Trying to decide what all to pack and bring to college can be stressful! Don’t worry, each residence hall room includes the necessary furniture – a bed, mattress, desk, desk chair, and dresser for each resident of the room. There are still some items from home you should plan to bring with you!
Remember, you will likely be sharing your space with at least one other student, so before you shop-til-you-drop, we suggest that you contact your new roommate and discuss what items you will share, such as TVs or game consoles.
What Should You Bring?
Below are some suggestions of things you may want to bring to your new home away from home:
Summer and Winter Clothes
Chicago is located in the Midwest and temperatures vary a lot here. It can be 90° F in the summer and below zero in the winter so plan accordingly. Along with your everyday clothes consider bringing:
- Boots
- Umbrellas
- Winter coat, hat and gloves
- Rain boots
- Swimming gear
Bathroom Items
Plan to bring any bathroom supplies you would normally use at home. It is also important to consider the impact of shared bathrooms on your routine. It is best to also bring:
- Shower Caddy
- Shower Shoes
Some room types share semi-private bathrooms where toilet paper is provided, but not hand soap, these are:
- Singles in Roberts, McClure and Gregory
- All rooms in Nollen
Potential Shared Items
Since you will be likely sharing your space it is important to contact your potential roommate regarding items that you might consider sharing use. These include but are not limited to:
- Fans or Box fans (not all halls are air conditioned)
- Mini – Fridge or Fridge-Micro Unit from MyCollegeFridge.com
- Microwave (Only permitted if part of a Fridge-Micro Unit rented through MyCollegeFridge.com
- Television
- Gaming consoles
- DVD or Blu- Ray player
- Broom and dustpan
Room Items
Linens
We hope that you will make your room a home away from home. For your convenience, we have partnered with Dormroom.com powered by Dormify to provide an easy, affordable way to purchase Twin XL bedding, dorm storage solutions, and everything else you'll need (and want) for your new home away from home. Please visit lakeforest.dormroom.com to get move-in day ready and create your dream dorm!
You should plan to bring:
- Bedding appropriate for extra-long twin size bed
- Lamps
- Lightbulbs
- Storage boxes/supplies
- Hangers
- Surge Protectors
- Extension Cords (Only three prong cords less than 6 feet are permitted)
- Command hooks and/or painters tape
- Decorations for your room
- Cleaning supplies for room
Laundry Items
Every building on our campus is equipped with laundry facilities for students to utilize. Students can use quarters or debit/credit cards to operate our machines. Recommended items to bring are:
- Laundry soap
- Dryer sheets
- Laundry bag
Important Documents
It can be easy to overlook some documents that you might need in the excitement of packing for college. Don’t forget:
- Debit/credit cards
- Medical insurance cards
- Personal identification
- Social security card
- Copy of birth certificate
- Any registration materials
- Documentation of prescriptions
Study Supplies
There are many places on campus to study, in your room and outside of it. It is good to come prepared with a variety of items you will need to be successful in the classroom. These may include:
- Backpack /bookbag
- Calculator
- Computer
- Notebooks and folders
- Pencils and pens
- Stapler and staples
- Scissors
- Miscellaneous study materials (paper clips, ruler, etc.)
Optional Items
The following is a list of items that are not required for success but you might find very helpful throughout your time here.
- Freestanding alarm clock
- Mattress pad
- Memo board or white board
- Rugs
- First aid kit
- Small tool kit
- Flashlight
- Games or puzzles
- Beach towel
- Overnight bag
- Sewing kit
- Iron or steamer
- Dishes and bowls
- Mugs
- Silverware
- Snacks
Prohibited Items
The following items are PROHIBITED in the residence halls. Possession of these items in your room will result in a violation of our health and safety policies and could result in you incurring fines. Please refer to the student handbook for a comprehensive list of campus policies around prohibited items.
- Air conditioning units
- Candles, incense, and potpourri burners
- Extension cords longer than six feet
- Extension cords with fewer than three prongs
- Animals or pets
- Halogen lamps
- Hot plates
- Refrigerators larger than 4.6 cubic feet
- Microwaves (the only microwaves permitted are those attached to Fridge-Micro Units rented through Bedloft)
- Multiple outlet devices without 15amp resettable circuit breaker (e.g. power strips without the switch)
- Neon signs
- Lofts
- Toasters, toaster ovens, or any other item with an open heating coil