Prepping for college doesn’t mean you have to opt for disposable junk destined to end the semester in plastic shards. And as Ilana Drake, a recent graduate of Vanderbilt University who lived on campus for four years, advises, it is better to move in with fewer items. “A lot of people get inspiration from social media or have a Pinterest board [of college dorm decor], but you don’t need everything,” she says. “People tend to overpack for college.”
Whether you or someone you know is university-bound, I’ve curated a list of the most helpful (and sometimes overlooked) essentials that are high-quality enough to bring back every academic year, whatever your budget.
