Wellies (rain boots) - I'm writing this while I just received a flash flood alert on my phone, so I'd say these are pretty important. Up until this past school year I didn't own a pair, but I needed one! Maybe it doesn't rain everyday, but it does rain in NYC and it's not fun to have to trek around in shoes that soak your feet. Plus, they make super cute rain boots. And if you're not into that, at least bring a pair of waterproof shoes! I cannot count the number of times my (guy) friends have complained about their feet getting soaked when they accidentally step in a puddle in their sneakers.
5. Extra shelves/storage/wall hangings - Although each room comes with a nightstand, a desk with drawers, a three-drawer chest, and a closet: it is so not enough. I have under the bed storage (two foldable, zippable things), an extra set of drawers (bought from the kid's section of Ikea, supposed to be used to store toys), and during the year I bought two sets of this cube system you put together yourself. And I still have stuff sitting around. Maybe I just enjoy attempting to be extra organized, but I think it's important. You want to have your things where you know they are; trust me, waking up with forty minutes to get to class (when the commute takes bare minimum twenty) and not knowing where your keys or notebook are is an awful predicament. You can't stick anything to the wall permanently, but you definitely want to have some 3M hooks around. You can hang your key off one by the door, you can hang up a handy calendar to let you know what lies ahead. Post-it notes, sticky tack, and just the extra double-sided 3M sticky things that come with the hooks can also help to fix up important reminders.
6. Lanyard or key chain - I'm trying to think if I know anyone who just carries their key, and I don't think I do, but maybe you wouldn't think to buy/bring one. It's super important to have something to put your room key and mail key on. It's good to have them together, possibly with any house key you may have, and on something you can hook, hang, or carry. I use the one that my high school gave out at junior prom, simply because that's what I have, but plenty of people buy ones from the Hunter bookstore to show school pride (or maybe just because they have super cheap ones for a dollar if you ask).
7. An extra set (or two) of bedding - Maybe this is just me, but when I do laundry I like to know that even if by the time everything's done and dry, if it's so late, and I just want to crawl into bed, I can. Having an extra set of bedding can really help with that. Also it's good when you spill something on your bed and don't have time to do laundry that day. And changing it up once in a while can really vibe up your room!
8. Refillable water bottle - This is a must (I have three). Obviously you can just buy plastic water bottles from the vending machines or in bulk from a super market, but a reusable bottle is better for the environment and it saves you money. You can also use them for things other than water, obviously.

Another thing that I thought would add, but isn't a must-have, is organizing with your parents about money. I know everyone's situations are different, but for my family it made sense to schedule a day each month and an amount that my parents would give to me. Macaulay doesn't want us to have jobs that could distract from school, the Flagship program has the same philosophy, so although I have some savings of my own, I do rely on my parents for money. This includes groceries, school supplies (including textbooks), and my metro card each month. My parents actually went ahead and looked online themselves and found a number that other people said worked, and that they could agree on. This is the amount that gets put into my bank account at the first of each month (my dad happens to be really good at doing what his calendar tells him to do). It's worked great for me because I never have to wonder if I'm going to have enough money because of my parents. If I over-spend, that's a different issue, but in terms of what I have to spend each month, I'm set. And I think this is an important discussion to have with your parents, even if nothing comes out of it, because I'm sure I'm not the only one who likes certainty when it comes to money. Do some research, show your parents the research or have them do some on their own if they'd like, and perhaps you can come to an agreement that works for everyone.

Of course everyone is going to have their own opinions on these things, and I'm sure there are things that I could put on this list but haven't, but these are some things that I definitely value and perhaps hadn't thought they would be too important when I was pre-planning a year ago. Also these are just basic things that everyone should have, what is important to you will probably be vastly different to what is important to me. Next week I'll talk about 8 things I thought I would need at college, but haven't used very much or at all.