One Small Closet and 3 Drawers… Your Freshman Year Wardrobe

Packing for your first year at college, at least for myself, was super exciting! I grew up attending a private, Christian school and for 13 years I either had a uniform or a dress code. When I began applying to colleges and realized that would no longer be my reality, I would finally be able to wear what I wanted. College, especially a place like Furman University, is a place where you can express yourself and not be afraid of judgement. You can do what makes you happy and never worry about feeling uncomfortable in who you are. With this being said I began my yearly “back to school shopping” but this time I was able to able to have a broader wardrobe, which was very exciting to me. I quickly realized how much of a variety I would need coming to college as opposed to my previous school where I wore the same outfits over and over again. I was lucky enough to know an upperclassmen here at Furman who was able to help me form a list of what the necessities were in my college wardrobe and I want to be that person for you! So here is my practical yet inclusive freshman year wardrobe packing list:

• velvet hangers – they will be the thinnest hangers you can find which is very helpful with the small closet spaces we are given, I purchased mine in bulk on amazon 🙂
• shoe rack – this has been SO helpful when it came to organization in my dorm room, I am a shoe lover and had a hard time only choosing a few pairs to bring to school with me so having a rack to hold all my shoes kept my shoes organized and didn’t take up much space
• big clothing hamper – keyword BIG, doing laundry in college is somehow much more a hassle than when I lived back at home so having more space to store dirty clothes allows me to go a little longer between washes
• command hooks – yes, you will even use command hooks in your closet! i have two hanging in my closet, one for my bath towels and the other for my purses

Now for the clothing that will probably go in those 3 drawers…

• athletic clothes – I didn’t until I arrived on campus that people wear “athleisure” clothing almost every single day, so make sure you have plenty of tops, shorts, pants, and even jackets when it get cooler
• comfy clothes – the sweatpants, sweatshirts, and t-shirts will ALL be used so bring lots!
• denim – denim is something you can wear year round and dress up or down so bring your shorts, skirts, and jeans because whether you’re wearing them to class or dinner downtown you will use them

& lastly the closet clothes… keep in mind that you may not be able to bring your full year wardrobe on move in day. for me personally I brought my end of summer clothes and then during fall break exchanged the warmer weather clothes for my fall/winter clothing and will do the same again when spring rolls around.

• hanging tops (short and long sleeve) – whether this be the t-shirts that you hang, “going out” tops, or sweaters you will need them all throughout the year. Greenville is the best city to dress up and go out and explore! It is filled with fun destinations that you may not wear your workout or comfy clothes to.
• hanging bottoms – nicer pants or skirts will be used not only on campus but also off
• Sunday dresses – bring your nice clothing too, dresses for the girls and khakis and button down for the boys, whether you wear them for a school function, game day, or a class presentation they will come in handy
• jackets – sweatshirts and cooler weather coats will be hung in your closet
• themed clothing – in college you will have events (almost weekly) that have themes so bring your camo, white out, and preppy costumes that you wore to Friday Night Lights in high school, you will use them!

Your freshman year wardrobe will be ever changing but these are the basics that I would recommend to any and everyone. As always my DM’s are always open for questions and comments.

I will talk to you guys next week!

-Olivia