Happy Wednesday Vandals,
With school just around the corner I wanted to share with all of you future Vandals some items that are must haves for moving to U of I. It is important for all you residence halls students to realize that less is always more when moving into your room. Trust me, when you are moving out in the Spring you will realize that you didn't use half of what you brought and bought 10x the amount of stuff you thought you did!
With all this in mind there are a few important items that I don't think anyone should show up without. Check out my list below!
#1- Brita Water Filter: Moscow water has a ton of minerals in it and therefore the water does not always taste the best. The quickest fix for this is to bring a Brita with you. Talk to your future roommate and figure out if you can share one, or would both like your own. Either way this is a must have!
#2- Shower Caddy: A shower caddy will make you life as a first year student a 100x easier. Any size, large or small, this caddy will make your commute to the shower less of a stress. I recommend purchasing one that is easy to wipe out and large enough to fit all your bathroom essentials in.
#3- Surge Protector/Extension Cord: You will realize very quickly how fast plug- ins run out in your res hall room. Between plugging in the alarm clock, computer, TV, and everything else, it just makes sense to bring a surge protector/ extension cord. This will save you time on the "which cord goes with which plug-in" game.
#4- Foam Mattress Topper-You will be sleeping, hanging out and studying on your bed for the next 9 months of your life so make it the most comfortable you can. It is important that you also are getting a great nights sleep for class the next day, so make sure to purchase a mattress pad, trust me it is worth it. (p.s. make sure it is a TWIN XL so it fits the res hall beds)
#5- Decorations/ White Board: It is important that your res hall room is a reflection of who you are, and that you feel at home and comfortable in this new space. The best way to do this is to decorate your room with things that you like and fit your personality. There are actually studies that prove the more decorations up in a students res hall room, the longer that student will last and the better they will do in college. Why? Because it shows the students is committed and has placed a certain amount of conscious effort into there time at the university.
As for the white board...it's a great way for people to leave notes on you door, and a great way to communicate with you roommates!
I hope the rest of your summer goes well and we all look forward to seeing you at check-in :)
~D
For more ideas about what to bring to U of I see the attached link to the University of Idaho Housing's Pinterest "What to Bring" board.
http://pinterest.com/uihousing/what-to-bring/