Dorm shopping can be an undertaking, especially when you don’t know what you absolutely need and what you absolutely don’t. Some items might seem like essentials, but they end up taking up too much space in the room, and realizing that something critical was forgotten can be a pain.

The Department of Residence provides a list of what to bring/what not to bring with what seem like obvious items, like bedding, basic bathroom items and shower shoes, but everyone’s opinion on what is ‘necessary’ can vary.

If living in a dorm, a mini refrigerator and microwave would be necessary for any food storage in a dorm room. Wallace and Wilson halls are the only dorms that come with a MicroFridge, which is a stackable microwave and refrigerator, and requirements for refrigerator and microwave dimensions can be found on the Department of Residence website.

Certain items that may have been left behind can be difficult to have buy on move-in day. For instance, school supplies are on everyone’s list, but buying them beforehand may turn out to be easier than buying them the week of or before classes. “It’s not like people need to have everything they’ll need for classes, but when there’s thousands of other students that realize they forgot notebooks and only a few stores carry them, they go fast,” said Megan Slattery, sophomore in nutritional science and community advisor in Maple Hall.

Since every dorm is different in terms of floorplan, bed type and floor type, some items may be deemed as unnecessary, especially if those items can be easily accessed in a residence hall.

“Personally, I don’t think a vacuum is necessary,” said Hannah Zulk, sophomore in kinesiology and health and community advisor in the Memorial Union. “I know the MU has one to check out and I am pretty sure Martin Hall had one, too. It just takes up space in the room.” However, if a room is carpeted, bringing a vacuum may be necessary for routine cleaning.

The Department of Residence also clearly outlines what students are NOT allowed to bring into residence halls. Items like candles, extension cords and personal air conditioners are not allowed in dorm rooms. Bringing these items into a room is a violation of university policy handbook, and could result in disciplinary action or charges from the university.

Questions? Head over to http://www.housing.iastate.edu/move/bring to find the full list of what to/what not to bring to move in day.

In the meantime, the Digital team from the Iowa State Daily put together a quick list of things these students needed when they moved into their dorms.

Shopping for what you need to live in your residence hall can be exciting or it can be an undertaking, especially when you don’t know what you absolutely need and what you absolutely don’t. Here are the essentials for moving into the residence halls for the first time.

• Refrigerator – necessary for any and all food that you want to keep in your dorm.
• Microwave – also important for all things food related.
• Shelves/storage bins – While they may be cumbersome on the drive to school, they will hold all the extra junk that doesn’t fit in a chest of drawers, and you can store virtually anything your heart desires, from towels to sheets to toiletries. 
• Extra set of sheets – Having to wash the same set of sheets week in and week out can be a pain, so bring an extra so you can throw on a clean set and not have to worry about immediately doing laundry.
• Keurig – For all coffee fanatics and unfortunate 8 a.m. class participants, this is a must. K-Cups can be found in bulk in many department stores.
• Power strips – From cable cords to 10-foot phone chargers, having multiple power strips is key in order to have a power source for every single item that has a plug-in in the room.
• Decorations – While a dorm room tends to be small and not conducive to large decorations, photos and little trinkets help to make a small space feel like home.
• Command hooks – and lots of them.