I was flipping through a back-to-school catalog when my wife walked in.

“What’s the main thing – a gadget or appliance – that a college student needs in a dorm?” I asked, looking up from the pages.

I was expecting her to tell me a laptop computer, or an iPod, a stereo, a TV or even a hair drier.

My wife’s answer was immediate.

“A mini fridge.”

I realized she was right. So, with twin daughters heading off to dorm rooms next week, I decided to check into what’s hot in compact refrigerators.

Big chill on campus

Diana Robertson, associate director of housing at Kansas University, confirmed it: Mini fridges are among the top appliances that returning students will haul in, starting this weekend, when they return to residence halls.

Maytag's SkyBox Rookie Fridge costs 99 at Home Depot.

“It’s the key, or one of the main things,” Robertson said. “Most rooms don’t go without one.”

It’s pretty simple to figure out why. A mini fridge can be an instant oasis when the hour is late and munchie madness is in full force.

“It’s handy to be able to keep cold beverages and some amount of food,” Robertson said. “If you keep cereal in your room, it’s nice to be able to have some milk there.”

Cool, freeze or nuke

It’s even nicer if your mini fridge has other capabilities.

“The ones with the freezers, the little freezer compartments, seem to be particularly popular,” Robertson said.

There also are dorm fridges on the market that include not only a refrigerator, but a real freezer and a built-in microwave, she said.

KU works with a company out of Ankeny, Iowa, that rents mini-fridge/microwave combination units. The rentals are a way to help out-of-state students, she said.

Another reason Robertson likes the combo units is because they require fewer electrical outlets.

“We encourage students to use power strips and we do not allow the use of multi-plugs or extension cords,” she said.

Because of space constraints in the dorm rooms, KU won’t let you go overboard on the size of your refrigerator.

• MicroFridge
• Maytag SkyBox Rookie Fridge

Don’t expect to be able to dolly in a double-door model that will hold a month’s worth of milk, meat, cheese, beverages and all those leftover lime Jell-O shots.

Robertson said KU’s rule of thumb is that a compact refrigerator can’t be any larger than 4.5 cubic feet. That’s about half the size of a regular kitchen model.

Wide range of models

Given those tips, I checked some consumer sites online and learned that the prices and sizes widely differ.

Epinions.com, a consumer Web site that provides prices and product reviews, listed 230 models of compact refrigerators that were 5 cubic feet and under. They ranged in price from about $40 to $300.

Also, Wal-Mart has them ranging in price from a Haier 1.8 cubic foot compact refrigerator for $55 to a Haier 3.8 cubic foot model for $216.

The larger Haier mini fridge model included a separate door freezer compartment. It also had a door storage bin for two-liter bottles and a “Dispense-a-Can” storage system.

Safe Plug technology

I also found a company, MicroFridge, that specializes in compact refrigerators for college dorms, including combination fridge/microwave units.

“A MicroFridge with Safe Plug technology uses about half the electricity of two separate appliances and reduces the risk of circuit overloads,” according to the company’s promotional material.

MicroFridge also claims to have:

¢ True freezers with a separate door that keeps up to five frozen pizzas, “unlike internal ‘ice compartments’ found on models available at most retail stores that do not freeze.”

¢ “Safe Plug” internal circuitry draws only 10 amps and reduces the risk of circuit overloads.

¢ An EPA Energy Star rating that says it’s 30 percent more energy efficient than most other mini fridges.

MicroFridge makes a 4.4 cubic foot refrigerator-only model that is $179. It also sells a 2.9-cubic-foot refrigerator/freezer for $249. And the combo 2.9 cubic inch refrigerator/freezer/microwave for $399.

Party on

If you want a little style for your mini fridge, you might consider Maytag’s SkyBox Rookie Fridge (about $199 at Home Depot).

The Rookie Fridge is designed not only for the college dorm, but for partying while watching sporting events on TV.

If you like the feel of a bar, with its lighted display signs, you might like what they’ve added – a back-lit front display panel that you can switch out to show your favorite pro or college team’s logo.

Like the open feel of an ice bucket for your beverages? The Rookie Fridge has a plastic lidded box that fits on top of it. You can pop it open, fill it up with ice and keep your cans and bottle cold on top.

The bin also can be used to hold your chips, dip and other party food.

Or, when you’re not partying, the plastic bin can be used as a handy place to store CDs, books or spare change.

The Rookie also has four heavy caster wheels, which allows you to roll it around your room for a party, like a serving tray.

Then there’s the inside. Rookie SkyBox has 2.8 cubic inches of space, with enough shelves for four cases of beverages. Its door also includes a place for six cans and a two-liter bottle.

Unfortunately, there’s no freezer. So you’d have to find somewhere else to store those half-eaten ice cream pints.

Out in the cold

“So, what’s the scoop?”

Julie laughed at my joke when I walked in while she was working at Baskin-Robbins.

“I’ve been looking at mini fridges,” I told her, proud of myself. “I can help you find a good one,”

“I don’t need one,” she said.

I explained to her that they were probably the most used appliances for a college dorm – or at least the most wanted.

“Thanks,” she said, “but my roommate is bringing one.”

I was a little stunned.

But I had another daughter to track down.

Bonnie was watching TV in her room when I went in, armed with lots of information on mini fridges.

I was just warming up with my spiel when she cut me off, cold.

“My roommate got one for graduation,” Bonnie said. “I’m bringing the TV.”