5 Uncommon Must-Have Items for Every College Student

A new year of college is an exciting time for new and old students alike. Between packing furniture for the dorms, choosing a meal plan, and finding one’s classes, it can be easy to forget about some smaller details. In hopes of remediating that forgetfulness, here are five uncommon must-have items for every college student!

Blue Light Protection

Laptops, tablets, TVs, cell phones, and other screens of all kinds are an inescapable reality of college life. Screens release an excess of blue light which can strain one’s eyes and can also make it difficult to sleep at night. To counteract all of this blue light, blue light filtering glasses are an amazing item to have at your disposal. Blue light filters can be applied to regular prescription lenses, or non-prescription blue light filtering glasses can be purchased. Worn throughout the day, these special glasses can keep your eyes feeling fresh and help to maintain your brain’s natural sleep cycles by helping to prevent the stimulating wavelength of light from getting into your eyes at night. If your eyes end up tired anyway, something like an eye health supplement can be a great tool to have in your toolbox. Prepare yourself to see all that college has to offer!

Noise Cancelling Headphones

Noise cancelling headphones can be a lifesaver when you need some rare peace and quiet. College life can put you with a snoring roommate, with a generally loud roommate, or in a crowded common area. If you need to get some work done without distraction, or if you’re just tired of everyone else’s noise, these headphones will be a gamechanger.

Mattress Topper

The mattress in dorms leaves a lot to be desired. They are flat, old, and are often made of a cheap foam. If these crummy mattresses hurt your back or lessen your quality of sleep, try out a mattress topper. Mattress toppers are essentially giant pillows that you put on top of your mattress. They can be anywhere from fluffy and soft to a dense memory foam. Pair your mattress topper with an eye mask or blackout curtains for as close to luxury as is possible in a dorm. Just don’t sleep through your classes!

Power Brick

A power brick is essentially just a portable battery for your devices. They come in all different shapes, sizes, and charge levels. You never know how long you’ll be out of the dorm without access to a charger or an outlet. Perhaps you have classes all day and your phone just can’t keep up with your needs. A power brick will save you! Just plug your phone, or any USB device, into the power brick and get that much-needed power boost. Due to their portability, they are very easy to simply keep in a backpack and carry around everywhere.

Glass Food Containers

College is expensive enough without having to worry about food costs. If you don’t have a meal plan, you may find yourself eating out a lot more often than you would like. After all, it’s quick, convenient, and you’re always exhausted. Unfortunately, those bills from eating out add up quickly. A better solution is to cook cheaply for yourself and store the food in glass food containers. These food containers can be heated up in any microwave or oven. They can be kept in your dorm fridge or freezer for when you need food at home, or they can be carried around for when you need lunch on the go. To get food ideas to keep in these containers, try a website like Budgetbytes for recipes that are delicious, healthy, and are great for the budget of a college student.

Everyone remembers to pack their clothes, books, and toothbrush, but it can be much harder to think of certain uncommon items that will work hard to improve your quality of life. College can be stressful enough as-is, take advantage of some of these awesome items to help you easily breeze through!