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Welcome to my recommendations page!
Here is where I post all of my best recommendations, for college, organization, dorm rooms or college apartments, and anything else I think you would enjoy, too!
I try all of these things personally, and swear by them.
Enjoy!
College School Day Must Haves
Trendy Backpack
These backpacks are everywhere, and it’s for a reason!
For this backpack I recommend a more trendy color, like this yellow. I also really love the blue or gray!
Hydroflask
The hydroflask is THE waterbottle of the school year. Just like the backpack above, there’s a reason everyone has them!
I absolutely LOVE mine and I use it every single day. I have the green color shown above, but they come in tons of colors.
Get yours here:
AirPods Pro
If you don’t believe the hype of AirPods, start believing it. I invested in some with the intention of returning them if they weren’t worth the full price. Well, I’ve had mine for almost a year and I can confidently say they are one of the best purchases I have ever made!
Macbook Pro
This is one of the best purchases I’ve ever made. I had a macbook air for years, and then I upgraded to the pro – with the fastest processor. I feel like this laptop can handle anything!
I have all apple products, and I have to say that if you’re debating between another brand of laptop or a macbook, get a macbook if you have an iphone. All of my products work together so well, and it’s because they’re all from apple.
Muji Pens
These pens are amazing! They have a really fine tip and make my handwriting look better. I don’t really understand how that happens, but I think it’s because they’re just such nice pens.
I tried finding a comparable pen sold in the US, but there just isn’t one! These pens are worth every single penny, and I’ll never switch back to another kind.
Portable Power Bank
A power bank is an absolute essential, especially for long college days. I really like this power bank because it can charge my phone so many times over.
On Amazon this power bank has over 15,000 reviews and over four stars… for a reason! It is an absolute backpack essential.
Extra Phone Charger
I’ve learned that keeping a phone charger in my backpack is an absolute essential. I already have the power bank in there, and that is useless without the cord!
Buying some extra cords in a set proved to be a great purchase for me in the past. I always have backups, and I can have cords that stay in one place.
Here’s the phone cords I have, they’ve lasted years!
Apple Watch
While an Apple Watch is not a necessity, it really is handy during a busy school day. I really like the Apple Watch that has GPS and Cellular service, so I can be away from my phone and still be alerted about important notifications.
My Favorite Books
Stay Sexy and Don’t Get Murdered
Ever since I stumbled across it, I have been obsessed with the “My Favorite Murder,” a true crime podcast. Karen and Georgia are absolutely hilarious, and I have been absolutely binging them since the day I first started listening.
When they came out with a book, I knew it would be amazing, but I never thought I would read it as fast as I did. This book is hilarious, and really shows another side of Karen and Georgia, while still being their comedic selves.
If you are a fan of true crime, give their podcast a try – it’s absolutely amazing and you will love it.
Here’s their book in hardcover, but I recommend the audible version as well.
Let It Snow
If you like John Green, you’ll love this book! It might seem like it’s geared towards a little younger of an age group than a college student, but it’s one of my all time favorites.
There’s three separate stories that all intertwine surrounding one huge snow storm. It is so heartwarming and cute!
Dear Madam President
As a political science major, this book gives me so much confidence and motivation for my future.
As stated on the cover, this book is exactly “an open letter to the women who will rule the world.”
This book is really short, and is really great to read when you’re feeling discouraged and need a boost of confidence.
Dorm Room Must Haves
Four Inch Twin XL Mattress Topper
By now you know that a mattress topper is an absolute must, but a four inch mattress topper? A NECESSITY. It might seem a little extra, but my dorm bed was probably the comfiest bed I’ll ever have and it’s thanks to four inches of glorious memory foam.
Lighted Makeup Mirror
Dorm room lighting sucks, and it’s easy to apply too much makeup since you can’t see your skin as clearly as you’d like to.
A lighted makeup mirror helps with this greatly, and is my ride or die product for the next couple years before I have my own house and my own lighting choices.
Three Tier Rolling Cart
This is an absolute needed piece of furniture in every dorm room. I used mine as a nightstand and for storage, which was fantastic!
I currently use the top shelf as my nightstand, middle shelf as a bookshelf, and bottom shelf to hold a throw blanket.
Mine is the first one listed below, but I included others in different colors that I know are just as wonderful.
