College grads share wellness essentials
Graduates aged 24 to 57 identify dorm purchases that became lifelong staples for comfort, organization, and outdoor relaxation.
A Guardian report asked college graduates which items purchased for their dorm rooms have endured into their adult lives. The responses highlight a focus on practical, durable goods that support daily wellness through comfort, organization, and connection to nature.
Foundational comfort and warmth
For many, the quest for coziness in a new environment led to lasting items. Shannon Melero, 34, who graduated from SUNY Oswego in 2013, still uses a fleece blanket bought with her mother before moving north. She describes it as an item that has endured many high and low moments, from illness in her dorm to use in her first shared apartment and now as a floor blanket for her daughter.
Diana Budds, 39, a UC Davis 2008 graduate, received a 10-piece All-Clad copper-core cookware set as a sophomore-year gift. She valued it as a useful, buy-it-for-life item that supported her love of cooking, a foundational wellness practice. Every piece remains in use today.
Organization for sustainable living
Several graduates emphasized organizational tools that survived multiple moves. Stella Gewirz, 27, a Denison University 2021 graduate, still uses an under-bed storage drawer and a stepladder. The storage unit has been repurposed as bathroom storage, and the stool has aided in home projects like hanging curtains.
Nikita Khanderia, 24, who graduated from the College of William and Mary in 2024, continues to use a college laundry hamper in her role as CEO of an events company. It now carries emergency supplies and has become a company staple for risk mitigation, holding items from blister supplies to detergent sticks.
Angela Serratore, 40, a Columbia master's graduate in 2013, retains a painted wire shoe rack from Urban Outfitters bought for a tiny studio apartment. Despite its flaws as a shoe rack, she has kept it through multiple moves.
Outdoor connection and mindful tools
For some, dorm purchases fostered a lasting connection to outdoor relaxation and mindful creation. Sarah Holm, 29, an Ohio University 2018 graduate, picked out a bright yellow, pink and blue ENO DoubleNest Hammock before her sophomore year in 2015. It served as a quiet retreat from rowdy dorms and a place to study, eventually leading her to found a Hammock Club and later work for the manufacturer.
Eleven years later, she keeps it in her car trunk for spontaneous use.
Leopoldo Villardi, 36, a Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute graduate in 2013, still uses a 24-inch stainless-steel Staedtler ruler with nonslip cork backing bought as a freshman. While he does less hand-drafting now, the ruler aids in home projects and even retrieving items his cat has swatted away.