Your room at home may be spacious with a big closet where you can have your '70s-style lava lamp, 50 pairs of Jimmy Choo heels or that giant-sized bean bag chair that you and your dog Rufus cuddled on. Or maybe that blow-up guitar that you won playing a game of darts at your local carnival adds some flair to the room that you and your sibling share.
Although these items may have sentimental value or are needed to describe your personality, there may not be room for them in the dorms at UB.
Here's what you do need in your dorm room:
Mini-fridge:
You are going to have perishable food items that your parents will buy for you, things such as: milk, eggs, cheese, yogurt, etc. A mini-fridge provides you with enough space to keep these things cold for your enjoyment.
Storage bins:
These can be placed right underneath your door room bed. They provide you with the proper organization for your toiletries and any other miscellaneous items. For example, my roommate sophomore year placed his shorts in there for easy access. When the frigid winter of Buffalo took over, he moved his snow gear into his storage bins. This is flex space for anything important.
Television:
How will you be able to live with yourself if you don't have a TV? The best shows are on during the school year. For the dorm space, a perfect size television is a 22-inch flat screen. It is easy to load and unload and you can see pretty much everything from any given distance. If you want to be risky, go with a 32-inch, but just remember that space can be limited, especially with a roommate on the other side.
Flip-Flops:
OK, so Ma Dukes isn't bleaching the showers every day in the dorms. You don't want to take a chance going barefoot in the shower or bathroom on campus. Think of the dorm room showers and bathrooms like a gym locker room, especially for guys, who treat it like one. You can buy cheap flip-flops at Old Navy for $5.99. It prevents you from stepping in something disgusting.
Toiletries:
Toothpaste, deodorant, Acqua Di Gio, toothbrush and anything that will make you smell nice - these are essential and a must when living in the dorms. You don't want to be the smelly kid in the quad. Also, you need a way to scrub off the nasty every morning before class.
Email: joseph.konze@ubspectrum.com
