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Student Life

Best Subscription Boxes for the Dorms

Ianni Le


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Monthly subscription boxes are all the rage these days, and for good reason! There are too many things to keep track of, most especially when you’re in college fending for yourself for the first time. Subscription boxes are a hassle-free way to make sure your student never runs out of the essentials, plus something fun to look forward to each month!

Here are some helpful subscription boxes for your student’s college lifestyle.

Self-Care!

Care/Of: Personalized Vitamins

Though we’re all fully aware of how beneficial a daily dose of vitamins can be, it can be difficult to figure out what you should take, much less remember to take them every day.

Care/Of can help your student match vitamins with what they’d like to achieve (for example, better sleep, better skin, etc). You start with a quiz on their website and then Care/Of sends personalized packets of vitamins to help you achieve your health goals. They also have an app to help your student keep track of their health journey, offering intake tracking, health recommendations and achievements to unlock that keep it fun!

The Sill: Clean Air and Mental Health

Plants can do a lot to brighten up a space and bring happiness to their caretakers, plus they help clean the air we breathe.

The Sill started as an online platform, though they now have a few brick and mortar locations around the U.S. You can easily buy individual plants to receive in the mail, but they also offer subscription boxes if you’d like to receive a new plant and planter every month. You can find boxes for beginners, low light, or pet-friendly options to help brighten your student’s dorm room. Plant care is also an easy way to practice responsibility and can encourage students to keep up a regular routine.

Cairn: Outdoorsy Fun and Fresh Air

Getting outdoors does wonders for your soul and Cairn is the perfect box to encourage you to do this more. Cairn collaborates with a number of well known outdoor brands, and will send new gear, apparel, food, medical supplies and skincare products to try out every month. From camping to climbing, Cairn boxes are full of exciting goodies to discover.

They also have a blog that shares fun ways to use your Cairn box to get outdoors! What better way to support your student's physical and mental health than making sure they’re always motivated to get some fresh air?

Beantown Bedding: Eco-Friendly Sheets For People Who Hate Laundry

If you hate doing laundry but love the feeling of fresh clean sheets, Beantown Bedding is exactly what you need in your life. These eco-friendly, biodegradable and compostable sheets never need to be washed. Beantown Bedding will send you fresh linens as often as you'd like, and all you have to do is toss your dirty sheets and replace them!

Their linens are hypoallergenic and made from responsibly sourced eucalyptus, making them more resistant to bacteria, mold, and dust mites than other fabrics. Sheet sizes range from XL Twin to Queen so you may never have to wash your sheets again, even after you leave the dorms. Beyond how much money and effort you'll save on laundry, these sheets will also significantly reduce your carbon footprint AND keep your bed clean with little to no effort.

Dollar Shave Club: A Personalized Grooming Experience

Dollar Shave Club offers subscription services for their personal range of grooming products. You can add or change the products they ship at any time, as well as move around shipment dates to make sure your student never runs out of products (or winds up with too many).

Many users rave about how their products have literally changed the way they shave and, of course, there is much to be said about always having fresh razor blades at the ready. If your student isn't sure what they need, take the Club's survey so they can help you put together a box!

Rooster Essentials: Curated Grooming Essentials

If your student is looking for a one stop shop for all their grooming supplies, Rooster Essentials is exactly what they need. Rooster offers fully customizable subscriptions that allow you to choose which products you'll receive and how often. Though Rooster Essentials is primarily marketed towards men, all their products are, of course, suitable for everyone depending on your student's tastes. They offer everything from shaving supplies to first aid basics.

Food and Drinks!

While we all very literally live for our food, the transition to feeding yourself responsibly throughout college can be a bumpy one. Here are some novel ways to keep your student's dorm room deliciously well stocked.

Universal Yums: World Exploration and Snack Food

A fun subscription for your adventurous eater, Universal Yums spotlights one country a month and ships a box of snacks curated from that country. Even if you're a bit hesitant when it comes to new food, check out their past boxes to get an idea of what snacks they’ll send. There's a good mix of different things — your student is sure to find something they’ll like even if not everything in the box appeals to them (they can share with friends!).

HelloFresh: For Weaning off that Meal Plan

Perfect for beginner cooks and foodies alike, HelloFresh subscriptions are customizable and every meal kit is nutritionist approved. We all know how hard it can be to achieve a balanced diet, and HelloFresh meal kits are always both healthy and delicious. The recipes are super easy to follow and the meals are well worth the price. If your student's dorm has a kitchen, or they have moved off campus, HelloFresh can help them build a repertoire of nutritious go-to meals and encourage them to cook for themselves more often.

Atlas Coffee Club: For Caffeine and Coffee Connoisseurs

For those who live for their morning caffeine or who simply love a good cup of coffee any time of day, Atlas Coffee Club is the perfect subscription box. The subscription offers a tour of freshly roasted coffee beans from all over the globe, shipping new beans as quickly as you can drink it!

Your student can customize their box to only include certain roasts, how many bags they’d like, and even decide whether or not they’d like to grind their own beans. Atlas Coffee Club is a great way to keep their morning brews interesting and help them make sure they never run out!

Fire Dept. Coffee: For Coffee with a Great Cause

Fire Department Coffee is veteran-owned and run by active and retired firefighters, donating a percentage of their proceeds to provide resources and assistance for first responders injured on the job. They run a coffee of the month club where you can receive freshly roasted coffee from different growing regions each month — AND you get to support a great cause!

Subscription boxes are a fun and easy way to help keep your student's dorm room stocked with everything they need. Many of them make great talking points for new friends, but mostly they'll give your student a little extra boost of excitement and happiness every month — and remind them that you love them and are thinking about them.

We participate in the Beantown Bedding Affiliate Program and receive a small fee when purchases are made through their links.

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Ianni Le is a freelance writer and content creator. She attended the University of Colorado at Boulder, graduating with a degree in Media Design and English Literature. Ianni grew up in Shanghai, China and enjoys her dogs, books and food equally.
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