13 Essentials for Creating a Successful Year of College

These 13 Essentials for Creating a Successful Year of College are a culmination of the past years! We’ve learned A LOT! This year my son will be a Junior in College and he will be heading off in about 3 weeks!

He still uses the Best Car Prep for College Student w/ Emergency Checklist! Learning the college ropes has been steep at times.  Learning about finances, books, college life, expectations and so forth.  

One of the biggest lessons we’ve learned is what essentials you really DON’T NEED! It seems like they NEED so much…but they don’t. This list will help you to nail down just what your college student needs and doesn’t.

13 Essentials for Creating a Successful Year of College

There is so much I could share with you regarding needs and wants that students have. For the sake of not writing a crazy long post I’ll keep the list to these 13 Essentials for Creating a Successful Year of College.

What you need and don’t for a Successful College Year

These are just my opinion, but since I’ve grown 7 kids…I’ve pretty much got this down to a science. Although not all of my kids have gone off to college, the ones that have can tell you that the following details matter.

ONE: Things from Home ~

Whether living on campus or off, most students need to have familiar items from home to help them not to get a little home sick.  Oh I know…time to grow up! BUT even I can get home sick, so don’t under estimate the value of a few posters, pictures, blankets…whatever it is that makes YOUR student feel at home….framed pictures of family!

TWO: Bible ~ 

A good Bible for College students is a MUST whether they are in a Christian College or not. Encourage your student to bring their Bible to college. It’s never a good idea to take a long break from God’s Word.

Also, encourage them to find a good Bible believing church in the area.

Don’t Spend all Your Food Money!

THREE: Food! 

I’m a crazy fanatic when it comes to my kids eating well!  We made sure to include meals in the tuition.  It works super well because there are tons of places for my son to eat on campus and he just uses his college connection card and it comes straight out of his account.  

The trick…not to spend it all before the quarter is over!

Yep, learned that one too the first year of college!  He only did this once and over spent by about $30, so not too bad.  People really have the same eating habits, so it’s really not too hard to figure out a daily routine.

FOUR: Water! 

Seriously!  Let me tell you one of the reasons why my son went over his allotted food budget…plastic water bottles!  This is the honest truth!  A bottle of water sells for a crazy amount of money on campus and unless your student wants a stack of cases of water in their dorm room, they need a different solution.  

I don’t need to tell you how important hydration is for students, just like us they should be drinking at LEAST 8 ~ 8oz glasses of water.  I was so surprised when my son brought home his aluminum water bottle at the end of the year and told me all of this. I had NO IDEA!  

This year I’m pumped because we are starting out with a Britta Water Filtration System (below) along with the Brita Hard Sided water bottle that has the filter directly in the water bottle! 

The Brita fits perfectly into his mini frig in his dorm room. When water tastes better we drink more of it, don’t you agree?!

FIVE: College Finances ~

Make sure your student is familiar with what their tuition will cover and what it will not.  Many classes require extras.  My son’s minor is theater.  He needed to have stage make up, dance pants..etc.  These items were not covered under his tuition and therefore had to be purchased out of pocket.  

Sometimes it’s hard to know, but one essential I would definitely advise is a small bank account where they can withdrawal funds to pay for these items, because guess what?!  The college pretty much will shut down on you until you pay the smallest of fine.  

How do I know that! LOL No biggy, just a learning curve.  My son has his own money that he earned over the Summer…so he can take responsibility for these purchases.

SIX: Laptop! ~

This goes without saying, but it is essential.  Many students have printers too, but my son printed his stuff at the library and said that worked perfectly fine so he will not be bringing one this year. 

Also…just an FYI if you cannot afford a Laptop you can usually rent them at the Library at no cost.  So check out your resources before you run out and buy something you can’t really afford.  If you are looking for something affordable Amazon has tons of options.

SEVEN: Laundry Supplies ~

Well yes, these young adults have to do their own laundry!  So a basket, laundry soap, softener and MONEY is what they need.  Quarters and lots of them.  It costs about $2.00 to wash a load of laundry and about $2.50 to dry them!

Eight: TV ~

Ok this is not a total essential (kids can use their computers) but there will be down times when your student is just going to want to sit back and chill with no brainer stuff.  Our son isn’t hooked up to cable, but uses our Amazon Prime account, so he can watch shows and movies at his leisure. 

Zero expense…almost.  He loves sports, but as we discovered, a lot of the games he wanted to watch, played on all of the big screens in the common areas at the dorms, so no need for cable. 

Did you know that Amazon has Prime Student??? My son has this and loves it!! Your student can get it for a 6 month trial! Free!

NINE: Get Loaners for some Essentials ~

Each student is different and each student may have different needs depending on their Major or what classes they will be taking, such as calculators and things like that.

Did you know that you can RENT instead of buy college books? Again, if for some reason you can’t afford some things, check with the college campus resources because many things can be rented out for free.

TEN: First Aid supplies ~

So when I say first aid supplies, I’m just talking the basics like band aids, Tylenol, Neosporin, Vitamins, EmergenC, heating pad, ice pack….you know that kind of stuff. 

Toiletries ~ Send your student with all of their favorite toiletries and plenty to last until you see them again or plan to send.  Toiletries are crazy expensive for the littlest of things on Campus. 

ELEVEN: Some sort of organization system ~

For all of those odds and ends they will take. Like for their toiletries, first aid supplies and laundry essentials etc.  We just used the small stacking bins. You can get them anywhere!

TWELVE: Encouragement to be involved! ~

Encourage your student to be involved, have a job or something else to occupy some of the less “busy” times of campus life. 

This will help to keep them from getting too lonely or keep them out of trouble.  The first half of my sons Freshman year he worked on campus, the second half he was in a theater production.  Both time consuming, but not too much.  Talk to them about balance.  LOL

THIRTEEN: Willingness to ask for help ~

Make sure that your student knows and is willing to get help if they need it in a given subject.  Most colleges offer FREE TUTORING in most subjects.  My son got help a couple of times during his Freshman year and it was very successful! 

If you are having a going aways to college party for our student, these Bacon Wrapped Grilled Wings were SO EASY to make and a hit at our party!

If you student has a car, you are definitely going to want to read Best Car Prep and Road Safety for College Students…grab the free printable checklist!

I’d love to know what you are sending your College Students off with! Comment below so we can all know and grow!