TOP 10 PRODUCTS FOR ORGANIZING COLLEGE STUDENTS

In the next few weeks, parents across the country will begin preparing their college aged children for the next school year. With that comes outfitting college dorm rooms and/or apartments; some of which are far from spacious. If you are looking for ideas on what to purchase in order to maximize space and set your student up for a year of success, read on for some of Put It There’s top recommended products for organizing college students.

In my years as a Professional Organizer and in working with so many students, I have been asked these questions repeatedly.

How do we go about maximizing space in college dorm rooms or apartments?
Where do we even begin deciding what to buy?
There are so many products out there. How do I know what we REALLY need?

For starters, try to get the layout of the room and be sure you know what furniture pieces come with it.

Will the bed be up on risers?
Is there space under the bed for storage?
What does the closet look like in terms of extra storage availability?
How many dresser drawers are there and how deep are they?

Once you know the answers to these questions, you can start to make your shopping list. Aside from the more obvious clothing, toiletries and school supplies, here is our top 10 list of products we recommend for organizing college students.

Under bed bins are great for storing extra sheets and towels, as well as cleaning supplies and kitchen items.
Plastic drawers also work well under the bed. Additionally, they can stack and be a nightstand or sit next to a dorm refrigerator to store kitchen and food items.
Dorm frig set up. Small refrigerators, microwaves, kettles and Keurigs – oh my!
Shoe bags are crucial for utilizing the back of a closet door for extra storage. In addition to the obvious shoe storage, all sorts of items can go in the pockets such as batteries, a flashlight, first aid items and the like.
Shoe racks are needed to store all the various shoes, or at least all the shoes girls will have. Boys may not need if all they have are sneakers and a pair of loafers.
Closet doublers are a great way to maximize the amount of clothing that can fit in the closet.
Over the door hooks are perfect for hanging umbrellas, bathrobes, wet towels, belts, and hats
Command hooks were probably invented for dorm rooms since they do not damage the walls. These are great for hanging items on the wall like those mentioned above and decorative items.
A bunk bed shelf is a must for anyone who will be on the top shelf to have essential items nearby.
A white board calendar is a wonderful time management tool to put above the desk as a convenient reminder of important events and deadlines. I like this one with a small bulletin board.-

Bonus item….

While time management for today’s college students is a whole other blog post, EVERY college student needs the Order Out Of Chaos planner! Designed by Leslie Josel, an extraordinary student organizing colleague, this planner was created in order to have all assignments, projects and tasks on the same page as the weekly schedule – crucial towards effectively managing each day/week/month. I recommend either the 8.25” x 8.5” or 8.5” x 11” with all day planning option. The calendar sticker accessory pack is also a must have in order to easily flag each month.

Organizing college students is vastly different from when many of us went to school. The product availability and marketing can be overwhelming but with careful planning and shopping your student is sure to be equipped for a successful school year!