Whether you’re an incoming freshman or entering your senior year, the transition to campus life requires mental and logistical preparation. For a smooth move, prepare in advance.

“You’ll want your dorm room or apartment to be a space in which you can thrive academically and socially from day one,” says Jessica Joyce, spokeswoman for Bed Bath & Beyond, a well-known destination for college essentials.

Joyce and the lifestyle experts at Bed Bath & Beyond are offering tips to set up your dorm room with form and function in mind.

• Use a Checklist: Stay organized and on-budget by using a shopping checklist. Many stores that sell housewares provide shopping guides for college students that break down all the basics needed for campus living. Use this as a base point for what you’ll need and add your own custom items to it, so that when you get to the store you won’t miss any essentials.
• Know School Rules: For specific information about your college, use online resources such as, bedbathandbeyond.com/shopforcollege, which offers customized lists of what students can and can’t bring with them to their school and what the school provides. Students can also use these pages to locate stores close to campus.
• Think Small: For many students, moving to a college dorm room means living in a smaller space. Take this into consideration when planning how you will organize your items. Space-saving storage tools and multifunctional items, such as bed risers that have an AC outlet and USB charger, can help students pack more essentials into a smaller space.
• Build a Better Bed: As if getting a good night’s sleep isn’t hard enough in a dorm, standard college beds are often thin and less comfortable than what students are accustomed to at home. The solution? Add cozy layers of comfort and support with a mattress pad, memory foam topper or fiberbed.
• Create a College Registry: High school graduates can create a registry wish list online or in-store of what they want for their new space, to share with family and friends. Students can also use their registries to share what they’re bringing to school with their roommates.
• Roomie Request: Once students receive their housing assignment, they should finalize room decisions to avoid duplication. Decide ahead of time which items to share, like a coffeemaker or TV, and whether students want to coordinate décor.
• Getting There: Getting your new items to college can be tricky. Look for such services as Bed Bath & Beyond’s free in-store service, Pack & Hold, which lets students and parents shop for items at a store near home and then conveniently pick them up at a location closer to campus. The service is especially beneficial for students traveling to school far away from home.

Once the semester gets underway, your schedule will be jam-packed with classes, activities, studying and friends. Set up your space wisely for a successful start to the year.