The Complete College Freshman Checklist For Your First Year Of College

Looking for a college freshman checklist to make sure you’re prepared before you head off to college? Here’s a checklist of everything you need to do and pack for college.

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Figuring out a college freshman checklist of things you need to check off before you go to school can be really overwhelming.

As someone who has been where you are now, I’ve made a college checklist to help you be as prepared as possible before heading off to school! If I could go back in time, these are the things I’d tell myself to do my freshman year!

This checklist has things you should do before college, things you should bring to college for freshman year, what you need to do once you’re at school, and what you should do during the first week of classes. After reading this, you’ll be super prepared to go off to college!

This post is all about the best college freshman checklist.

The Best College Freshman Checklist For Your First Year Of College

Table of Contents

Things To Do Before College

1. Get Financial Aid Sorted Out

Getting your financial aid sorted out before college is really important so you can plan for expenses ahead of time.

2. Register For Classes

Before you go to school, you’ll need to register for/ enroll in classes. You’ll want to do this as far in advanced as possible so you make sure you get into the classes you need.

Pro tip: when you’re enrolling, if you have a choice between professors, go to ratemyprofessors.com to see how the professors are rated to make sure you get the best professor!

3. Check Course Materials

Before you go to school, it’s a good idea to check the course materials to get an idea of what you’ll need for your classes. At my school, we checked our online enrollment portal for course materials, but you might also get an email about it!

4. Check Your School Email

Checking your school email before you go to college is super important!! That’s where you’ll get any notifications about financial aid, updates on enrollment, and other super important things. It’s important to check your school email once you get it so you stay in the loop.

5. Get Vaccinated/ Get Vaccine Records

If you’re going to be living in student housing, you’ll likely be required to provide your vaccine records and get some updated vaccines before you go to school.

6. Go Shopping For Dorm/ School Supplies

This is one of the most exciting things to do before you go to school!!

7. Contact Your Roomate(s)

Contacting your roommate/ roommates is another important thing to do before you go to school. Take the time before college to send some emails back and forth with your roommates if you don’t already know them. That way you can get to know them beforehand, and if you have any issues or don’t get along, you can potentially ask for a different roommate ahead of move in.

8. Go To The Freshman Orientation

I really did not want to go to my freshman orientation. I thought it was such a waste of time and so silly. However, I ended up meeting all of my friends from my freshman year at the orientation!! I even met one of my best friends.

So, even though it might be a hassle, if you have the choice between whether or not to go, I would recommend going. You learn some important things, and you’ll probably make some friends!

Things To Pack For School

Here is a complete list of everything you need to pack for college!

Click here for the printable checklist!

Bedding

Mattress Topper
Twin XL sheets (2)
Pillows
Pillow cases
Comforter
Mattress Protector
Back Pillow
Throw Blanket
Weighted Blanket

Bedroom

Full Length Mirror
Laundry Basket
Rug
Curtains
Trash Can
Command Strips For Decorating
Desk Lamp
Padlock Or Safe For Valuables
White Noise Machine

Bathroom

Shower Caddy Tote
Shower Shoes
Towels (4)
Washcloths (4)
Head Towel
Robe
Bath Mats
Shower Curtain

Toiletries

Hair Tools
Shampoo & Conditioner
Face Wash
Deodorant
Moisturizer
SPF
Toothbrush
Toothpaste
Shaving Cream
Razor
Body Wash
Nail Stuff
Hair Brush
Hair Ties
Tweezers
Medicine

Kitchen

Microwave Safe Dishes (4)
Microwaveable Bowls (4)
Microwave Safe Mugs (4)
Cups (4)
Tupperware Set
Reusable Ziplock Bags
Reusable Water Bottle
Travel Mug
Silverware Set
Can Opener
Dish Sponge
Drying Rack For Dishes
Dish Towels
Mini Fridge
Microwave
Coffee Maker
Toaster/ Toaster Oven
Mini Skillet
Electric Kettle
Blender

