Pro Tips On How Much Clothes You Should Bring To College

When you move into a college dorm, you suddenly live in close quarters with strangers. And while you may have your section of the room, space is still limited. So when it comes to packing for college, less is definitely more.

Of course, you want to be comfortable in your new home away from home. But that doesn’t mean you need to bring your entire wardrobe because you will have little space.

How Much Clothes Should I Bring To College

The average person should attempt to take 2 to 3 weeks’ worth of clothes when moving to college. During your first college freshman year, you tend to overpack because you are new, unfamiliar with the area, and do not know what to bring. The packing process will get easier when you return to school your sophomore year. As a college student, you will want to make sure you pack enough clothes for when you are away from home. However, you don’t want to overpack and have no place to store it.

Everything here is a suggestion or idea to make you think and consider your actual needs. The reality is you know what kind of person you are, so dress and pack the clothing that will help build your confidence and express yourself to the world. 

Parent Groups

I suggest you or your college student check Facebook to see if your school has a parent group you can join. The Facebook parents group can provide insight into possible dorm space issues, housing updates, and concerns. Since the group is normally made up of parents that has been through the process of moving kids into the dorms, they can provide a lot of friendly help.   Some colleges do not have online parent groups, but it can be a good resource if they do.  These parent groups are normally not associated with the colleges.

Roommates

Communicate with your roommates as soon as possible. You want to find out what each of your roommates  will bring so you do duplicate any items, which leads to more space all of you will have for clothing. Because the rooms are limited in space, an exact large item can make things challenging. Here are some commonly duplicated items: Space heaters, hot plates, microwaves, ironing boards, and mini fridge tend to take up a lot of space.

College Dorm Room

Understand most dorm rooms are not spacious and do not have a lot of storage space for clothes. If this is your first year in college, they may require you to live in the dorms with roommates. In some dorm configurations, you can have 2 roommates, 3 roommates or  4 roommates per room, it varies from school to school. Taking that into consideration, you can see you have a very limited amount of space for your clothing. If you are lucky and get a single room, you will have a little more space. The average dorm room is under 300 square feet.

So when you pack, you should keep this in mind. 

When you receive your dorm housing pack, you should have the following details:

• how many roommates
• square footage of the room 
• image of what the rooms look like on the inside

Suppose you don’t receive the square footage or pictures of the room layout. I highly recommend using Google and search for the dorm room layout and pictures. The Google search will give you a better perspective of what you are dealing with.

Holidays & Breaks

Suppose you plan to go home for the holidays, Thanksgiving, or winter break. This is a great time to update your wardrobe. Use this time to take home items you are not wearing or tired of wearing and exchange them for other items in your closet. Changing clothes helps you mentally by not wearing the same old clothes time and time again.

Big Spender

If you are a frequent shopper, you may want to take fewer clothes to college. Focus on bringing your hard-to-find or unique items that fit your style and taste. Make sure to cover essential clothing when you pack. 

Unless you are in a single room, you need to understand you only have a limited about of space for your clothing. We know it may be hard to choose what to bring but remember you always have breaks or visits home to exchange items or take unused clothing home. This can also be an opportunity to donate clothing, possibly sell to other students or sell online.

Laundry Room

If you stay in the dorms, you will have a laundry room that you either share with your floor or the entire dorm. You have to consider this when packing your clothes. Be honest and ask yourself how often you wanna wash. The bigger question do you want to haul multiple loads of clothes to the laundry and back to your room?

Remember, washing and drying takes time and money. So be prepared to stay or follow up on your washing process often. Do not leave your clothes unattended people do steal.

Large Suitcases

Large suitcases are NOT a good idea, and you should avoid them at all costs. They tend to take up a lot of valuable storage space. We know that suitcases can carry a lot of clothes, but it will be a struggle to find a place to store them, especially if you have multiple suitcases. You can possibly bring one garment bag and or duffel bag. These bags are great for carrying dress shirts, important documents, school supplies or small items.

I would suggest using reusable moving bags. These reusable bags can hold a lot of clothes and shoes. 

We like reusable moving bags because you can easily fold and store them, these space bags are life savers. The reusable moving bags are very durable and meet the requirements for taking on a flight as luggage. These bags can be an expensive diirty clothes hamper.

There are two reusable moving bags we recommend:

• IKEA FRAKTA 
• Ticonn 6 Pack Extra Large Moving bags (sold on Amazon)

Shoes

Most students think they need pairs of shoes for every day of the week, but your don’t. Look in your closet and see the shoes you wear the most. I can assure you that you commonly wear one or two pairs of shoes the most. 

Take notes of your activities leading up to your moving date. Use that information to pick out shoes that will benefit you most. notes.  

The following shoes are essential.

• Shower shoes (Very important if you are in communal bathrooms. Helps you avoid getting athletes’ feet and any other foot fungi.)
• Flip flops / Crocks or Berks
• Formal Dress Shoes (for the possible formal event)
• Sneakers
• House shoes
• Rainboots ( if your location has a lot of rain all year round)
• Workout shoes
• Hiking Boot ( avid outdoors person)
• Running Shoes
• Specialty Shoes ( basketball, baseball, soccer, volleyball)

Outerwear Clothing

You will need winter clothes depending on the weather conditions and where your college is located. Some of these items need to be purchased where your college is located so you know that item can withstand the weather.

For example, if you live in California and decide to go to school in Chicago. You will need to purchase cold weather clothing that can hold up to Chicago winters. 

Outerwear tends to be much bulkier, so limit this to one or two items so you will not take up too much storage space.  

Outerwear basics your many need:

• Rain jacket
• Light jacket
• Sweater
• Hoodies
• Heavy Jacket
• Vest

Workout Clothing

The great thing about college is the opportunity to stay healthy. Consider bringing workout gear. Most schools have the state of the are workout gyms that rival professional sports teams. It is a far cry from your old high school gym. Take full advantage of all the equipment and fitness classes available to you at your college.   

