Alright, one last response before I go to bed. I'll be able to respond to anything else tomorrow.
"Chuy, on the list of supplies that was given out at the engineering session during orientation, the first item is for ""engineer's pad" (problem-solving notebook paper)". What exactly is this? If it's not just regular notebook paper, then where do I find it? And how big do the triangles have to be?"
At the VT bookstores they have an "engineer's pack" that'll have the paper, triangles and everythings. It's overpriced, but you can look in it and see what it is you need to get from Walmart. Basically an engineer's pad is yellow paper that is gridded on one side and not on the other, and has a special header section. I guess you do have to get it, but it's only used a couple times... if he has any friends there they could pitch in and buy one and just split the paper. Any sized triangle will work, really. It's just something to use as a straight-edge. Remember, VT has a good bookstore on campus, and there are plenty of places to buy things like that off campus as well if he needs them, so you don't really HAVE to worry about buying that kind of stuff now.
Ditto on the brita filter. It's a lot easier to decide that you do need something later and go and get it as opposed to having a bunch of stuff that you didn't need and finding somewhere to store it.
I didn't use a bed pad or anything last semester but believe me I will this year. Those things are not comfortable without one. If you've got the money I'd spring for one of the memory foam things off of overstock (get the 2 inch, largest bed size, double it over and get 4 inches out of it. All bed sizes cost the same for some reason). Again, though, he can try out just the bed and then decide if he needs one or not. I survived without so it is possible.