Cleaning

Mini Vacuum
Clorox Wipes
All Purpose Cleaner
Dish Soap
Room Spray
Garbage Bags
Laundry Detergent
Fabric Softener
Dryer Balls
Wrinkle Release Spray
Stain Remover Stick
Lint Roller
Toilet Cleaning Brush
Plunger

Organization

Hangers
Under-Bed Storage Containers
Over The Door Organizer
Drawer Organization
Hanging Closet Shelves
Plastic Storage Drawers

Electronics

Laptop
Ipad & Apple Pencil
Headphones
Kindle
Video Game Devices
HDMI Cord
Chargers
TV
Roku
Extension Cord
Batteries

Decor

Plants
Wall Art
String Lights
Letterboard
Peel And Stick Wallpaper

School Supplies

Binders
Planner
Notebooks
Pencils
Pens
Highlighters
Backpack
Lunchbox
Calculator
Flash Cards
Mini Stapler
Tape
Bookmarks/ Sticky Notes

Documents

Drivers License
Student ID
Copy Of Birth Certificate
Health Insurance Cards
Auto Insurance Card
Financial Aid Documents

Miscellaneous

Safety Tools
Eye Sleeping Mask
Earplugs
Umbrella
Rain Boots
Rain Coat
Bike

What To Do Once You’re At School

1. Find Your Classes Ahead Of Time

Literally so many people get lost and end up late to class on the first day of classes. It can be a little embarrassing (and very anxiety inducing) on your first day of college to be scrambling trying to find your classes.

Something that I did that saved me that embarrassment and anxiety was find my classes beforehand. This is super helpful your freshman year because you probably won’t be familiar with any of the buildings yet.

2. Time How Long It Takes To Get To Your Classes

If you want to be super prepared and sure that you’ll make it to your classes on time, you can time how long it takes to get to your classes from where you live.

If you’re walking from the dorms, you’d be surprised at how long it can take to get to class. It is pretty common to get stuck behind people who are walking really slow, stuck at crosswalks, etc.

3. Attend Orientation Events

Like freshman orientation, other orientation events that usually happen at the beginning of school can seem like a hassle. However, you might have fun and make some friends!

4. Meet People In Your Dorm

The beginning of school is the perfect time to try to meet the people in your dorm. Most people will be wanting to meet new people, so this is the perfect opportunity to make friends before things settle down for the semester.

5. Decorate Your Dorm Room

The time before school starts is also the perfect time to decorate your dorm and make it start feeling like home.

6. Look Into Clubs/ Extracurriculars

Looking into clubs and extracurriculars and seeing what you’re interested in is a good idea before classes start. Once you get into a flow of things with classes it can be hard to motivate yourself to take on anything else (at least it was for me).

Looking into some extracurriculars and planning them into your time beforehand will give you a chance to actually try it out to see if you like it!

What To Do During The First Week Of College

1. Look At Your Syllabi

One of the biggest mistakes you can make your first week of college is not checking your syllabi. Usually professors will go easy on you the first week and not make a ton of things due, but it is best to check your syllabus just to make sure.

I have had it happen before where I didn’t check my syllabus and then missed something due in the first week! Don’t be like me! Check your syllabi just to be safe.

2. Write Down All Of Your Deadlines And Important Dates In A Planner

Because the first week of classes is typically slower, it is the perfect time to carve out a chunk of time to write down everything in a planner. It will help you be prepared for the rest of the semester and have everything in one place.

3. Buy Your Course Materials

I recommend waiting until you get your syllabus to buy course materials. If you can wait even longer, I’d suggest doing that just to make sure you’ll actually be using them. Sometimes you will need to get some materials to do work in the first couple weeks of classes, though.

Nowadays a lot of textbooks have 2 week free trials, and I would recommend using those to do your homework if you can before buying them! Doing this saved me a ton of money on textbooks and things I didn’t actually need for the class.

4. Go To Events

Like orientation events, there can be some fun events held during the first week of school that could help you make some friends. If you have time, these can be fun!!