College life is vastly different from what you are used to at home. You will likely share your dorm with another student, and unlike your home, your dorm room will not have fancy appliances. Everyone knows the important stuff they need at college, like stationery items and some cooking ware, but some other cheap accessories will make your life much more comfortable.

I am talking about cheap stuff that will help you keep your room organized, help you study in the dark and quiet, and stay cool.

This article will list the top ten things you should get for college to make your life easier.

1. An Oscillating table fan

Trust me on this. Dorm rooms rarely have dedicated thermostat control, and if your college is in a warmer area, you will need a table fan. The good news is you can find table fans for as cheap as $15. The ones with more functionality will run you close to a hundred bucks.

You will find two amazon links below. One is an Amazon basic’s table fan, and the other one is a standing fan with more functionality but is a little pricey. If you are going with the basic one, I will advise you to get at least two of them.

Get Amazon Basic’s table fan here.

Get Decker Tower Fan here.

2. Ear Plugs for Studying

This will rarely pop up on a must-have college stuff list, but if you are anything like me, you probably can’t focus very well In loud environments. I find it very difficult to study when there is a lot of clatter or loud speaking sounds. Since your dorm won’t be the only one in the building, you will hear many unnecessary sounds.

This is where earplugs come in. My only regret is I didn’t find them earlier in life. They are made out of memory foam and conform to the shape of your ear canal. You can expect to subside ambient noise by up to 33 decibels. They also cost next to nothing.

Get Flents Ear Plugs here.

3. Cleaning Wipes

Cleaning wipes are a complete game-changer in college. You may never have considered them before in life, but you will often need them once you are on your own. College can be hectic, and you will usually be in a hurry. You will spill and drop food, and they are just a good thing to have. Moreover, they are also perfect for quickly cleaning your laptop or smartphone.

Get Cleaning wipes here.

4. Coffee Maker

You know coffee is an absolute necessity in college. You will most probably be drinking lots of it to do those last-minute assignments overnight. Investing in a coffee maker early on will save you a good chunk of money in the long run. Starbucks is expensive! Especially when you have it regularly.

Get a Black+Decker Coffee Maker here.

5. A Big Table Lamp

Dorm rooms are known to have terrible lighting, and you will be doing most of your studying late at night. Moreover, if you share your dorm with another student, you may have to stay up late when they have already gone to bed. A cheap table lamp will come in handy in such situations. You can get one for as little as 10-15 dollars on Amazon. The one I have linked below is slightly more, but it’s cordless.

Get a Cordless Lamp here.

6. A Large Wall Calendar

You will have to get organized in college, and one of the things that will help you get there is an ‘old-fashioned calendar. Sure, you have one on your smartphone and your laptop, but a physical one is more practical.

Moreover, if you get an extensive wall calendar, you will be able to jot down essential tasks in the spaces provided. This way, you won’t miss any important dates or deadlines.

Get a Wall Calendar here.

7. A Powerbank

You won’t always have access to a power outlet when you are out to lectures or on the move. A powerbank is a must-have, in my opinion, because you will undoubtedly run out of charge. Your smartphone may last you a day on average use, but you will be using it a lot more in college. There are so many different options available on Amazon that getting one for cheap is not a problem.

Get Anker PowerCore 26800 Power bank here.

Get an HHETP 25800 power bank for much cheaper here.

8. A Lapdesk for Laptop

This one may not be as essential as others, but you will be using your laptop for hours on end. Why not make it a bit more comfortable for yourself. You will be using your computer in bed a lot, and after a while, it will get hot on your lap. It’s also bad for your laptop if it doesn’t have room to breathe. The restricted airflow will cause it to slow down. Fortunately, there are lap tables that are made especially for this reason.

You can find so many of these for various price points. The fancier ones with built-in wireless charging are a lot pricier. In my opinion, the simpler ones get the job done without breaking the bank. Below you will find two, one is around $40, and the other one is only $23.

Get Salesforce Laptop Table here.

Get Vplus simple Lapdesk here.

9. Ethernet Cable

Wireless internet rocks, just not in dorm rooms. All the students will be using the same wifi collection, which will inevitably slow it down. Having an ethernet cable that you can plug into one of the outlets in your room will get you more speed. A 15 ft cable should be more than enough and will cost you only ten bucks.

Get 15ft ethernet cable from here.

10. Storage Shelves

I like to keep things tidy, and one of the best ways to do this is to have some cheap wire cube storage shelves. You will have lots of books and papers to store, and you don’t want them scattered around the room. You can find these wire cube shelves for as little as 30 dollars, and they will make a vast difference trust me.

Get Wire Cube Storage here.