10 Things Every ASU Freshman Needs (That Nobody Tells You About)

The official move-in checklists from ASU tell you about XL twin sheets and shower caddies. That's all fine. But after one semester in Tempe, every freshman can tell you there's a whole second list — the things nobody mentioned that turned out to matter a lot.

Here are ten of them.

1. A Serious Bike Lock

Bikes are stolen constantly at ASU. Constantly. The Tempe campus is a paradise for bike theft because thousands of students own bikes and not all of them secure them well.

Don't buy a cheap cable lock from Target. Cable locks can be cut in seconds with bolt cutters. What you want is a U-lock — specifically a mid- to high-range one from Kryptonite or Abus. The Kryptonite Evolution series runs $50–70 and is a meaningful deterrent.

Lock through the frame and the rear wheel to a fixed object. Not just through the wheel — through the frame. A wheel-only lock means someone just takes your frame.

Where to get one cheaper: ASU List, Facebook Marketplace, or REI during sale events.

2. A Portable Battery Pack

Your phone dies during a long day of classes. The walk from Coor Hall to ISTB 4 and then over to the MU and back to your dorm is not short, and it's not always near outlets. A high-capacity battery pack (at least 10,000 mAh) means you never have to nurse your phone battery through your afternoon class.

Anker makes reliable ones. Buy once, use for years. This is one of the things worth buying new.

3. Blackout Curtains

Sleep quality in a dorm with east- or west-facing windows without blackout curtains is genuinely bad. Arizona sun is intense, and it gets light at 5:30am in the summer. It's also light in your window until 7:30pm in August when you're trying to nap before a night study session.

Blackout curtains attach to the existing rod with simple clips or can be hung with the 3M command strip curtain rod hooks that won't damage your walls. Your RA will thank you for not using permanent hardware.

You can often find curtain panels on ASU List for a few dollars from students who are moving out. Worth checking before you buy new.

4. A Small Fan for Your Desk

Even in an air-conditioned dorm room, the air gets stale during a long study session. A small USB desk fan costs $15–25 on Amazon, takes up almost no space, and makes a real difference in comfort during late-night homework sessions.

This also matters during the first few weeks of fall semester when buildings sometimes struggle to keep up with the Tempe heat and dorms are warmer than they should be.

5. A Reusable Mug and Knowing Where Free Hot Water Is

ASU has Starbucks locations on campus (in the MU, in multiple academic buildings). They are expensive and the lines are long. If you drink coffee or tea daily, even two drinks a week from campus Starbucks is $80 over a semester.

An electric kettle in your room plus a bag of decent coffee or tea: $25 once. You will make this back in two weeks.

The bonus: Starbucks locations are required to give you hot water for free. If you want a pour-over or a tea, you can bring your own bag or grounds, fill with hot water at the Starbucks counter, and pay nothing. Not everyone knows this and it sounds embarrassing the first time but becomes completely normal.

6. Shower Flip Flops That You Actually Wear

This is on every list and students still show up without them or buy cheap ones that break immediately. Get ones with a strap at the back — backless flip flops walk off your feet in a wet shower. Reef and Teva make good ones. Wear them every single time. No exceptions.

7. A Foldable Laundry Basket or Bag

Dorm laundry rooms are usually on a different floor or across the building. Carrying laundry in your arms is awkward and you will drop things. A laundry bag with shoulder straps or a collapsible bin that flattens for storage makes this significantly less miserable.

Bonus tip: do your laundry on weekday mornings (7–9am) or late at night (10pm+). Weekend afternoons, every machine is taken.

8. A Cable or Router for Wired Internet

If you do any gaming, video editing, or just have video calls that keep freezing on campus Wi-Fi, a wired connection is dramatically better. Many ASU dorm rooms have ethernet ports. An ethernet cable and a simple adapter for your laptop (if it doesn't have an ethernet port) costs under $20 total.

Campus Wi-Fi is generally fine for browsing and streaming, but it's shared with thousands of people and shows it during high-traffic hours.

9. A Power Strip with Surge Protection

Dorms have limited outlets. You have a phone charger, a laptop charger, a desk lamp, a fan, an electric kettle, and possibly a mini-fridge. You will run out of outlets within 48 hours.

A surge protector power strip with 4–6 outlets and USB ports is essential. Check ASU's policy — standard surge protectors are fine, bare extension cords typically are not. A 6-foot cord gives you enough reach to put it somewhere sensible.

10. The Tempe Transit App and a Bike/Scooter Plan

Getting around Tempe without a car is genuinely doable, but it requires a plan. The Valley Metro light rail runs along University Drive and connects you to Tempe Marketplace, downtown Tempe, and out toward Phoenix. It's free with your ASU ID during certain programs — check the current semester's policy, as this changes.

The Sun Devil Bike Share program has stations across campus for short trips. But for your daily routine — getting to class, getting to the grocery store, going out on Mill Avenue — having your own bike or an e-scooter changes your Tempe experience significantly.

A used bike from ASU List, a solid lock, and knowing your light rail stops covers nearly every transportation need you'll have as an ASU student without a car. Learn it early; it makes freshman year considerably easier.

That's the real list. None of it is glamorous. All of it matters. Welcome to ASU, and enjoy the sun — even when it's trying to kill you in August.