It may have been a while since you were last given a list of supplies to bring to school with you. Allow me to bring you back to the time of pencil cases and elusive 2.5-inch binders with a few key suggestions. Sometimes the most important thing to bring with you isn’t the biggest thing you’ll be needing to stuff into your car.
A toothbrush, towels and other shower necessities: I’m starting off slow to get you into the swing of things, but I’m serious. Nobody likes the kids who don’t shower, so don’t try to operate under the assumption that you have a few months until your parents see you.
Creativity: This is a big one. Not only will you need to develop the engineering capacity of an IKEA superstore, you will have to do it with a limited amount of space and the don’t-hurt-the-walls rule in full effect. Invest in spackle and eggshell paint before next May.
Sense of humor: Let’s face it, even if you live with your best friend, there will come a time when a him/her shaped hole in the wall might look like the key to your decorative motif. This being what is often called a “bad idea,” come prepared to let everything go. There will be things far beyond your control, so you may as well get used to the idea now. Note: You may consider bringing a sense of the absurd as a supplement.
Patience: Again, you will be living with people that you may or may not like. You will be living with them all the time, in the same space, and there is no escape key (unless living in the library is your thing). This means you will have to put up with crap you wouldn’t even take from your siblings. Why? Because Residential Life doesn’t care. Try to be patient and work to throw a little empathy in too. You aren’t likely to get rid of the people you don’t get along with in the near future, so the “Well, I’ll just make them miserable” logic would be ill-advised in this situation.
Earplugs, sleep masks, other isolation tactics: You may think that you don’t like being alone, but you will also quickly discover that never being alone isn’t your thing either. Come equipped to tune out building construction, untimely daybreaks and loud people in your building.
Game face: The most important thing you can remember is that everyone is in the same situation and living with people isn’t easy. It also doesn’t necessarily get easier. Just try to relax. You may not love it, but it’s also not going to kill you – at least, not until you live in an apartment with roommates that may lack the maturity/attentiveness/safety awareness to possess a kitchen.