Meagan's Top Ten

Whether you're headed to Drake or not, chances are you're probably starting to think about shopping for things to bring to school. I decided to put together this little list of the top ten things I found most useful my first year at school that you probably won't find on any list of reccommended items to bring. Here we go...

3M! These removable adhesive little guys are probably the most amazing thing I've come across in a long, long time. Use them on your posters, your photos, whatever you have hanging on your wall. They sell all sorts of varieties of hooks too for hanging hats or belts or coats. They'll never fall off the wall, plus they don't leave any residue behind when you take them off. And, they won't damage any of your pictures or posters. They're a little pricey, but would you rather spend the money on the 3M adhesives, or on dorm damage charges?

A FAN! Coming to Drake from Colorado was a wee bit of a shock. It's not like it's not hot in Colorado, but it's certainly less humid, which makes move-in day, and the subsequent month quite miserable when it comes to the weather. I probably would have died without my fan. I had a floor fan and a little clip-on fan that I attached to my loft. Not only was the smaller fan nice when it was hot, but it was good to keep the air circulating even in the cooler months. It can get pretty stuffy up in those lofts.

CLOROX WIPES! Maybe you're not exactly a germaphobe but, believe me, once you see how quickly germs spread around school, you'll be taking extra care to make sure you don't get sick. Clorox wipes were fantastic. I wiped down the doorknob every so often and pretty much every other surface I could find. I usually ate at my desk, so I used a Clorox wipe to make sure I didn't have old food germs sitting around waiting to attack.

SUPERGLUE! It's a sad truth, but things do break. Although, most things are not impossible to repair. That's where the superglue comes in. And I'm not talking about JUST superglue, I'm talking about the mother of all superglue. I'm talking about Gorilla Glue. It's probably the strongest, most versatile glue out there. It will glue cement, metal, stone, ceramics, glass... you name it, it will fix it!

STORAGE BINS! Ok, this one will be on your lists of reccommended items to bring. But, cut me some slack because this is really one of those things that you can't really live without. You can use them for really anything. I was a big fan of the cube ones. I put them in my closet and kept food and extra books in them. And they fit pretty much anywhere.

FABREEZE! C'mon... you won't be able to afford to do laundry as often as you like!

A SAFE! It's not that I didn't trust my roommate or my neighbors, but safe is better than sorry. I had a small safe that I kept in a trunk with a combination lock for my valuables. It's a good idea to keep things like iPods, spare cash, and banking information there. Plus, you might trust the people around you, but there's nothing stopping a complete stranger from wandering down your hall.

A FILING SYSTEM! If you're going to be living in Carpenter or Herriott next year, allow me to reccommend a filing system for the bottom drawer of your desk. It will fit perfectly. As for those in Stalnaker or Crawford, I don't know if a filing system will work out in the desks since the halls are being renovated and furniture is being changed. But, if it works, go for it. It's a great way of keeping track of old exams and papers.

BASKETS FOR YOUR DESK DRAWERS! I had a billion little while baskets in the drawers of my desk and they were ideal for keeping organized. They're cheap and super useful. It was a great way of keeping track of all my paperclips, pencils, quarters for laundry and about nine hundred other things.

MP3 PLAYER/CD PLAYER! It's nice to put a little music on to get from point a to b. Granted, Drake is such a small campus that you might just arrive at your destination before having time to pick a song.