It may be summer, but the start of the college semester is looming in the near future, and it’s time to start thinking about what you’ll be leaving at home, and what you’re going to actually need to bring with you. If this is your first year going to school, or your first year back after a gap year, you end up kind of starting over from ground zero. You don’t want to bring too much, but you definitely don’t want to leave too much at home. Often, it’s a few days after you get settled into your new dorm that you realize that there are things you left at home that you really shouldn’t have. You can either go out and buy new things, or have your family ship them over. Here are a few things you probably didn’t think to pack for college, but you should. 

Noise cancelling headphones

This is one of those things that you won’t wish you had, until you really wish you had them. Maybe your tone deaf roommate practices her opera singing until 4 am every night. Maybe your next door neighbors are the kind that like to party way later than you do. Or maybe there are some obnoxious people flirting loudly on one of the quiet floors of the library. No matter the reason, you’ll be cursing your normal earbuds, wishing you had something to block all of the sound out with. 

A portable charger

The days on campus can get long and tiring, and sometimes there aren’t any open seats near outlets in the library or local coffee shop while you are studying. Your options are to either go home(with aforementioned opera singing roommate) or to sit at a table with your quickly dying laptop and wish you had thought to have a portable charger. You’re welcome. 

Tupperware

Even if you don’t cook, tupperware is a smart thing to bring with you to college. Bring leftovers home from those freshman mingle mixers, the cafeteria, and from any other gathering that has free food. You’ll be grateful at 2 am when the ribs and mashed potatoes from earlier are sounding reeeeaaaallly good. 

A footlocker or something similar

We all know that something dorm rooms are usually lacking in is storage space. Having a footlocker, or something similar, that you can lock and keep your belongings in is a huge blessing when you’re at college. It doesn’t have to be anything fancy, but it will give you peace of mind! Another great storage option is to find a local storage unit to rent out, so you can keep seasonal items and valuables you don’t want snoopy roommates getting into.