The 5 Essential Gadgets You Need for Your College Room

What tech do you need for your college dorm room? We’ve covered personal tech that will enhance your college years and the best apps for students, but what about the devices and gadgets that will make your dorm room comfortable and cozy?

We’ve put together a list of the essentials to take with you to college, as well as the best budget models to buy.

Before you buy

Before you buy anything, check with your university about what items are permitted. They will send you instructions or direct you to information online. Make sure anything you bring is in good working order and, if you are in the UK, has the CE mark.

1. A pod coffee machine

If you can afford something a little more than a pot of instant coffee, invest in a cheap capsule coffee maker and enjoy the benefits of a higher quality wake-up juice. Many can also make tea, as you’ll see in our recommendations below.

In most universities, kettles are prohibited in rooms. However, you will probably be ent itled to a small capsule coffee machine.

There are many options, but keep in mind that the model you buy will limit you to the compatible pods. We have three recommendations, depending on the type of hot drinks you prefer.

If you like sweetened lattes and hot chocolate, we recommend the De’Longhi Nescafe Dolce Gusto Piccolo XS machine, which costs £34.99 on Amazon. It’s very compact, clean, simple to use and makes coffee in seconds. It doesn’t automatically dispense the right amount of water for each drink, like the Tassimo Finesse (see below), but it does mean you have a little more control over how you prefer your drinks.

You can read more about it in our review, but in short, you can use it to make a variety of coffee drinks (cappuccinos, lattes, espressos and more) and you won’t need to add milk separately, as the blended drinks come with milk pods, making it ideal to keep in your room. You can also buy Dolce Gusto tea pods.

Another very versatile pod machine is the Bosch Tassimo Finesse, which is currently £44.99 on Amazon.

Just like the Dolce Gusto machines, it can prepare a wide variety of teas, coffees and hot chocolates, milk pods included. The Finesse is available in a variety of colours and is an easy-to-use automatic machine with an internal barcode reader, so it automatically dispenses the right amount of water for the drink you are preparing.

Alex Greenwood / Foundry

If you’re a fan of black coffee, we recommend a Lavazza machine. Nothing is more student-friendly than the Lavazza A Modo Mio Tiny, £59 on Amazon. Unlike the coffee machines mentioned above, it only makes black coffee, but it’s one of the best espresso pods you can get.

Chris Martin / Foundry

2. A mini fridge

Depending on your residence, you may be allowed to bring a mini fridge to store and use in your room. If allowed, the maximum dimensions allowed will be approximately 515mm high by 500mm wide.

If you just want a small fridge, to keep a few drinks and a sandwich cool, we recommend the Russell Hobbs 4 Litre Portable Mini Cooler, which costs £32.99 on Amazon.

Its dimensions are only 18 (D) x 24 (W) x 25.2 (H) cm, which allows you to literally put it on your desk. It has enough space to hold six 330 ml cans.

Russell Hobbs

This is also a good option if you need to store medications in your room. However, if your university does not allow you to bring your own refrigerator and you need one, they should provide one if you contact them in advance.

3. A desk fan

A desk fan is really useful, not only to keep you cool and ventilate your room, but also to help you stay awake and feel refreshed when studying for long periods of time.

We recommend the Meaco 6-inch desk fan, available for £34.99. It’s cordless and charges via a standard USB port.

It measures only 14 cm so it won’t take up half of your desk space. It is efficient and discreet and also has a night light. The fan has four speeds and can run for up to 14 hours on a single charge.

An even smaller option is the John Lewis portable fan, which we tested and love. It’s just £12 at John Lewis, charges via USB but has a battery life of up to 9 hours and can fold away to become a desk fan. You can read our review to find out more.

Emma Rowley / Foundry

4. A steam iron

Are you planning on ironing your clothes at college? I can guarantee you won’t. First of all, you won’t be allowed to bring an iron with you, and secondly, life is short. But chances are, some of the clothes you brought with you will be folded and wrinkled by the time you unpack them.

The solution: a handheld steamer. They are lightweight, portable and very easy to use.

But they’re not just for removing wrinkles from clothes. You can also use them to freshen up clothes you’ve already worn, as the steam will remove odors and bacteria.

Using a steamer is a great way to re-wear a shirt that isn’t ready to be washed yet. (And that kind of saving is basically what college is all about.) You can also use them on pillows and hand towels and to disinfect items.

You can buy the Swan garment steamer on Amazon for £20.99 at the time of writing. The great thing about this device is that you can use it on flat clothes like you would an iron, as well as on hanging clothes. Simply fill it with water and away you go.

5. A light alarm

A light alarm will wake you up gently, rather than scaring you into action like a traditional alarm does. Plus, it will help you wake up naturally during the dark winter months. A light alarm works by gradually increasing the light level in the room, so you wake up feeling refreshed, rather than scrambled.

We’ve tested some of the best light alarms available and some are expensive purchases, but the Groov-e Curve is a real bargain. You can buy it on Amazon for £16.99.

In addition to the light alarm function, it has a sunset setting to help you fall asleep and eight different alarm sounds, just in case you were worried that the light might not be enough to wake you up.

And don’t forget to bring…

In addition to your electrical devices, you will need a way to charge or plug them in. If you want to add smart features to your appliances, like turning your lamp or fan on and off on a schedule or remotely, take a look at our picks for the best smart plugs we’ve tested. You can get one for as little as $10.

You should also buy aan extension cord. A four-socket plug with a long cable like this one from Amazon (£6.99) should do the trick.

You may have a shared bathroom or your own. In either case, don’t count on a two-pin razor socket. If you’re bringing bathroom appliances that charge on a razor socket, such as an electric toothbrush or razor, you’ll need to bring a converter so you can charge them on a three-pin socket if you need to. This two-pack of converters costs £7.49 on Amazon UK.

Have you got your audio setup sorted yet? A portable, budget-friendly Bluetooth speaker is a must-have for the bedroom. Take a look at our picks for the best cheap Bluetooth speakers available.

For everything you need for fall, check out our complete back-to-school hub, featuring deals, tips and essential buys.