Kitchen

If possible, try not to bring much. You likely won’t be allowed to bring much either. Be wary of bringing anything as you’ll likely be the one replacing everything, cleaning everything, etc. Having the ability to make some food from the comfort of your housing can be a powerful thing, however, remember, you’re likely sharing this space with two or four or even sixteen people. Maybe your cooking aspirations can wait until next year when you move out of the freshmen dorms.

– I wouldn’t recommend bringing more than a very small air fryer or toaster oven. Although it can be tempting to bring a microwave, you’ll likely have a meal plan and most things you’ll want to cook can be done in a toaster oven or air fryer with some ingenuity. Microwaves, despite their claims, take up so much space and in a first year dorm, a microwave doesn’t provide enough to warrant its size.

– Mini Fridge – Although not essential, a truly mini fridge, which can hold only 12 cans can be a great option if you like to have tea with milk or have a soda at night. However, this is a purchase which should only be bought after you’ve moved into your room, so you can see if there’s enough space. Realistically, you might end up putting it under your desk.

– Desk Space – To maximize space, you’ll likely end up using your desk as both a study area and a food spot. I would recommend getting a shelf (measuring first) like this one, or a larger one and putting the food items on the top shelf so they’re not distracting while studying. The bottom shelves can all be for books and other study material. 

– Cart – If you don’t want to store your food on your desk, an art supply cart could be fantastic! You can park it next to your desk, put the fridge on the bottom, utensils in the cups, teas/poptarts/popcorn/ramen/plates in the middle, and the top can be used for a water heater and mini toaster oven.

One note of caution before you buy any appliances. First, wait until a week after you’ve arrived to purchase any appliances. You might discover a great food court near your dorm that you can frequent at all hours, also, you might discover that you have a really strict RA. But another consideration is this, do you want to be the food person of the group, or even of the hallway? Do you want to be studying but need to get up/move to allow a roommate to make a pop tart? Are you okay with your roommates asking if they can make popcorn at 11 PM or eating your poptarts and not replacing them? Are you also okay with the station getting messy and you being the one responsible for keeping everything neat? Having a mini cooking station can be a great thing, but you should evaluate what your study habits, and cleanliness standards are, before buying anything because it’s easy to bring the appliances in, but it’s much harder to remove them without angering everyone.  

– Trashcan – If you’re going to be cooking, or just existing, in your room, a trashcan, with a lid, can be essential. Additionally, trash bags are essential for any trash can (unless you get grocery bags) because you’re not going to want to walk with the trash can downstairs and upstairs each time you empty it. Instead, when it’s full, grab the full bag, replace it, and dispose of it next time you head down. 

– Plates and utensils – If you must cook, paper plates, cutlery, cups, and even air fryer sheets are a must. You won’t really have any ability to clean, or deep clean, anything in the dorms, so make sure you’re set before you, or your roommate, makes a mess on your desk.

Water kettle – Having the ability to make tea, instant coffee, instant espresso, or even hot chocolate can be really nice .Especially if you have one mug that you love and can easily wash out in the bathroom. I do recommend having a small tea/coffee station at your desk paired with your mini fridge holding some creamer.

If I were going to be staying in a dorm, I wouldn’t get the toaster oven or the air fryer. I would get the mini tea kettle and mini fridge and always have a stock of instant teas and instant coffees/espressos. With just a few items, and ingenuity, you can make almost anything, however, be aware that your roommates will want to share. I wouldn’t bring in popcorn or anything that has a strong smell as it can be hard to air out the dorms. Be generous with what you have and if you have good roommates, they’ll be generous back, but maybe hold off on any of these purchases until after you’ve settled in, you don’t know if you’ll need them, maybe there’s a 24 hr tea and coffee station just down the hall.