The Ultimate College Packing List (For Freshman Year + Beyond!)

It’s that time of year again, folks!! School is just around the corner – whether it’s workshop/training days for those of us who are teachers…or a first day of school for some as a student! College is still relatively recent for me – I distinctly remember that intense feeling of “Here we go!” when Mom and Dad dropped me off at my freshman dorm and we said our goodbyes. It was kind of a mixture of dread and excitement, a bit of anxiety paired with the thrill of new adventures! There’s nothing like it.

If you’re going to be a freshman in college this year, let me just say a couple words of encouragement to you: It will be good. Yes, it will be challenging, but it will be the good kind of difficult – it’ll strengthen your convictions and ease you into adulthood and independence like nothing has before. It will bring new friends and freedoms and new experiences, and it will help you hone in on your life calling and passions! Think of your college years as a huge gift – an opportunity to LEARN and soak in all you can about your area of study, as well as make lasting friendships and relationships. My prayer for each of you freshmen is that you will not enter the year with dread or fear or anxiety – but that you will step forward in excitement, with an attitude of trust (God is on your team and He will guide you!) and a desire to take it all in! 

A promise for you
Another promise for you

Another prayer I have for you is that you will exercise good discernment! This isn’t meant as a scolding or strict-sounding phrase, but it really is utterly crucial to make choices carefully and thoughtfully – and if you’re a Christ-follower, it’s important to line things that you’re wondering about up against Scripture to see what the Bible says about it. I say this with so much love for you, because your young adult and college years will help shape you into much of who you will be the rest of your adult years! Anyway…

Part of feeling excited about and ready for a new experience is feeling, well, prepared! If you are prepared, then I think you are more likely to feel settled more quickly, and ready to embrace all of the new things coming your way. I know I personally prepped like crazy before college (hello, I’m a list-maker!) and it really helped me jump right into dorm life. I loved college. I loved freshman year. I loved it.

My sis-in-law is heading off to college this month, and I am so excited for her! I created this ultimate college packing list for her, filled with all the details I could remember about what helped me during my freshman year (and other years). I’ll miss her a ton this coming fall – we live close to my in-laws and I love hanging out with her! – but I know that it will be a wonderful experience for her. I wasn’t even originally thinking of publishing this packing list on the blog…but my family encouraged me to share this list with you all! I hope this college packing list will bring more peace, preparedness, and a settled, excited feeling to anyone who downloads and uses it! Happy college prepping, friends!

DOWNLOAD THE PACKING LIST FOR FREE HERE!