“How to Make IMSA Your Home in the Residential Halls” – Rujuta Durwas ’22

Rujuta Durwas ’22 Read my bio!


Found yourself one week to move in with your shopping cart empty? If so, no worries! I’m here to help you out with little tricks with packing and organization that I’ve learned through my three years at IMSA. The most important thing a residential student should have is a plethora of storage boxes! They are very easy to tuck under your bed and store things such as extra sheets/blankets and hoodies. Next, make sure to bring a big, standing lamp for your room. During my sophomore year, I had one tall lamp and a desk lamp which was sufficient, but for my senior year my roommate brought in a lamp and bookshelf combo to put in between our desks, which added even more brightness than before. The brighter the room, the better the mindset! In the major IMSA packing list, items such as toilet paper, shower curtains, washcloths, and trash bags are all recommended and needed, but remember to bring big, plastic containers to store these. And bring all of your toiletries! Having a bathroom caddy for these is super helpful, as it keeps all of them in one area and is difficult to be mixed up with your roommate’s.

bathroom caddy room decor fridge and pantry

One of the most fun things to shop for when moving into a dorm room is decorations! Reach out to your roommate, figure out a theme, and go from there. Making your room feel like home, whether that may be hanging up pictures or putting up paintings you’ve made, is the true first step to loving your room.

Now, when it comes to food, a mini-fridge is nice to have in the room. It is not a necessity by any means, as there is a fridge in the wing commons, but having your own in the room can be very convenient! In addition to that, my roommate and I designated a “pantry” in our room (just two pairs of storage boxes piled on top of each other) to store all of our non-refrigerated snacks, like granola bars and goldfish crackers.

Furthermore, when it comes to clothes and shoes it’s very important to remember to bring a few pairs of footwear and clothes that will last you 2-3 weeks max. You will be going home, or your parents will be coming to visit you, and you will probably be going laundry, so you will have plenty of opportunities to switch out these things throughout the year! And if you play a sport, make sure you bring all of the equipment necessary at the beginning of the season and take it home when it’s over. Also, I recommend making a designated area for sports belongings, to keep it separate from everything else. Moving on to one of the biggest lifesavers: EXTENSION CORDS. Have at least one in your room for you and your roommate to share, because when setting up desks, beds, and wardrobes some outlets get hidden reducing the number of outlets on the wall. Having an extension cord of some type is a great help, especially if you individually have multiple devices (i.e. phone, laptop, watch, AirPods, etc.). Lastly, bed risers are helpful to increase storage space in your room. Overall, make sure you communicate with your roommate when it comes to shared item expenses, have fun shopping for your new experience, bring things from home that will leave you less homesick, and refer to this blog post when you are feeling lost right before move-in day.

Happy Shopping 🙂

Rujuta Durwas Class of 2022
For a suggested list of move-in supplies, please click here!