If you are reading this, your student has likely already made their college decision or is anxiously awaiting acceptances so they can find their new home for the next four (or more) years. It’s an exciting time, and now is the best time to start learning and planning for that move to college. The more you understand in advance, the less overwhelming AND expensive the dorm shopping process will be.
Since 2022, we’ve been researching, hands-on product testing, trend watching, price watching, and asking manufacturers endless questions. We have detailed and continuously update our learnings, test results, and experiences here on The Dorm Guide website.
Read more about how we test and review products before we recommend them for dorms and college apartments.
In addition to our own testing, we run the Dorm Shopping Recommendations & Deal Alerts Facebook Group where members have been an incredible source of product feedback, design inspiration, and valuable insight into the vastly different rules and regulations at colleges nationwide.
Read on for 5 quick tips before you get started, followed by the top 20 questions we are asked year after year in our Facebook community and across our other socials.
Just reading the next few paragraphs will save you money, time, and headaches….
Every dorm is different these days. Different setups, layouts, bed sizes, bathroom types, laundry facilities, rules, restrictions and allowances. Until you know your dorm assignment, please hold off on shopping except for a subset of items that are useful and most likely allowed in any situation.
Also consider roommates and timing before shopping. You might decide with your roommate(s) to have a certain color scheme or find out that the roommate already has a great rug or mini-fridge.
I’m adamant about this, and here is why.
As mentioned above, every dorm is different. Every dorm has a different set of rules, often even dorms on the same campus. Older dorms have different rules from more modern dorms. Layouts are different, bed sizes are different, everything is different!
Every single visually pleasing dorm checklist I’ve seen includes items that are frequently prohibited in dorm rooms or don’t make sense in many situations. Some even SELL these lists – do not spend money on these, no matter how pretty they are!
If you are directed to a Google doc or sheet with a dorm list, those links are usually affiliate links, which means the author is making a commission on your purchases. If they’re sending you to a page like this without any understanding of your situation, they’re not there to help you or to make sure you’re not wasting money; they just want you to buy so they can make money.
You need to create your own list, and we’re here to help you. We have MANY resources to help you do this, and we personally answer dozens of questions every day in the Facebook group if you get stuck. We do not want you to waste money on products people recommend that they haven’t tested and are of poor quality, on products the RA will confiscate on move-on day, or items that won’t be reusable in future college years, but could’ve been if you’d gone in a different direction.
There is an unfortunate amount of low-quality “dorm essentials” on the market, and a majority of these products are marketed by less reputable international manufacturers.
Common business practices of these overseas manufacturers with the funny names:
In addition to these individual low-quality items, you’ll also encounter dorm bundles and dorm value sets. You may even get an email or a flyer from your college about these.
Sure, these seem easy and less expensive, but the quality is LOW. The bedding is thin and not certified toxin-free. It’s all made overseas with various levels of quality control and questionable materials. These packages also tend to include many pieces to make them seem like a bargain, but you won’t need or use many of them. A 75-piece set for $299 sounds great, but please do your due diligence.
This caution is relevant no matter your shopping list! Dorm, home, gifts, clothes, shoes, electronics, etc.
Many of the common business practices mentioned above aren’t new, but you primarily saw them at one big online retailer, where individual sellers create their own products and listings.
Today, many other retailers have introduced marketplaces to their online shopping experiences, including Target, Walmart, Home Depot, and even Kohl’s. A marketplace means the retailer opens its e-commerce platform to 3rd-party sellers, allowing them to sell directly to consumers. We don’t love this. These sellers don’t necessarily uphold the retailer’s more generous return or replacement policies or offer the customer service you may be accustomed to with the primary retailer.
How will you know if there is a 3rd party seller? There should be an indication near the price that says something like “Sold By <Company Name>” or “Sold And Shipped By”. In some cases, if we know a company and its reputation, we may recommend these items; for the most part, we will avoid recommending them. We suggest you follow a similar approach.
We research everything we recommend. We use a variety of plug-ins to detect fraudulent reviews, sketchy/scammy sellers (on the major retail sites), and to track pricing. We often buy and test products, too, because we have our own dorm room with 2 adjustable beds. This allows you to see items in a dorm environment. We’ve also sent 4 of our own kids to college and have a LOT of life experience with dorms, furnished & unfurnished apartments, and sorority/fraternity house life.
We’ve been focused solely on dorms and college since 2022, and each year we see many of the same questions from new college-bound families. To help get families off to a smart start with dorm planning and shopping, we’ve created 20 guides with detailed answers to these questions.
Facebook Group: While we intend to cover each topic comprehensively here on the website, you will no doubt have questions as you learn and start shopping! You can bring those questions to the Dorm Shopping Recommendations & Deal Alerts Facebook Community, where we answer questions every single day. The deal alerts will help you find the best times to buy, too.
Instagram: Follow us on Instagram for more video content, how tos, and important reminders for parents of college-bound and current college students.
Our Newsletter: In addition to following on Facebook, we also recommend subscribing to our newsletter. You may think Facebook is enough, but their new algorithms are maddening and only show each post to a small subset of group members. To be sure you’re seeing all of seasonal content as well as key Deal Alerts, subscribe to our newsletter in the box below. You can opt out at any time, and we will never sell your data or information.
Share The Knowledge! Be sure to share this page with fellow parents of Class of 2026 students.
Affiliate Disclaimer: I only recommend products I do or would use myself. All opinions expressed are my own. I may receive a small commission, at no additional cost to you, for purchases made through the links in this post. Please see our full disclaimer for details.
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