Remember, workout clothing tends to be wet and creates an odor after exercising. So this could speed up the time you need to wash your clothing. 

College girls, you may need to pack:

• Sports Bras
• Tshirts
• Yoga pants 
• Shorts 
• Workout shoes

College guys, your may need:

• Tank tops/ t-shirts
• Gym Shorts

Both men and women need to bring workout gloves, a towel, a water bottle, a knee brace, and headphones for music.

Formal Clothing / Professional Attire

You usually will not need formal clothing your freshman year, but it is good to have it just in case. As you enter your sophomore year, we expect your need for formal clothing to become essential. Here are some formal occasions where formal clothing will benefit you; job interview, rushing, formal dates, banquets, networking events, special events, and church 

College boy, you may need to pack:

• Suit (Black or Navy Bleu)
• Sports coat or dress Jacket
• Button-up formal shirt (color white)
• Necktie
• Dress slacks
• Form shoes ( black)

College girls, you may need to pack:

• Dress
• Stocking
• Heals ( Wedges are appropriate. Color black )
• Light Jacket
• Appropriate undergarments

Mix and Match

When it comes to college, casual is the name of the game. But that doesn’t mean your wardrobe has to be limited. By mix-and-matching different pieces of clothing, you can create dozens of different looks without spending a lot of money. Start by making a list of the essentials – think of items that can be mixed and matched to create different looks. 

Here are some tips for mix-and-matching your clothes:

1. Choose different colors. Stick to a few colors that go well together. This will make it easier to mix and match other pieces.

2. Invest in basics. A few well-made basics, like a pair of dark jeans or khakis, can be mixed and matched with lots of different tops and accessories to create different looks.

3. Get creative with accessories. Accessories are an easy way to change up your look without buying new clothes.

As a college student, you are probably on a tight budget and don’t have a lot of money to spend on clothes. But that doesn’t mean you can’t look stylish! You can mix and match with a few key pieces to create endless outfit options. 

You Overpacked

So what would happen if you arrived at school and realized that you had overpacked? 

Don’t worry; overpacking does happen. Let’s take the time to look at some options if that happens.

• If your parents are driving you to school. The easy solution is to find out what you need and send the remaining bags home with your parents.
• You can talk with your roommates and see if they have available space you can use. You may not be able to store everything but it could help.
• Look at shipping your overpacked clothes home if you live in another state. This can be costly because, most likely, you had to ship your packages to the school. If this is a solution look at sending your package the cheapest way home to help hold down costs.
• Consider donating clothes to a thrift store.
• Sell items online.
• See if there is a good storage place you can get for a low monthly fee close to campus.

When you are packing, I would suggest packing your clothes based on importance with a label on the bag.  This will help you sort through your bags quickly and ensure you have all the important clothing you need. 

Season-Appropriate Clothing

As the weather starts to change, so should your wardrobe. Depending on what part of the country you live in, you may need to start bundling up or break out the shorts and tank tops. Here are a few season-appropriate clothing items for college students to keep in mind as the temperature drops (or rises).

For those attending school in a colder climate, it’s time to break out the gloves, hats and coats. You’ll want to make sure you have a heavy coat for those days when the wind chill is below zero. A pair of gloves will come in handy for walking to class or doing any other outdoor activities. And don’t forget a hat! A wool beanie or earmuffs will help keep your head and ears warm.

When the temperatures start to rise, it’s tempting to reach for the closest pair of shorts and a tank top. But if you want to stay cool and comfortable, there are a few other items you should consider adding to your wardrobe. First, flip-flops are a must-have for any hot climate. They’re easy to slip on and off and they’ll keep your feet from getting too sweaty. A bathing suit is need for relaxing poolside on a hot day. Yoga pants are another great option when it’s hot outside. They’re light and airy, plus they’re perfect for running from class to class.

Avoid These Packing Problems

No one wants to show up to the first day of college unprepared, especially when it comes to your wardrobe. Packing for college can be daunting, but with some planning  it doesn’t have to be. Here are a few clothing packing problems to avoid:

• Don’t pack too much clothing. It’s tempting to want to bring everything you own, but you’ll only end up wearing a fraction of it. Stick to the basics and leave the rest at home.

• Bring clothes that fit you, not clothes that are too small or too big. This will save you a lot of hassle in the long run.

• Don’t bring your entire expensive jewelry collection. A few key pieces will suffice. And leave the valuables at home – they’re just asking to get lost or stolen.

• Don’t forget the basics: Pack all the essentials like underwear, socks, and pajamas. It’s also a good idea to bring a few extra items just in case you need them.

• Have cash available for clothing in case accidents happen or you start to outgrow your clothing. 
• Pay attention to the weather where you are going to attend college. You can go to the weather channel or weather.com. Look at the weather over previous years to give you an idea of the weather condition in the areas.

Visit The College

If possible, visit the college. The benefits of visiting the college are priceless. The tour will confirm that the dorms are safe place. If available, take a tour of the dorms This allows you to take photos and note how the room should be set up to get the most space possible. 

Visiting the college also lets you observe the weather of the city first hand. I know it will be out of school season, but it gives you a better idea of what to expect. Talk to the locals and ask about the weather during the different times of the year, they will provide you with very good insight.

If you cannot visit the school, try a virtual tour. This may help you plan your big move.

The college visit will also allow you to notice if there are storage places close to the school in case you overpack and have to store some clothes.

Apartment Living

Much of this article’s information focused on many colleges requiring freshmen to live on campus the first year. If you have the privilege to live off campus, apply the same information knowing that you may have the same or more space available. 

We hope the above tips help