Guest Series: Lea and Dorm Room Essentials
Hello and welcome to another episode of Off the Cuff, a weekly in studio LIVE talk about all things regarding family, quilts and anything in-between.
Today, Rebecca chatted with Lea, a former Vintage Giggles studio helper and current college student. With two years of college life under her belt, she has some game changing tips for successfully navigating your child’s first year of college. Read the conversation for some super wise insight!
Here’s a summary of the conversation. If you prefer, you can watch the whole conversation here.
Rebecca: What school do you attend and what are you studying?
Lea: I attend University of Central Florida, also known as UCF and I’m studying Marketing with a minor in Digital Media.
Rebecca: What is your ultimate career goal?
Lea: I’d like to be a freelancer, helping companies with their marketing and being able to travel and work remotely.
Rebecca: How far away is UCF from where you live?
Lea: It’s around a three hour drive, depending on traffic.
Rebecca: What impact that distance have on what and you you prepared for your room set up?
Lea: I realized I couldn’t depend on my parents as much as I was used to. I had to learn all the small things like taking out the trash or cleaning out the fridge.
Rebecca: What have been your living situations so far? What are the pros/cons of each?
Lea: My freshman year, I lived in an on campus apartment, where we each had our own room and only shared a bathroom with one person. My sophomore year, I lived in a sorority house and it was a completely different experience. Everything was communal. Communal kitchen. Communal bathroom. So I had to adjust to things like having a bathroom caddy, shower shoes, no sense of privacy. I’ve had every experience you can have, I’d say. I never had a college meal plan, because I prefer to know what’s in my food and prepare my food myself. I like to cook, and I want to learn how to cook for the future, so I decided to put on my big girl boots and do it myself.
Rebecca: What were the first things you decided to bring with you to school?
Lea: For me, I was all about the decorations. I was concerned about what my room looked like, but in the end that’s not what’s the most important things for sure. I just wanted it to feel like my home away from home.
Rebecca: What are some last minute things that you had to go out and buy that you realized you needed after moving in?
Lea: I was sick all the time at first, and after going to a doctor, I learned it was the dust that was making me sick. So I needed to get an air purifier and a duster and start dusting everywhere…all the time. In college, it’s so dirty. Also, a Brita because the water is not super clean. But the dust will get ya! I never had allergies in my life before moving into the dorm. Before you even get your room supplies, get your air purifier. You can find one basically anywhere. I just got mine at Walmart. You can find a similar one here.
Rebecca: Was there anything that you thought you needed but didn’t end up using that much?
Lea: My iron. I thought I’d have time to iron my clothes, or press a shirt, but I never used it. But the laundry mats are really bad and they’ll really wrinkle your clothes. Get lots and lots of wrinkle spray.
Rebecca: What about food related things? What did you enjoy having accessible right in your room?
Lea: I kept a mini fridge in my room, because I liked to have my little healthy snacks for on the go. Sometimes you are going here and there and going all the fun activities that the college provides that you don’t have time for whole meals. So things like cheese, nuts and yogurt. Also overnight oats.
Rebecca: Let’s talk clothes. How do you manage fun outfits with minimal items and minimal storage space?
Lea: As long as you have closet organizers, you’ll be able to fit everything. Like I fit, EVERYTHING! Closets are small, but organizers are key. Organize your clothes by seasons and different categories. Under the bed bins are great, too, especially for the seasonal clothes. If you have a long closet, you can use a shoe rack, otherwise a shoe organizer for the back of a door is good, too.
Rebecca: What do you do with the big stuff over the summer?
Lea: Get a storage unit. And be sure to get it in advance because if you wait until last minute, there will be none available. Spots FILL up! And it’s cheaper, too, if you book in advance and tell them you are a college student. Literally when you are going into the spring semester, sign up for a storage unit. It was great. I’ve done it for the past two summers.
Rebecca: What are the top three things that you could absolutely not live without.
Lea: My water bottle. Bring water everywhere, for in-between classes and hanging out with friends. Water is important to stay hydrated. I have a little cross body bag for all my keys and perfumes, hand sanitizers…and that type of stuff. Your school will give you things like keys and IDs and things that you can’t lose or you’ll have to pay a fine. Have a place that you know where all your important things are. That is something I couldn’t live without. Oh, and power strips. Couldn’t live without those also.
Rebecca: What advice to you have for the incoming freshman?
Lea: Be open. It’s a difficult time of adjusting living with your parents and being away from your hometown friends, but everyone is feeling the same way, especially the freshmen. So have the deep conversations when you’re having a hard time and missing your family because everyone feels the same way and they will 100% talk to you about it and agree. In the end everyone feels the same way, EVERYONE. Looking back, my friends and I laugh about all the dumb things we had to learn to do without our parents. But it’s fun!
In summary, here is a list of essential items Lea recommends:
Air purifier
Dusters
Brita
Closet Organizers
Under the Bed Bins
Shoe rack or Door Organizers
Water Bottle
Power Strip
Thank you for your time, Lea and thank you all for reading or watching this conversation. We hope that you have found this helpful. You can bookmark this post, or the video on Instagram for reference when you do have a college age student.
