Move-in is right around the corner for students at the University of North Florida. To help incoming freshmen navigate their first move-in, upperclassmen shared some things that made dorm life easier. 

Eda Sowers is a sophomore at UNF majoring in psychology. During her freshman year, she lived in Osprey Crossings with the Honors Living-Learning Community. She listed the five most helpful dorm purchases she’d suggest to all incoming freshmen.

1. Rolling laundry basket
   Sowers said a laundry basket on wheels helped her save a lot of time and effort on trips to the laundry room last year. 

   “I was on the second floor of my building … and while there was an elevator, it just made it easier to walk it over … then take the elevator down to get to the laundry room,” said Sowers.

2. PrinterWhenever she didn’t have enough time to stop at the library, Sowers said the printer she shared with her roommate made printing quick and easy. She was thankful to her freshman roommate for the free ink. 

   “My roommate brought a printer; I would say she was the G.O.A.T. for that,” said Sowers.

3. Spring-loaded curtain rod
   Another item Sowers would keep on her packing list: spring-loaded adjustable curtain rods to put in her closet.

   “I would say those were really helpful,” she said. “It made it so I could adjust it and then have my curtains hang down to protect my clothes, cover up my dirty laundry and cover up anything I didn’t want people to see.”

4. Power strip
   “Having extra electrical outlets is so helpful when you have so many things to plug in,” she said. 

   According to the UNF Resident Handbook, only UL-approved power strips with an on-off switch are permitted in dorms.

5. Cosmetics trolley
   Sowers’ last dorm must-have was a cart to put underneath her vanity.

   “I had so much extra cosmetics and hair supplies and things … being a girl, it’s hard to have enough counter space for all of it,” Sowers said. “Having a cosmetics trolley made my life so much easier. I could just put things on the extra shelving space that I had.”

Move-in advice

Wyatt Thompson is a sophomore communication major at UNF. He advised freshmen to bring things that make a dorm feel more like home and not overpack.

“I’m a pretty big racing fan, and I like to bring posters and flags of my favorite teams, which definitely makes my dorm a little more homey,” Thompson said.

He added that overpacking can make moving more stressful than it needs to be.

“Try not to overpack too much,” Thompson said. “If [you live] two-and-a-half hours away like I am, then it’s a little bit of a daunting task … a little annoying too in some ways.”

Thompson said one of his best purchases was a mini-fride with a freezer.

“Having a nice, good, solid mini-fridge or freezer is definitely a big life-saver,” he said.

Alyssa Pharay is a UNF junior majoring in public health. She suggested swapping moving boxes for large IKEA tote bags and a pulling wagon for small items. 

“I also ended up getting one of those pulling wagons,” Pharay said. “If I needed to go away for the weekend or [on] a grocery run — it makes everything easy — like one trip.”

Pharay also advised to invest in quality dishes and silverware. 

“I would splurge on dishes. I know a lot of people get the 50-cent Target ones, and I did too — but if you don’t get the darker-colored ones, they get stained really easily,” she said.

Move-in starts by appointment on Aug. 16 for first-year students and Aug. 17 for rising sophomores and above. Other important housing dates can be found here. 

Students who have any questions about what items are permitted in residence halls should reference the UNF Resident Handbook or contact the Office of Housing and Resident Life at housing@unf.edu.

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