USB-C Multiport Hub
Two ports on the laptop, six things to plug in. Check the HDMI specification rather than the port count before you buy — plenty of hubs quietly cap an external display at a refresh rate that is miserable to work on.

The scroll wheel is the actual product. Horizontal scroll turns wide spreadsheets and long timelines from a chore into a flick, and quiet clicks matter when someone is asleep six feet away.
Two ports on the laptop, six things to plug in. Check the HDMI specification rather than the port count before you buy — plenty of hubs quietly cap an external display at a refresh rate that is miserable to work on.
I treat this as insurance rather than storage. A laptop dies during finals week about once per friend group per year, and the difference between an inconvenience and a catastrophe is whether last night's work exists anywhere else.
The one specification that matters in a shared room is the switch. Tactile browns are audible; clicky blues are a roommate problem. Tenkeyless also gives back the desk width you need for a mouse.