- Sticky notes
They're great for leaving reminders for myself and leaving passive aggressive notes for my roommates.
- Ear plugs
Because I have no interest in my roommates' 3AM discussion about "what if our elbows had teeth on them".
- Napkins
Excellent for keeping a clean desk by creating a small placemat if you intend to eat at your desk. Also doubles as a cleaning supply.
- Whiteboard
This is a boon for school in general. Even when I'm not working out problems, I use my whiteboard to leave reminders for myself. It's like sticky notes, but more economic, perfect for us college types.
- Tissues
Don't make it weird.
- Tupperware containers
These can be useful for keeping food, but also holding more fragile items. I keep a spare light bulb for my lamp in one, for example, in the case that the current one ever goes out.
- Multiple flash drives
Sometimes the dorm wifi can crap out and you won't be able to save your work to the cloud. If you need to print something and you don't own a printer, AND the dorm wifi is out, then at least you won't be at the mercy of something outside of your control. Save it to handheld storage and print it at a library or somewhere else.
- A fan
If your dorm is also a cage, this can make the heat (and stench) more tolerable by cooling down the room and bringing in fresh air.
- Flip-flops, sandals, etc.
If you're not off-campus, then you'll likely share individual shower stalls with several others. Don't trust anyone's hygiene but your own and definitely don't catch athlete's foot (or worse).