The Ultimate MSA Packing List

by Henry Bueltmann

Absolutely everything you should and should not pack from a 2022 scholar to future scholars

DO PACK

A second pillow. You are only provided with one pillow per bed in your room. Unless you steal a pillow from someone else, you will need to pack a second pillow to sleep comfortably.

A blanket. You will be provided with sheets and one mediocre blanket. I highly recommend bringing a blanket from home that you’re used to. Do not bring a large super warm blanket, as the rooms can only get as cold as 72 degrees.

A large water bottle. A decently sized metal water bottle to provide you with cold water throughout the day that you can fill at the building you think has the best water (Middlebush) and carry around is a life saver. There were dehydration and overheating incidents at the academy in 2022, try not to cause another. In addition, you will want a water bottle to last you from evening activity (ends at 9:00PM) until breakfast the next morning because the Mark Twain water tastes like death.

A camera. You will not have your phone throughout the day, so if you want to take pictures or videos you need a real camera, which you are allowed to carry and use wherever.

A watch. This is possibly the most important thing to bring. MSA is very scheduled, and not knowing what time it is can be a nightmare. A simple digital watch you can get for 20 bucks on Amazon will allow you to keep the time and date, set alarms, and set stopwatches. This will be essential for knowing when your laundry is done and getting it out of the machines before it gets thrown on the floor and for knowing when to head back if you go off campus. Best 20 bucks you’ll ever spend.

A wallet and cash and/or a debit card. You may go downtown with your major or minor during MSA, and you will be free to spend your money however you want. Columbia is full of book stores and food places you may want to buy stuff at. Some places downtown are cashless while some take only cash. You can also make Amazon or Uber Eats purchases at the academy, which can get you supplies you may want or food that tastes better than The Mark. Amazon is extremely helpful, as you may end up wanting the weirdest things that you couldn’t possibly predict needing to pack.

Hand soap. Hand soap is not provided in the suite bathrooms, you need to bring your own. Your suitemates will love you if you provide some for the bathroom.

Extra towels. Towels are provided by the academy, but you will be reusing them once or twice between linen exchanges unless you bring your own additional towels.

A bath mat. The floor in your suite bathroom can get pretty wet and slippery after 4 people shower. A bath mat can easily solve this problem and your suitemates will love you.

Good close toed walking shoes. You are going to do a lot of walking. PLEASE bring good shoes, your feet will thank you. All outdoor service activities demand close toed shoes, and some will have you doing rough terrain. I brought one pair of good sneakers and it was all I needed.

Nail clippers. The camp lasts 3 weeks. You don’t wanna go 3 weeks without clipping your toenails.

Sunglasses. It’s June, so it gets very sunny. While I was at the academy there were almost zero clouds, and with all the walking you do the sun can be quite annoying.

Sunscreen. See above ^

Filling snacks. If it’s past curfew and you just now decided you didn’t get enough at dinner then you’re gonna be out of luck unless you have good filling snacks. Bring more than you need so that you can share them with your housemates and they’ll love you.

A sharpie. Great for poster signing day, making things to hang on the wall, and other fun activities.

Paper. For making things to hang on the wall, writing stuff down, giving someone information, anything really. Paper is super useful.

Headphones. If you are listening to music or watching a video then headphones are a must. I am sure you have amazing taste in music, but if you’re listening to it in your room after lights out or in a public lounge then you should really make sure only you can hear it.

Meds. Allergy meds, eye drops, melatonin, anything that you don’t take as a prescription but still sometimes need should be brought yourself.

Umbrella. I mentioned before that there is a lot of walking. There isn’t any less walking when it’s raining. Bring an umbrella to keep you and one friend dry during that walking.

Kleenex. For your nose.

A backpack. You will have stuff you want to carry with you, so make sure you have a good backpack you can carry it in.

Instrument(s) if you are in a music class. You are allowed to bring your own and use them.

Tampons/pads. Maybe extra in case your roommate forgets.

Deodorant. Please don't be the reason the lounge on your floor smells awful.

Febreeze. See above ^

CONSIDER PACKING

A small notebook. A little notebook and a good pen for jotting things down will be very helpful, and is something you can go back and read later. Notes from a speaker, friends’ phone numbers, quotes people said, reminders for later, this notebook will have many uses.

Playing cards. There are always people playing card games in the lobby or lounges. Playing card games are extremely popular at MSA, so bringing your own deck is a guaranteed way to make friends and have fun.

An MP3 player/iPod. If you want to listen to music off your floor then your phone is not an option. An MP3 player with songs already downloaded on it is your only music option off your floor.

Art supplies. My house was famous for making a shrine to our RA. This would have been completely impossible if one of my housemates hadn’t brought some scotch tape, scissors, and markers for making art for the shrine. You may want to consider bringing some of this for your own creations on your floor.

A chess set. It’s a nerd camp. Everyone at MSA knows and loves chess. It’s a great game to play with others whenever.

DON’T PACK

Electronics. If you are packing anything more than a phone, MP3 player, or headphones then you’re wasting bag space. You will not ever have a need for a computer or free time to play videogames. You’ll be hanging out with your new friends instead of gaming, and if any of your classes demand the use of a computer then you will be in a computer lab with the class. A laptop, console, tablet, or anything else besides a phone is completely useless.

A full bag of school supplies. Throughout my 3 weeks I used one small notebook, one ordinary spiral notebook just for ripping pages out of, and one folder. I brought more folders and notebooks than that, but it ended up being useless weight.

Laundry pods. They said it a million times before the academy, but some people still ended up bringing them. Seriously, the machines just won’t take them. Get detergent.

Social media. Your academy experience will be much better if you uninstall Instagram, TikTok, or other socials from your phone before going. Many scholars spend time that could be used going to afternoon activity or hanging out with others just locked in their rooms on their phones mindlessly scrolling. I guarantee you will forget any meme you saw while scrolling, but may never forget the interactions you have at MSA. Get rid of the distractions.

Wackiest scholar recommendations

I asked tons of other former scholars what they would recommend. These were their wackiest responses:

Giant plush

Tons of random meds

Long socks

3x more snacks than necessary

A copy of Morbius on DVD

Water purifier

Extra chess pieces

Will to live

A friend

TV power cord

More than two pairs of socks

Illegal substances

Extra chess pieces (if you are on floor 4)

As you can tell, 2022’s best and brightest took their packing recommendations very seriously.