10 Things You Need To Make The Move Between Your Dorm and Apartment

It’s finally time to break out of your tiny dorm room and into a bigger space! No more communal showers, loud roommates (kinda), or quiet hours that come with dorm life. As you move into your college apartment, there are going to be some things that you don’t already have from living in a dorm! Before you move in, here are 10 things you need to make the move between your dorm and apartment!

1. Dishes

After living in a dorm for a few semesters, you’re probably used to paper plates and the to-go containers from the dining hall. This all will change after you move into your new college apartment! You’ll be cooking your own meals in a larger space than just your microwave and mini fridge!

Before you move in, you’ll need to stock up on bowls, plates, and silverware for your new place and for all of the delicious meals you’re about to cook! Don’t forget extra Tupperware for the leftovers!

2. Full Size or Queen Size Sheets

Finally, you get to say goodbye to your tiny twin XL bed in your dorm and move into something bigger! Because you have the tiny sheets from the dorm, you can easily donate those to a local shelter or an incoming freshman to use if they are in good condition. This might be the best purchase you’ll make for your apartment to really make the place feel like home. Don’t forget extra sheets, blankets, a comforter, and any pillows for your bedroom!

3. Shower Curtain and a Shower Rod

Another thing that you will be kissing goodbye to after your freshmen year is the horrific communal bathroom! You can take your shower shoes and shower caddy off to the dumpster after this semester thanks to your new apartment. Most student living apartments or regular apartments will not have a shower rod, so be sure to add that to your packing list!

Another way that you can make your new space homier is with a fun shower curtain to match your bathroom theme. Choose something that matches your aesthetic and decor style!

4. Bedroom Furniture

Go back to your first move-in day of your freshmen year. Giant carts of all of your stuff and the oak furniture in your new room. Your next move-in day might not look like this! If you are living in a student living apartment, they might give you some furniture in your new room, but not much.

You might want a bookshelf for all of your school supplies or a comfy chair for the long hours of studying. You’ll probably have to get a new bed and desk as well, but check with your new apartment first to see what you need!

5. Organizing Supplies

You might be moving into a bigger space, but you’ll outgrow it faster than you think! For example, the closet space in your new college apartment might not be ideal for your clothes so you’ll need to figure out an alternative for storing your clothes. With this bigger space, you’ll want to keep it all organized to start off with so you can stay organized throughout the entire school year for academic success!

6. Window Treatments

Depending on your living situation with your college apartment, you might just be lucky enough to have blinds on your windows and that’s it! If you enjoy the total darkness at night before you go to sleep, you’ll want to add some curtains and a curtain rod to your packing list. Not only for the darkness at night but also for the privacy during the day with these curtains!

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7. Pots and Pans

Now that you’re out of your dorm and in your college apartment, you’ll have a full kitchen to use for all of your meals! If you’re living with roommates, you’ll want to meet with them first about who is bringing what, pots and pans being one of them. Be aware that you might be sharing your pots and pans so maybe don’t spend a ton of money in case something gets broken or damaged. Remember to get all of the goods so you can get to cooking all of those yummy meals! Another thing that might fall into this category are baking sheets and baking dishes for all of the other cooking adventures you’re going to have in your new apartment!

8. Paper Goods

You’re probably used to there always being TP and other paper goods in your residential hall and dorm, but this is all about to change in your new college apartment! Before you get to your apartment, make sure you have a big pack of toilet paper, paper towels, and plates to get you through the first couple of days! You for sure don’t want to be stuck on the toilet without anything to use!

9. Spices and Dry Goods

With your new full sized kitchen, you’ll be spending less time walking to the dining hall and more time perfecting your homemade pasta bake. Make sure before you move in that you are stocked up on spices and dry goods. Anything from salt to cajun seasoning so you can try anything you want. You never know when you’ll get the late night craving for chocolate chip cookies so make sure you have flour, sugar, and other dry goods for baking!

10. Cleaning Supplies

We are crossing our fingers that your new college apartment is completely spotless when you arrive! But sometimes this isn’t always the case and you’re going to have to give it some extra TLC before fully moving in. You’ll need cleaning supplies for just general cleaning throughout the year, but you’ll want to bring these things on the very first day so that everything is nice and clean upon move in!

What else do you think you will need when you move into your new college apartment? Are you excited to move out or do you think you will miss dorm life? Tell us about it in the comments below!