DORM
BASICS

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BY LIZA LAX • PHOTOGRAPHY BY ANGIE BAAN

Packing for college can be

a daunting task. Before you

pack your bags and kiss

your parents goodbye, let

Platinum help you pick the

essential items for your

freshman dorm room.

N/V elcome to
Dorm
basics
101.
Dorm life may lack some of the
amenities you have grown
accustomed to at home, but
there are still many things you
can do to make your dorm
room comfortable and, more
importantly, fun.
Remember that dorm food is
not like home cooking so take a
lot of frozen food. Emily Small,
of Birmingham, who will attend

Indiana University in the fall,
and is one of 107 students
selected to serve on the
Community Leadership board,
plans on taking a large freezer
in order to store her Lean
Cuisine. "I'm really scared of
gaining the 'freshman 40'," she
says.
Most of you will be using
communal bathrooms, so it is a
good idea to take shower shoes.
While some people may find it
easier to study in the library, do
not discount the work that you
can tackle in your room. To
that end, you will need sup-
plies for your desk such as
pens/pencils, paper clips, rub-
ber bands and a computer. It is
smart to have a student plan-
ner, dictionary and thesaurus.
Living somewhere other
than home can be scary; in
order to aid the adjustment to
dorm living, remember that
comfort is key. When you think
of your room at home what do
you think of first? Your bed,
right? It is comforting to have a
cozy bed in your dorm room. I
recommend a feather bed mat-
tress or an egg crate pad.
Miriam Liebman, of
Farmington Hills, soon to be
living in the University of
Michigan's East quad, will

make her bed unique and cozy
with her homemade bed sheets
which her mom's friend sewed.
These essentials can be
accompanied by other favorites.
Tara Zdtrojewski, of
Farmington Hills, a freshman at
Michigan State this fall, will be
living in Abbott Hall. "I am
passionate about arts and
humanities," she says, "so I
think a staple in my dorm room
will be a book of Shakespeare's
entire collection, which my
mom gave to me."
What are your hobbies?
Don't forget to pack the items
you like to play with in your
free time. Jon Guyer, of
Huntington Woods, will be
entering his freshman year at
Brown University in the fall.
Jon, who loves music, will
make sure to take his guitar
and iPod. He feels that the
iPod is a great space-saving tool
and allows him to find all of his
favorite songs easily.
Lastly, the most important
thing to bring to the dorm is a
positive attitude. Ari Rubin, a
senior this fall at Indiana
University, warns all incoming
freshmen that not only do they
need a good attitude for the
dorms but they also need a Dirt
Devil! ❑

ITEMS THAT FORMER FRESHMEN COULD NOT LIVE WITHOUT:

"Wam all freshmen not to leave home without
their Dirt Devils!"
Ari Rubin, Huntington Woods,
Indiana University senior

my George Foreman Grill."
— Lisa Gutow, Franklin, Indiana University senior

—

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CHECK

OUT THESE WEB SITES:

"The item that came in most handy to me was
tool box, which contained a flashlight, ham-
mer, screwdrivers, tape measure, pliers, batter-
ies, masking tape and duck tape."
— Liza Lax, Bloomfield Hills,
University of Michigan senior

My

"The one thing I could not live without was

For an extensive checklist:
http://www.collegesofdistinction.com/sub-
pagetemplates/articlepage.asp?articleid=18&sec
tion=students

How to simplify a confusing time of your life:
http://www.wellingtonsquare.com/CollegeSuppl

iesChecklist.htm

Ideas of where to buy supplies at discount prices:
http://www.giftideacenter.com/Occassions/Back_t
o_School/college_dorm_checklist.htm

Print off line and check off items:
http://wwwcollegeboard.com/article/0,3868,2-
10-0-9763,00.html

Need more assistance? Go to w-ww.google.com
and search for college dorm room supplies
checklist.