College Packing Advice For International Students — Things You Must Bring
With most of you getting ready to go to your desired countries, here are the following things you should definitely bring to your new destination:
Baggage Recommendation
- 2-3 Checked In Baggages
- 1 Carry On Baggage
- 1 Backpack
- 1 Small Important Documents Bag (optional)
Important Documents
This generally includes your Passport with appropriate visa, your I-20 (for USA ) , vaccination proof, NID (if you have it), some kind of college letter or document that shows you are an enrolled student (I had my acceptance letter), a document having your housing information (dorm or off campus)
Clothing
Many people do the mistake of bringing as much clothes as possible in their luggage. Well, bring a decent amount, but don’t overload your suitcase with clothes. Especially if you are living in a dorm, you won’t have enough space to keep these in the first place. Check your area’s geography. If you are coming to the East cost or Mid-West of USA, or Canada in general, you 100% need to pack some winter clothes, especially thermal underwears. They are very cheap in South Asia but very expensive in the US. Sometimes, I see Made In Bangladesh products when I go Winter shopping. If you are coming in the Fall, DO NOT bring a jacket from Bangladesh. Most of them are not good quality and/or might not be the best fit for the winter in the US/Canada. Get yourself a good jacket when you come here, not from BD.
𝙃𝙚𝙧𝙚 𝙞𝙨 𝙖 𝙨𝙝𝙤𝙧𝙩 𝙘𝙝𝙚𝙘𝙠𝙡𝙞𝙨𝙩 𝙛𝙤𝙧 𝙘𝙡𝙤𝙩𝙝𝙞𝙣𝙜
- Undergarments and socks
- Sleeping-wear
- Casual Tshirts/shorts/long pants/jeans/skirts for classes and everyday wear
- A few shirts and a suit – important for formal club meetings
- Some party outfits if you plan to go out during weekends
- A cap is helpful for some states
- Sunglasses
Atleast 2 pairs of sneakers and 1 pair of sandals (you can buy in the US too)
Bath/ Bedding
You can find everything here in the US for cheaper prices, but grab your essentials from home. Nothing much to talk here.
A short checklist: Bedsheet (Twin XL for dorms, Queen for Offcampus) Pillow/Comforter (best if you buy in the US) Towels
Toiletries and Beauty Products
- Shampoo/Conditioner (Best if you buy in US) (Becomes heavy)
- Deodorant
- Toothbrush and toothpaste
- Dental floss
- Cotton Buds
- Mouth Wash
- Nail Cutter
- Shaving kit
- Small mirror
- Thermometer (useful)
- All Kinds of Desired Makeup
- Facewash
Medicine
Get the medication which you regularly need, for example, if you have a regular allergy or health problem, get medicines for that. Make sure to have a prescription too. Besides, these medicines are ALWAYS recommended during travel:
- Napa/Ace
- Gastric medicine
- Ore Saline
- Band Aid
- Vomit Medicine
- 2 or 3 packs of your desired antibiotic
- Cough Medicine/Syrup
- Some alcohol pads
- Bacteria Ointment for small cuts
Electronics
- Computer/Laptop
- A writing tab can be really helpful in todays world (not compulsory)
- Chargers (get an extra one please)
- Mobile Phone
- Adapters (If your plug is different, you will face issues so get an universal travel adapter)
Food
Certain food will cause issues in immigration, so I do not recommend getting any such food especially if you coming here for the first time. Having a few of these are still nice for your first few days abroad:
- Instant Noodles
- Soup Packets
- Chocolate Bars
If you are living off campus, DONT FORGET :
- Spices ( Lal morich, dhoinna, geera, holud)
- Gorom Moshla
You can find kitchen items in the US almost everywhere, but some areas barely have Indian spices.
Decoration/ Sentimental Items
- Family Pictures
- Posters
- Fairy Lights
- Your Country’s Flag
I think apart from these, everything else like small plants, wall mount items, curtains, clocks, lamps etc can be easily found on Amazon here.
𝙄 𝙬𝙞𝙡𝙡 𝙪𝙥𝙙𝙖𝙩𝙚 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙡𝙞𝙨𝙩 𝙘𝙤𝙣𝙩𝙞𝙣𝙪𝙤𝙪𝙨𝙡𝙮 𝙞𝙛 𝙄 𝙧𝙚𝙢𝙚𝙢𝙗𝙚𝙧 𝙖𝙣𝙮𝙩𝙝𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙖𝙨 𝙄 𝙧𝙚𝙖𝙙 𝙞𝙩. 𝙂𝙤𝙤𝙙𝙡𝙪𝙘𝙠!
