Dorm room electronics

College will be some of the most fun years of your life. You'll want to bring a camera! When you're old and senile, you'll still be able to click through your Facebook albums and sigh in nostalgia. Or, more seriously, you can post up all your terrific, attractive pictures on your dorm wall to show everyone else how much fun you have! Many schools frown on scotch tape, as it ruins the paint, so if you want to be safe pack some removable poster tape, or poster putty, to hang your photos harmlessly.

iPod and MP3 speakers come in a huge range of sizes and prices. I wanted something small, so I went on the cheaper end for an iPod speaker that charges the iPod, and has an alarm clock and radio. While it took me a little while to figure out, I've gotten very attached to it by now. However, the smaller speakers simply will never be able to provide the clear notes and heavy bass that larger speakers can pump out. It's up to you to decide your price range and how great a priority you place on your sound quality- the small speakers are still good, but if you're planning on throwing a lot of large parties they won't be able to compete with the noise of the crowd in the same way.

Make sure your speakers charge your ipod, though. Most do, but some of the speakers that merely plug in to your ipod with a cord, in contrast to the docking stations that also plug in to the wall, will only drain your ipod's battery. I also like an ipod dock that has a large clock display, because then you don't have to worry about buying a seperate clock.

While colleges have a huge range of dining plans, so there's no way to make a broad statement about your school's food offerings, it's always nice to have the capability of storing some food in your room. Sometimes you'll be so tired that the last thing you want to do is venture into the dining hall, and sometimes you'll get sick of their food or have a specific craving for something from the noodle shop down the street. Above are the appliances you'll need to keep your diet under control.

For tea, instant coffee, or ramen, a hot pot is the easiest way to boil water. The pot above is light plastic, very durable and easy to clean. It plugs into the wall and heats water within only 1-2 minutes. It's also easy enough to just throw in a box under your bed when you're not using it.

A mini fridge is definitely an important landmark in any college dorm room. Many colleges partner with programs that allow you to rent mini fridges for the year, and return them at the end of the year so you don't have to worry about storing them over the summer. However, I believe it's cheaper and simpler to buy your own, and if you don't live near your school hopefully you'll be able to convince a friend that does live in the area to store it in their garage for the summer. Mini fridges come in 4.5 cubic feet or 1.8 cubic feet, although the 1.8 feet version isn't large enough to store anything substantial. Both sizes have little freezer areas and wire shelving, and they can be temperature-adjusted.

A cheap microwave can easily fit on top of your fridge, for a little mini kitchen area in your dorm room. If you like being able to resort to frozen meals sometimes, a microwave will certainly come in handy. Most dorm rooms won't allow toasters, and some may not even allow microwaves, so make sure you check before you buy.

Your room probably won't come with air conditioning. It's sad, but true, and though colleges let out far earlier than most high schools, it will still start to get hot in the spring and summer. You and your roommate may not agree on temperature control, so it's easiest to have some personal way of changing your own heat. Also, big fans take up lots of valuable space in small dorm rooms. Therefore, I would highly recommend bringing a small, personal fan to put on your desk or bed table to keep a soothing breeze going while you sweat over your studies. Above, I've added both plug-in and battery operated fans, depending on your preference.

Fans can also help in providing a layer of white noise to dampen noisy hallways while you fall asleep. I'm a light sleeper, and the hallway outside our room echoed, so my mini fan saved me on many occasions as I tried to doze off.