Summer is finally upon us! We made it through yet another semester and can now take some much needed relaxation time. 

This semester was undoubtedly challenging in all facets of my life. One difficult task I had toward the end of the year was figuring out how to fit all of my belongings into my father’s car as I said goodbye to my sophomore dorm room. Yes, even as a sophomore who had one year of college under their belt, I overpacked. So, here is a list of things I definitely did not need in my dorm room this past year:

1.) Every. Pen. Ever.

If you are anything like me, you love your pens: gel pens, felt pens, ballpoint… in every color known to mankind. Although I liked having this variety, I did not touch a good 75% of them. Next year, I plan to only bring two mason jars of pens that I know I will use.

2.) Fifty Bath Towels

This may seem silly but cutting back on the amount of bath towels saves a ton of space. Since I did my laundry every other week, I did not have as big of a need for too many bath towels because they would be replenished so quickly. 

3.) An Iron and Ironing Board

It seemed like a good idea to bring these two things, however, they unfortunately just sat in the back of my closet.

4.) Every Makeup Item 

This year especially I found that I would rely on the same few palettes, lipsticks, eyeliners, and foundation every time I applied makeup. When my schedule was busy I hardly had time to put on any makeup at all. If you downsize here it will ultimately save a ton of space.

5.) Multiple Leisure Books

This semester I made it a point to bring about five books I wanted to read throughout the year. Unfortunately I was barely able to get to one of them, and they just took up too much space near my bedside table. Not to mention most readings I completed were for classes anyways.

Now that I successfully overpacked two years in a row, I believe I have a better sense of my college needs, and can (hopefully) downsize. What did you bring to college that you ended up not using?