What To Bring To Campus 2024
The college experience brings a lifetime of memories, and residence hall movie-in days are filled with plenty of excitement. After all, Howard will be your home away from home and you want to feel comfortable in your new surroundings.
To help you, we have put together a list of recommended items to bring on move-in day. Additionally, we have included things that you should not bring.
As you review this list, we encourage you to consider ordering some of these items online to save time and money on packing and shipping costs. Many stores continue to offer services for online orders to be picked up curbside or inside the location.
Also, the weather is likely to remain fairly mild until mid-October. It may be helpful to wait until you return home for fall break to bring bulkier clothing, in order to maximize storage space in your room.
We hope you find this list helpful and look forward to seeing you for the Fall semester 2024.
What To Bring
Bedding
- Twin-XL Mattress Topper
- Twin-XL Comforter Set
- Twin-XL Sheets
- Extra Blanket
- Pillows
- Desk and/or Floor Lamps
Bath and Body
- Shower Shoes/Flip Flops
- Shower Caddy
- Personal Hygiene Products
Electronics
- Ear Plugs
- Laptop
- Printer
- Surge Protected Power Strip
- TV
- Streaming or Gaming Devices
- Small Fan
Laundry and Toiletries
- Clothing Hamper
- (3) Towel Sets
- Toilet Tissue
- Paper Towels
- Laundry Supplies
- Cleaning Supplies
- Cleaning Gloves
- Disinfectant Wipes/Spray
School Supplies
- Electronic storage media such as memory cards and USB flash drives
- Stapler and staples
- Printer paper (if you decide to bring a printer)
- Pens and pencils
- Pencil holder and sharpener
- Notebooks
- Folder with pockets
- Labels of various sizes
- 3 × 5 index cards
- Sticky notes
- Paper clips and binder clips
- Rubber bands
- Tape
- Scissors
- Highlighter pens (multiple colors)
- Ruler
- Stackable desk trays (at least 4)
- Stamps and envelopes
- Printer
First Aid
- First Aid Kit
- Prescription Medication
- Prescription eyeglasses and contact lens solution
- Thermometer
Emergency Supplies
- Flashlight
- Whistle
- Plastic sheeting
- Duct tape
- Manual can opener
- Extra cell phone charger
- Portable power banks
- Hand Sanitizer
- Masks
- Plunger
Microwave or Fridge updates:
Due to electrical limitations, in order to have a microwave and refrigerator, residents can only purchase a micro-fridge.
- Microfridge rented from MyFridgeRental .com (Highly suggested)
- Microwaves cannot be above 700 watts
- Mini-fridges cannot be more than 2.3 cubic feet
- Residents cannot have a separate microwave and mini-fridge
Miscellaneous
- Small Safe for Personal Items
- Renter's Insurance (can be purchased from GradGuard )
- Desk and/or Floor Lamps
- Food Storage Containers
- Garbage Can
- Keychain/card holder
- Reusable grocery bags - There is a $0.05 tax on plastic bags in DC**
What NOT To Bring
- Candles, incense, and fragrance burners
- Command Strips
- LED Stick Lights
- Non-surge protected extension cords
- Motorbikes and motor scooters
- Halogen lamps
- Weapons, including pocket knives, knives in a sheath, spears, swords, souvenir weapons, firearms, ammunition, and BB, air, pellet or paintball guns, tasers, stun guns, expandable batons or impact weapons.
- Chemical mace or pepper spray
- Fireworks
- Illegal drugs, drug paraphernalia, and/or drug manufacturing materials
- Alcohol
- Hazardous materials (not including household cleaners)
- Animals (unless you have received written approval from student services)
- Portable/space heaters
- Cooking appliances in non-cooking areas including hot plates, air fryers, crock pots, waffle irons, toasters, toaster ovens, George Foreman grills, sandwich makers and popcorn poppers
If you have any additional questions about what to bring (or not bring), please contact the Office of Residence Life and University Housing.