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What To Pack

What to pack, what to buy, what to leave at home

    The College provides:

    • Furniture: bed, desk, chair, dresser
    • free laundry facilities

    What you will need:

    * Indicates items available for purchase at the campus store.

    • Bedding - twin x-long (36x80x9), mattress covers, sheets, thick/heavy blankets, bedspreads, pillow. Linens can be preordered for campus delivery at swarthmore.ocm.com.
    • Clothes hangers*
    • Desk lamps with an extra light bulb or two* (halogen lamps are not allowed)
    • Metal waste basket* (metal required for fire safety)
    • Towels and washcloths*
    • If you plan to have a student job on campus at any point in your Swarthmore career, then you must bring the required documents for student employment. Please be sure to note the requirements for original documents
    we are partnering with MyMicroFridge to offer dorm fridge rentals and delivery to students living in campus housing.  Please note that you must contact the company directly to rent a fridge, and they will coordinate delivery straight to your dorm room.

    If you do not yet know who your roommate is and/or where you will be living, you can still reserve a unit. For more information, please visit MyMicroFridge.

    OCM logo You can order your dorm supplies and linens through our campus store's special OCM program, and they can be shipped straight to the campus store for you.  Place your order online at Swarthmore.OCM.com.  You can choose to have your OCM order shipped to your home or shipped to the campus store for pick up on campus.  The Store can only accept OCM packages for students; orders placed by students for items not purchased through OCM or the campus store must be shipped to the student's campus post office address.

    Sustainability reminder:

    Sustainability is an important value to the Swarthmore community; please be mindful to not bring too many items. Please visit the Sustainability website to learn more about Swarthmore's commitment to sustainability, and our innovative "Worthmore Store"

    Nice things to have:

    • Alarm clock/clock radio*
    • Bike, bike helmet, and bike lock* (most bikes must be stored outdoors)
    • Computer, with cables* and accessories*
    • Fan*  Note: it can get quite warm in early Fall and late Spring, so this could be a useful item to have.
    • Hair dryer*
    • Mirror*
    • Ear plugs*
    • Stereo/radio with headphones*
    • Small refrigerator*, no larger than 24" high, 18" deep and 18" wide (Energy Star Rating required). We encourage only one refrigerator per room.
    • Underwriter's Laboratory (UL) approved extension cord/outlet strip with circuit breaker* Note: Rooms often have limited outlets. For safety reasons, all electrical items must be UL approved and be limited to the electric capacity of the room.

    Health Services recommendations:

    • Acetaminophen*
    • Antacids*
    • Antibiotic ointment*
    • Antihistamine*
    • Band Aids*
    • Contact lens solution* / glasses
    • Copy of health insurance card
    • Cough drops*
    • Crackers*
    • Decongestant*
    • Gatorade*
    • Ibuprofen*
    • Soup*
    • Sunscreen*
    • Thermometer*
    • Water*

    Prohibited items:

    • We do not encourage students to bring large pieces of furniture such as couches or futons (each room comes with furniture, and large furniture is difficult to manage over their years at Swarthmore)
    • Air conditioners
    • Space heaters
    • Cooking appliances (toasters, toaster ovens, microwaves, ForemanTM-style grills, hot plates, and anything with an open heat element), candles, halogen lamps, incense, space heaters and other fire hazards
    • Microwaves ("MyMicroFridge" units contain a built-in microwave that is permitted.) 

    • Pets of any kind

    • We do not encourage students to bring televisions; the residence hall rooms do not have access to cable

    • Wireless routers (they can interfere with the wireless network)

    Please note: the College does not provide landline phone service or voicemail in the residence halls.  All students should register their cell phone numbers with the College's Emergency Response System.

      * Indicates items available for purchase in the campus store.