Ottoman
An ottoman seems to be in everyone’s dorm room, and that’s for good reason! They’re great to store stuff in, and I used mine as the only way to get onto my half lofted college dorm bed.
iPhone, Apple Watch, Airpods holder
Yes, I actually have all of these apple products, alongside a lot more that I’ve acquired over the years. If you’re like me and you live for the newest tech, you’ll love this dorm room must have!
I have this stand that holds my airpods, apple watch, and phone to charge at night. This is perfect because it keeps my cords organized and reminds me to charge everything at night. I keep mine right next to my bed in the top tray of my three tier rolling cart.
6 Cube Organizer
Cube organizers are affordable, and very versatile. They can act as a TV stand, a nightstand, a coffee station – the possibilities are endless. I love getting cube bins that match the accent colors in that rooms theme.
Super Soft Throw Blanket
I really recommend making your college dorm room bed every day, it’s a great habit to get into.
Once you’re in this habit, you’ll find that to take a nap or just watch a movie in your bed you won’t want to have to remake the whole thing. A super soft throw blanket is the perfect inbetween! Here’s the one I have. I have it in “dark rose.”
Mesh Shower Caddy
Emphasis on the fact that it is mesh. These are relatively inexpensive, and around the same size and price as plastic ones. I DO NOT recommend getting a plastic one, because they retain a little bit of water in the bottom of them and can get really gross.
Here is the mesh one I have. It holds quite a bit of stuff, and works perfectly to haul everything you need back and forth from the showers.
Essential Oil Diffuser
This is a must have for my college dorm room desk. It came with 8 essential oils, and I love to mix them together depending on what I am doing – going to sleep, studying, etc.
Plus, this is a great way to make your dorm room smell fantastic!
Life Organization
Google Calendar
For every college student, the best tip I can give you is to use google calendar. This is the only way I’m able to be in so much, take classes, blog, and not double schedule myself.
To see exactly how I use my google calendar and how to set up your own, check out this blog post.
Related: How to Use Google Calendar
Erin Condren LifePlanner
This was a game changing tool. I absolutely love how customizable they are, and it really helps to write down what I need to do on a daily basis.
I use the vertical life planner, and divide the columns into “school,” Blog,” and “to-do.” I then take a look at my google calendar, and write the action items that need to be completed that day under those categories, using google calendar to actually schedule out my time, and my planner to direct me on how to spend that time.
I used to use the academic planner, but like most students, I have a lot going on other than school and I found the lifeplanner to be more useful.
I recommend heading right over to the erin condren website to customize your own! Erin Condren Website
Miscellaneous Tools and Services
Amazon Prime – Student
If you’re not utilizing your student discount, please start! You get a percentage off almost everywhere you normally shop, and it saves a ton of money in the long run.
One of my favorite perks of my student discount is amazon prime. I get it half off every year – it’s just a little over $5 a month – and worth every single penny! 2 day shipping is fantastic, and there’s so much stuff that’s a better price on amazon or is just easier to have shipped to my door.
Here’s a 6 month free trial –
Audible
Audible is a fantastic way to listen to books on long car rides, long school days, or anytime that reading a traditional book just isn’t an option. I love podcasts, and since I got in the habit of listening rather than reading, I switched over to audiobooks!
If you haven’t tried it, it’s definitely worth a shot.
Here’s 2 free audiobooks to get started –
Eno Hammock
Eno, in my opinion, is the best brand of hammock. I go to school in a very woodsy area, where everyone hammocks and loves going on hikes outdoors.
In fact, hammocking has a special place in my heart. This is the activity that my boyfriend choose for our first date, and it was in a red and gray hammock – just like this one!
If you go to college in an area with a nature center nearby, or lots of places to hammock, make sure to get a nice, quality hammock of your own. This brand lasts for a long time, and the hammocks are super light and portable. Perfect for keeping in your backpack – and most importantly, perfect for first dates.
Clothing and Beauty
Champion Sweatpants
These sweatpants are so, so comfy and are very affordable. Champion is usually so expensive, and these sweatpants are the same quality for such a great price!
They have a slight high waist and look really great with a cropped sweatshirt. For a little over $20, these are a complete steal.
Batiste Dry Shampoo
Dry shampoo is an absolute must for every college student. If your hair is dyed you shouldn’t be washing it every day anyways, and some days you just don’t have the time to fully shampoo your hair. (Just as a reminder, this does not mean you can skip washing your body!)
This dry shampoo is absolutely fantastic. It’s affordable, smells fantastic, and doesn’t add a gross white residue to your hair. Better yet, batiste makes their original formula in specific colors to match hair, especially very dark hair.
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