Six things you should absolutely have in your college dorm, and six things you don't need to pack

After living in a dorm for four years, and being called the "mom" on campus because I had everything anyone could possibly need and more, I have figured out what is essential to dorm living. After writing and revising my packing list every year, I had it down to a science what was necessity and what was just extra.

A quick Google search will give you the stereotypical things that every college freshman should buy, but most of those things are unnecessary, and in many cases aren't even allowed in most dorms. Make sure to check with your school for things that are prohibited in the dorms, and remember what some people think are important isn't always what every student needs.

Things that you should definitely have on hand when living in a dorm

1. A backup pair of headphones - seems like a strange thing to keep on hand especially since the majority of college students either own a pair of Apple AirPods or have their headphones attached to their body at all times. On multiple occasions I broke my headphones and/or lost them somewhere between my desk and backpack. Having an extra set on hand took some of the stress out of the situation

2. Printed Photos - Who prints pictures anymore? I know right, but having pictures hanging in your dorm makes it feel a little more comfortable. My room was always covered in pictures, and they also cover up all the gross spots on the walls that all dorm rooms are guaranteed to come with.

3. A sewing kit - you would be surprised how many times a needle and thread come in handy. Between fixing holes in shirts, leggings, and backpacks I took out my sewing kit on many occasions while at college. Even if you have no sewing ability, I highly recommend having this with you.

4. A multitool or a mini tool kit - something that most college students don't think they need or will ever use, but when you need to pry something open, or fix a sink before maintenance can get there, this little guy will be a life saver,

5. A lap desk - I found this helpful even if people say they don't use it. While I don't think that every student will find it helpful, as a communications student who was writing papers and articles constantly, it was nice to be able to get comfortable on my bed or on the floor and still have a table to put everything on rather than keep losing pens in the blanket or under the bed.

6. Hair ties, clips, and bobby pins - if you are a girl, you know how easy it is to loose hair accessories. I am always putting a hair tie on my wrist and still manage to lose it make sure you have lots of backup.

Things that you will probably never use

1. A steamer, iron, and ironing board - I saw this on just about every college shopping list, but never actually knew anyone on campus that had one in their dorm room. A quick rule of thumb, if you need to iron it, you will probably never wear it again after it is washed. The only exception is if you have classes or work where you are required to wear nicer clothes that need ironing.

2. Plastic containers - The only reason I had plastic containers in my room was from food that was sent back to school with me every weekend. After the food was gone from the containers they were never used again. Ziplock baggies were so much more efficient and much easier to store.

3. Real dishes and utensils - I had one microwave safe bowl that I used for everything, anything else was eaten on a paper plate with a plastic fork. For the most part, you are rarely eating anything in the dorm that requires you to have real dishes and/or utensils.

4. Textbooks - before you order brand new textbooks go to your class first and make sure the book is required. The only time I opened my textbooks was to answer homework problems. If you do need to buy textbooks get them used, it is cheaper and more often than not the previous owner barely used it either.

5. A desk lamp - everyone always said to get a desk lamp, but after my freshman year I never touched it again. My desk had a built in light, so while I can't speak for all schools, this might just be a waste of space while packing.

6. Extra furniture - before you go crazy buying cute chairs and sofas to go in your dorm, make sure you have enough room for them. If there is a common area that will fit chairs and a table then the school will most likely supply them for you. There is no point in having furniture that doesn't fit or won't be used for the majority of the year.

Bonus: Things I used daily that aren't on most packing lists

1. A good water bottle and coffee cup - something that I used absolutely every day was my coffee machine, but I was not the type of student to get up drink a cup of coffee and then have plenty of time to get ready and head to class. I was the student who got dressed and had coffee on my way to class, so I was sure to have a good coffee cup that kept my drink hot through class. I really suggest finding one you like if you are a coffee drinker heading off to school. Also, get a good reusable water bottle that you can fill up and will last all day. I liked having one of the giant Nalgene ones since they lasted me through my classes and practice.

2. A Brita pitcher - I used this daily! Between filling up my water bottle and making coffee and just about anything else that required water this was constantly in use. I would have gone through so many plastic bottles if I didn't bring a filtered water pitcher with me.

3. A printer - like the lap desk, this seems to go both ways on college supply lists. Even though it takes up a lot of space, I used my printer almost daily. Most campuses have free printing, but we had to pay for ours, and there were limited hours to go to the computer labs to print anything out. This came in handy on multiple occasions when I forgot to print something out 15 minutes before class, or if I was editing a paper and needed a hard copy. Many college students seem to think that printers are unnecessary, but mine became essential.

4. Notebooks and notepads - I am constantly writing and thinking, so having paper around to jot down an idea or thought that I needed to remember was so helpful. In a world of technology people tend to forget that sometimes paper and a pen are actually really important.

5. Pens, pencils, and markers - on the same wavelength as paper are writing utensils. Did I just need these because of my major? No. Don't forget the actual school supplies when moving into a dorm. I had every type of marker and every color pen possible, is that what every student needs? No. By the time you get to college you should have a good feel for the school supplies you like. There are no rules when you get here about the types of notebooks you need, or the color of the pen you can write in, just make sure to have them on hand.

6. Back up battery and charging cables - keep these things in your backpack when you go to class. Even though you shouldn't be on your phone in class, I found my battery draining while waiting in between classes. Rather than rush to charge my phone in my dorm I kept a battery pack and chargers in my bag at all times.

7. Command Strips - bring a ton of these if you plan on putting things on the walls and even after moving in keep a stash of them with you. I had everything attached to my walls with either command strips or masking tape. Many schools won't let you hang anything up with any other product so make sure you have enough of these to get your job done, and then some more for later use.

8. Multi-plug outlet and extension cords - many outlets in dorms are the typical 2-outlet set up. I brought surge protectors with more than one outlet that we attached everywhere. I went from having 4 outlets in my dorm room to about 20 just by bringing multi-plug outlets.