6 Items You Should Split with Your Roommate to Make Your Dorm Room Feel *Way* Bigger

As a maximalist with a roommate who feels the same way about trinkets as I do (see: the more the better), I had no idea how we were going to fit both of our lives into one small dorm room. Not to mention, I was packing all my things into two cars and driving nine hours, so I had to be intentional about every little thing I was putting in my bag and boxes. 

Then, I had a beautiful realization: We didn’t need two of everything. With a little coordination, my roommate and I could decide on the things just one of us could bring and share with the other, taking up less space in our cars and our room, and even saving some money in the process. And it worked like a charm. 

If you’re looking to do the same — and wondering whether you really need two Britas or TVs — here are six things you should share with your roommate to save on space.

Some of the biggest and heaviest items you’ll take to college are appliances. Conserve some square footage (and protect your back from some strain) by splitting up appliance purchases with your roommate(s). 

Larger items, such as mini fridges and microwaves, not only take up space in your car, but also in the room itself. Sharing appliances with your roommate lets you make the most of your floor plan, and you can even stack them for extra consolidation. Residential advisor Miciah Crenshaw, a second-year student at the University of Missouri, recommends that one of you buy the fridge and one of you be responsible for the microwave. Additionally, it may be tempting to each bring your own coffee machine for your morning caffeine fix, but you’ll get by just fine sharing one coffee station (and you can make it extra cute). 

Before you pack any appliances, though, it’s also important to check the rules for your dorm building. Some appliances (like air fryers) are prohibited; don’t waste precious cargo space packing something they’re not going to let in. Crenshaw also says it’s best “to communicate with [your roommate] up front on what you’re going to bring so there’s no confusion.” 

On the topic of mini fridges: My roommate and I also shared a Brita water filter pitcher in the interest of fridge space. I opted out of getting a filtered personal bottle and just made sure to fill my bottle with my filtered water, or the water filling stations we have all over campus. We never had a problem sharing one pitcher between the two of us. 

My freshman year roommate and I split the cost of a small first aid kit and it was one of my most-used purchases that first year. (No one else remembered to pack bandages!) You and your roommate can decide who’s going to buy the first aid kit, split the cost of one, or make your own by both bringing essentials from home and compiling them when you move in. Then, you can re-up on supplies throughout the year as needed. 

To save both packing and floor space, I recommend only bringing one TV or monitor. Plus, some dorms also have regulations surrounding how many monitors and TVs you’re allowed to bring (and that number is often one per room), so make sure to check before you pack. 

And, if you’re only going to have one monitor, there’s another small item Crenshaw suggests sharing with your roommate: an ethernet cable. Living on campus can mean putting up with spotty Wi-Fi, so it’s a wise idea to have an ethernet cord on hand to better support your connection. Because you won’t be using it all the time, you really only need one per room. This may seem like a small item that won’t matter in the long run of packing, but every little thing you can coordinate sharing with your roommate means one less piece of clutter in your room — and that much more area to stretch out in once you unpack. 

While I didn’t ever end up purchasing a rug for my freshman-year dorm, it’s one of my favorite decor items in my junior-year apartment. 

Rugs are a nice way to make your space cozier, and they come in every shape and size to match your style. That being said, both roommates don’t need to bring one. “That was something that me and my roommate did,” Crenshaw says. “I bought the rug and it covered [the] full floor so there [was] no need to have two.”

I fully understand the appeal of wanting your dorm to be the hangout spot. My freshman-year roommate and I looked into creative solutions for seating arrangements, but we were incredibly restricted by just how small the room was. Most double dorms just are “not big enough for two couches,” Crenshaw says. 

My suggestion is to buy a couple of storage ottomans. Mine was the perfect place to store all of my extra shoes and for my friends to sit on when they came to visit — so multifunctional!

Speaking of double-duty items, Crenshaw recommends leaving single-purpose pieces like a vanity at home (you can use your desk for that!) and implementing vertical storage instead of horizontal storage whenever possible. 

As you nail down your packing list over the summer, communicating with your roommate is the most important thing you can do. Make sure you both know what the other is planning on bringing and go from there. While it may feel overwhelming, there are a few things you can do to make sure you and your roommate are prepared. 

“With my first-year roommate, we connected the first day we got our room assignments,” Crenshaw says. She recommends that everybody do the same to get on the same page as early as possible.

On top of connecting early, my freshman-year roommate and I made a spreadsheet to track what we were planning on taking so we didn’t end up with any duplicates. We checked TikTok to see what other incoming students had packed and talked to our family members about what we should bring before splitting up who was going to buy what. 

Another helpful tip is to remember that you can always buy more later. Though it’s nice to have everything set for move-in day, it won’t be the end of the world if you forgot to get an ethernet cord or decide after a couple weeks that you do actually want your own rug.