Stressed about your first year at college? Sounds about right, but with the right tips and tricks, you can make the most out of your college experience.

Here are some tips from current students on packing:

What to bring:

• Separate bathroom bin for face wash, skin care and dental products
  • You don’t want to lug around your whole shower caddy when you aren’t even showering.
• Desk lamp
  • If you have a roommate who is sleeping while you get ready, it’s very respectful to use a desk lamp to get ready so as not to disturb the roommate.
• Junior, Janae Kilsdonk recommends extra plastic storage bins
  • As you accumulate more things, you may need extra storage space for all your possessions. These can be found at Target and Walmart for fair prices.
• Rubber floor mat
  • Put your shoes on this mat to avoid tracking salt, dirt and water in your room.
• Extra chargers (ten feet!)
  • If you loft your bed, get a 10-foot charger as outlets are not in convenient places.
• Power strip (2-3)
  • You have to share outlets with your roommates so this will help make more room to plug in electronics.
• Two pairs of sheets
  • This will help when you need to wash one set.
• Slippers
  • You need slippers for around the dorm hall and in case of fire alarms.
• A pair of shoes you don’t mind getting dirty
  • There is a lot of snow, so shoes get very dirty.
• Job interview clothes
  • You need one pair of interview clothes, not just for interviews but for some classes as well.
• Robe
  • It may be uncomfortable to walk down the hall in a towel, especially with co-ed floors. Also, these are essential if the fire alarm goes off while in the shower.

What not to bring:

• Rugs
  • Rugs get dirty very fast, and many students claim they are just not worth it
• Hanger spacers/organizers
  • Most students end up not needing them and it takes up a lot of space even though it says it doesn’t
• All your clothes
  • Junior, Bailey Pearson brought 20 sweatshirts and only ended up wearing five – the same goes for jeans.
• Don’t bring an excess of towels
  • One for cleanups, just in case, two for showers.
    • Unless you use one for body and one for hair, then bring four.
  • Plastic shower caddy
    • While it may be more organized, you can’t hang shower caddies on bathroom or shower stall hooks. A portable mesh shower caddy would be best.

As far as navigating the social experience at Lakeland, don’t forget that leaving your room can be extremely helpful. Don’t isolate yourself; go out and see what the campus offers. Talk to your peers both in your grade and outside of your grade. Most people always want to make more friends.  Joining clubs allows new students to make connections, see what they like and get themselves out there to make new friends.

You can always reach out to professors, both for personal and educational purposes. Office hours are times professors set aside for students. Don’t be afraid to use them. Professors can help in personal life, educational purposes and if you’re having trouble adjusting to college life. They are happy to help and can help judgment-free.

Sophomore Miranda Boswell explained how office hours have helped her find clarity in subjects she’s struggled in and made it easier to build connections with professors. She explained how professors give their full attention to the student during office hours, no matter if it’s personal or academic.