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The Guardian - US
The Guardian - US
Megan Reynolds

‘A quiet retreat from the rowdy dorms’: 13 time-tested college essentials that will last long past graduation

Simplify Plastic Decorative Basket, ENO DoubleNest Hammock, Ajuny Wooden Treasure Chest, All-Clad Copper Core 10-Piece Cookware Set, Craftsman 159-piece Metric and standard (SAE) Mechanics Tool Set with Hard Case, Addison Rugs Modern Sherpa Throw Blanket
Not all college buys need to be destined for the dumpster. Photograph: Courtesy Photos

One of the highlights of the summer before college was trotting off to my local Linens N Things to outfit my new home, a triple dorm room in the Little Building at Emerson College in Boston. Armed with a list of must-haves and strongly suggested essentials, I filled a shopping cart with a lot of stuff I’d use immediately (jersey twin XL sheets) and stuff that I’d eventually throw away after four years (the very same sheets, useless after college when you will never see a twin XL bed again.)

Most, if not all, of the stuff I bought didn’t make it out of Boston, save for a pop-up laundry hamper that did a tour of duty in San Francisco, surviving three moves in four years, before being relegated to its final resting place, the garbage can.

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