What Not to Bring to College

While preparing for college last year, I was so excited to pack up all my belongings and move to Lexington. And when I say all my things, I quite literally mean all my things. My mom told me I didn’t need to bring everything I owned, but I lugged in just about all of my belongings. Every single winter coat, all my bags and purses, tons of shoes, and even hundreds of nail polishes. Packing up to move this year went a bit differently and a bit more smoothly because I now know what I truly used last year, which was actually a small fraction of the things I brought.

When it comes to packing clothes for college, it helps to think about what types of things you’ll be doing. For me, I realized this year I really only need to bring class leisurewear, fancier business attire for presentations and meetings, and fun weekend outfits. As I was going through my closet I wanted to pack up all of my summer dresses which I love, but I had to stop and think: what occasion will I wear this for? If I’m not going to be wearing it to class, or to any particular meeting, or out at night, I don’t need it! As much as you want to take every item because, of course, it’s your clothing and you love it all, there’s a different time and place. I decided I will keep those types of things at home and save them for a beach vacation or a summer day party.

The same thing goes for shoes and purses. I love love love purses. My parents have always called me “the bag lady” because even as a kid, I had three bags hanging off of me at any time of day. Those pictures are hilarious because my tiny baby body is being almost completely weighed down by purses filled with the childhood essentials: lip gloss, slime, my dolls, and sometimes just random shirts to fill them up to appear adulty. Last year, I brought practically every single one of my purses to school. I quickly realized I didn’t need but maybe one. I use my backpack all week for school, and I don’t bring a purse out with me at night in fear of losing it. The few times I used a purse was for Keeneland days.

In regards to shoes, I remember bringing tons of heels that took up closet space and only got used once or twice for a few Greek events. My advice is to save the space in your closet and really think: Am I really going to use this? If I’m on the edge about something, I lean on the side of leaving it home and if I realize I really need it with me at school, I’ll have my mom mail it to me. Otherwise, it can get so cluttered in your small college abode.

One last thing I brought far too much of was cosmetic items. I came with extra bottles of everything: shampoo, conditioner, face wash, you name it. And to be quite honest, the extras just sat in my cabinet under the sink for a majority of the year. In my opinion, it’s better to just bring the bare essentials and run to the Target on Limestone when you’re out! That is so much easier than packing and unloading tons of unnecessary bottles.

Overall, it’s best to just think through what will actually be used when you’re on campus. As hard as it is to part with some of your belongings, it’s better than having too much clutter that you aren’t actively using. Proof that moms are (almost) always right!