Campus Life

For those heading back to a college campus instead of a classroom, I know your needs are different. Instead of just needing notebooks and pens, college students need housewares, technology and eating items.  There’s a lot of clutter out there and the stores are filled with ideas of what to take back to college. However, dorm rooms and college apartments are usually small. Being selective with what you bring to school can help you stay organized.  Here are some of my favorite picks for the 2015 school year.

Being selective with what you bring to school can help you stay organized. Click To Tweet

For those out of control weeknights or meals in the dorm room, you need some paper plates.  However, why settle for dull paper plates?  French Bull and Cheeky have teamed up to make an amazing line of fun, sturdy and adorable paper products.  These are great for parties, classroom events, sports teams and of course, every day.  SO cute!

If you know someone heading off to the dorm for the first time or getting their first apartment, grab them a copy of Bedroom Decor, 50 Awesome Ideas for Your Room.  It’s filled with simple, adorable, and easy to create crafts that make your space personalized, bright, and cheery.  Many of these crafts are based on trends like chalkboards, glitter or sparkles.  It’s a great way to bright up a small space on a budget!

Everyone needs a laundry hamper.  However, you’re not going to find a cuter one than the Take Out Box Laundry Hamper at ThinkGeek.  It holds a LOT of laundry and it’s just plain adorable.  The hamper has a rope to carry it to the laundry room by and it even closes on top.  Oh, it’s not microwave safe 🙂

The Life Mounts LED Pack Light is a new “must have” for college students. It attaches to the shoulder strap of any sized pack and provides forward facing light. The powerful LED flashlight has 3 modes, operates on one AA battery and can be seen for over 1,000 feet. The patented universal mount is made of durable silicone rubber and the secure Velcro straps mean your light will fit and stay exactly where you put it but can also be easily removed for hand held use. It’s a must have for safety on those walks home at night.

Here’s the bad news kids…you can no longer use “the power went out” as a reason to miss class.  The Electrohome Self Set alarm clock sets itself automatically after a power outage.  It also connect to your phone or MP3 player, project the time onto the ceiling and offer you multiple alarm times.  It’s pretty much the all in one alarm clock you need for your dorm or apartment.  It has a small footprint too so it won’t take up a lot of space.

All college kids have electronics.  It’s a way of life now.  The Tylt Enegeri Backpack allows you to stay on the go longer. It charges multiple devices at one time.  Imagine not having to find an outlet at the coffee shop and being able to charge you phone, laptop and tablet IN your bag!  The backpack is easy to carry and it’s padded in all the right places to protect your gear.  For travelers the pack will attach to your luggage easily and it opens flat for TSA checking.  My favorite feature is the internal cord organization.  This is a great backpack for the college student with long days.

So every dorm room needs some glasses.  Let’s face it though, dorm rooms aren’t always the most careful places.  This is where Tervis comes to the rescue with the durable drinkware.  Tumblers are sweat proof and keep hot beverages hot and cool beverages cool.  They are super durable and come in SO many designs, patterns and affiliations your head will spin.  Check out their COLLEGE collection here.  There are lots of sizes, mugs and accessories.  My favorite is the lid with straw.  This is perfect for a long lecture (or conference call) or to take to the gym.  You’ll want lots of these adorable tumbers in your life I promise.

Redbubble is your one stop shop for college decorating.  They have amazing mugs, stickers, note cards (to write home), shirts and so much more.  Pick the design you love by an independent artist and order it on whatever you’d like!  It’s customization at it’s best (and easiest).  My favorite picks?  The Good Vibes mug, adorable stickers like this coffee one, and  this good vibes shirt.  This site makes for great gift giving too!

Stop running around to buy everything you need for your dorm and get Organized In A Box.  It’s an amazing assortment of organizing tools to get you set up in an apartment or dorm.  What’s inside?  The Playbook, Poppin aqua accessory tray, Poppin magical markers, Poppin task pads, Poppin zip folios, Poppin aqua pen cup, Poppin aqua bits + bobs tray.  The kit is available in more colors so pick the one you that matches your personality.  So what’s The Playbook? The Playbook is a guide to get your entire home organized from top to bottom. It includes easy actionable steps – no rocket science here (then who would keep it up?). Not just another how-to book that ends up becoming clutter or an impossible task list.

The TravelWise 5 piece packing cube set is a travel essential that allows clothes to stay folded and neat when packed in their own “small drawers”. The cubes are fantastic for staying organized on both short and long travels and help avoid over packing. Constructed of lightweight, durable nylon, these multi-sized cubes allow you to compartmentalize similar items such as shirts, pants, undies and electronic accessories and streamline packing.  The open mesh panel affords breathability and visibility–no more digging through luggage to find that elusive sock. Suitcase security checks are less daunting since screeners can easily view contents through the mesh insert without causing suitcase havoc.  These are perfect for going to and from your dorm on breaks! 

College flies by and is filled with monumental events.  Give your college student the ability and awareness to keep track of these events in the Year 10 Journal.  The journal gives you just enough space to record each day’s highlights.  This journal is the perfect way to keep track of how far you’ve come and where you want to go.  This makes a great gift for a freshman going away from the home for the first time or someone who is beginning a new life adventure.