Guy's clothes for college

[Suzukimomto2]

I tend to be an over packer so I need some realistic guidelines on what my son should bring in terms of clothing to college.

Here's what we have so far:

5 pair of jeans
one pair of khaki dress pants
one pair of black dress pants
Tuxedo and shirt - he'll be playing in the orchestra

2-3 hoodies
3 sweaters
t- shirts - he has a lot
3 long sleeve polos
3 short sleeve polos

Athletic clothing - 5 pairs of shorts
4 pairs of shorts

everyday sneakers
old sneakers
dress shoes
tennis shoes

3 in 1 jacket with fleece liner

Am I missing anything? It seems too simple.

[Batllo]

Please let him decide what to take not you.

[garland]

I concur. Basically, I said to my kids "let me know what you need so we can go shopping" and later, "pack it." I think that parental counting out numbers of shirt and pants is kind of summer-camp-ish.

[FauxNom]

Yep, he can probably figure it out. It really depends on where he's going (climate?) and how he likes to dress. Here's what my son actually wore his freshman year in southern California:

one nice outfit - dress shirt and pants with jacket, no tie, dress shoes
jeans - 4 or 5 pairs
hoodies - 2 or 3
tee shirts (he probably acquired 25 new shirts because of campus activities)
cargo shorts - 2
basketball shorts - 2
sneakers
flip flops

Here's what he got this summer to augment last year's wardrobe: more jeans, a polo shirt, a long-sleeved plaid shirt, flip flops, sneakers

[Neonzeus]

Depends on the school. If a colder climate and an informal school, sweat pants (roll out of bed and go to class in them. yuck.). Flannel sleep pants (roll out of bed and go to class in them. yuck.) Slippers (yes, one of my Ss wears them to class too). Hat, gloves, Timberland boots useful if sloppy weather.

Two pairs of khakis might be good, in case your son puts a gel pen in a pocket and ruins one pair...or you can just wait and have stuff delivered to him from JC Penney or other catalog store as necessary.

As sophomores, Jrs & Srs, my Ss added dress shirts, ties and a sport jacket. One S insisted on bringing a suit to school. They started doing interviews, dinners with Professors and departmental affairs that they didn't do as freshmen.

First year they packed too much. Over Thanksgiving we took stuff home, particularly sweaters which apparently no one wore at their schools. In exchange they wanted more t-shirts, hoodies and underwear so they wouldn't have to do laundry as often. Don't pack too many hoodies though, since he'll want to get one or two with the school's name on them.

Don't forget rubber flip flops. Used in the grubby communal shower.

[marite]

garland:

My three (H and two guys) never need anything resembling clothing or shoes. I am the designated family (catalog) shopper.
I just eyed S's scuffed shoes and suggested he might want to buy a new pair; his answer was that they're scuffed but perfectly fine. I just saved myself $100+.
S and his chums went to a nice restaurant to celebrate graduation and took a group picture. I could not believe how nice he looked (the scuffed shoes are not part of the picture ). Of course, he'd borrowed a roommate's shirt and tie and was the only one without a jacket.

[mythmom]

Depending on where he is, September is not too early to think about gloves, hats and outerwear. Sometimes there are very sudden cold snaps.

[Suzukimomto2]

He thinks he doesn't need a sports coat/jacket. He's tall and thin - it's hard to fit him but I guess I'll let him figure that out. He'll be home for a fall break and can get one then if he needs one. He tried on one he wore two years ago when he was going through his closet this week and the sleeves are two inches short. He also doesn't want any cargo pants. Those would be easy enough to order on-line and they can be on his dollar then.

Thanks for the flip flop reminder. He will be needing boots but he can take those back with him after his visit.

[mythmom]

DD is S fashion coordinator. She implored him to get a corduroy blazer to wear as either inner or outer wear. Thrown over a turtle neck, it was perfect in some weather.

My S did need his suit because his school has a dance called a "screw dance" which meant that all the freshman got fixed up by their friends who could "screw them" with a horrible date, but nobody did.

He didn't go on to date the girl, but he had the cool look his sister mandated: suit, colored dress shirt and no tie.

He also had his tux for the reasons the OP gave (and the chorus too.)

[momreads]

Climate does dictate what one brings to college. My son is in the deep South -- temperatures hovered around 100 the other day. He was glad that we packed lots of socks, underwear, shorts and t-shirts, because he changes at least once a day. I do not envision him asking for his winter jacket for a few months. He does have four pairs of jeans. He did take a suit jacket and dress slacks and shirts (along with a belt and some ties). It also rains a lot in the fall, so he had me buy him a raincoat.

[Greta]

Suzu, my initial reaction to the list is you are packing too much in almost every category. Send less (with his input as others have suggested) and add more if needed at fall break. Keep in mind his dorm room may not have the closet/drawer space needed to store everything.

[BunsenBurner]

Underwear? Socks? Pack at least 2 weeks worth. Jeans can be worn more than once.

[kathiep]

Just what I was going to say^ just make sure there are lots of underwear and socks...

I understand the comfort in helping with the packing for college, and I certainly did my share with the dorm stuff, but it's very freeing to just make 'em pack all their clothes themselves. Somehow they actually do figure it out.

[thumper1]

Let him pack his OWN clothes. If you overpack...he won't use the stuff he doesn't want anyway. That being said...five pairs of jeans is too many. What will he be wearing these "dress pants" to? My kid was a music major and he only had one pair of dress pants (black). One hoodie..his favorite. My college grad son says most boys in college do not wear sweaters. 5 tee shirts. Are "polos" shirts with collars? If so, a couple is plenty. You don't need long sleeve, as your kid can wear his hoodie over the short sleeve ones. 5 pairs of athletic shorts sounds like a lot to me. Regular shorts can be taken. My kid had one pair of sneakers, one pair of sandals, one pair of black dress shoes and one pair of shower shoes. What's the difference between tennis shoes and sneakers (unless he is playing on a team)? Winter jacket of choice...keep it simple.

You are missing underwear...my son suggests a two week supply of boxers and a two week supply of socks.

My son's rule of thumb when packing for college. Put everything you THINK you need (clothes included) in one room. Then take HALF of that stuff with you. You probably won't use half of what you take.

Pack light. Dorm rooms don't have much storage space.

[Neonzeus]

Whether the shorts are going to be enough or not will depend both on climate and whether he will play intramurals or other sports. One of my Ss went through two pairs of shorts a day during basketball season. I agree that 5 prs of jeans are probably too many. Same with the athletic shoes.

For the question about where did S may wear dress pants, my kids tell me that they wore their khakis a lot. Once again, depends on the school and the major. My kids had some field trips to hospitals, and special speakers for classes and clubs that everyone was asked to dress up for. Even freshman year, they had some job and internship interviews, and even some nicer dates with girls. Frat events if your kid may be into Greek. A dorm special dinner. A Department special luncheon. Might dress up for a special meeting with a Professor. Did some tours through the honors college for prospective students. Ss volunteered at a nursing home. I took them out for a nice dinner over parent's weekend. They were surprised that they wore their nicer pants as much as they did. First year, my Ss brought one pair of Khakis and dress shirts with ties (and each S ruined the pants differently). Second year, they brought 2 pairs of khakis and added a sports coat. Third year, they added a nice pair of slacks and a blazer. Fourth year, all of the third year stuff plus a suit.

But it really doesn't matter. Let him pack what he wants, and he can always ask you to bring or ship him more when he discovers he missed something.