<p>When I graduated high school I got a set of luggage (three sizes of suitcases and a duffle bag), and cash from everyone else. I then used that cash to buy what I wanted to get. I appreciate when people buy me things, but I would much rather pick them out myself… I think everyone realized this, which is why I only got money.</p>
<p>LL Bean has nice tote bags, which I love using for my books. Unlike in high school, you don’t bring the book to class - just a notebook and a few pencils. Get them with the long straps so they hang over shoulders, and get monograms. </p>
<p>Nice towels are a great idea. </p>
<p>What about a husband pillow? </p>
<p>If you know what kind of printer they have, ink or toner. Paper is always good.</p>
<p>Gift certificate to Bed, Bath, & Beyond for dorm room stuff? </p>
<p>Everyone has a whiteboard for their door - but how about one for the room? I had one with squishy purple stuff underneath, so it doubled as a bulletin board (for all of those bills and such). </p>
<p>A tall, narrow bookcase - preferably folding.</p>
<p>Phone cards for those who are going out-of-state.</p>
<p>Most kids love getting new posters for their dorm rooms–try a gift certificate to Allposters.com for whatever amount you like. It’s
easy to buy, easy to give, and easy for the graduate to redeem. My daughter loved this gift.
Another idea that she and her friends loved: new cute address books.</p>
<p>Great ideas here. I have just graduated from “What!? Gifts for hs friends??” to ordering 5 of the Harlan Cohen books and making notes on the $20.05 check, the flashlights, the posters, the tool kits, the first aid kits… Will I ever stop?<br>
<em>worries that gift count will start to equal post count</em></p>
<p>Reading an earlier poster’s suggestion about beach towels as a gift reminded me that one of the threads regarding packing for college mentioned an extra absorbent towel. A few kids said that they are great for the dorm because they dry quickly. I have no personal experience with them, but I did notice that LLBean carries the “Aquis Adventure Towel,” a microfiber towel, which, according to LLBean, has “Five times the drying power of a regular cotton towel Superabsorbent, quick drying and lightweight.” They are $14 or $18 depending on the size.</p>
<p>I just purchased the Naked Roommate book this morning for my son - so funny to read about it! I love the idea of checks written in $20.05! A super drying towel - great ideas, everyone. Mominva - my son is heading from Boston to VA - I suppose we won’t need the Polartec Red Sox Blanket??? Any suggestions? Thank you all for you great ideas.</p>
<p>YOU NEED THE SOX BLANKET! There’s a reason they call the fans “Red Sox NATION.” </p>
<p>Okay, so when I did a very similar move, the Sox promptly won it all and I felt stranded and homesick. Would have loved a Sox blanket- or just something to show a little alleigance. </p>
<p>In fact - why not stock up on all of those things you just can’t find in VA? (Note - I’ve had people ask me to bring back Sox memorabelia from New England.) Sox towels, a “Tessie” CD, and those posters from the Globe of the front page on 28 October (and 12 September 1918) would be great.</p>
<p>For my daughter’s friends last year I made up a package with desk supplies: stapler (big and small), stapler remover, paper clips, rubber bands, post it notepads in the shape of their initials, and a few other odds and ends kind of things. My daughter received one of those pop-up laundry hampers - one of her favorite gifts - it’s what she uses to tote laundry all over the place.</p>
<p>When one of our friend’s kid go to school, all the neighborhood parents pool their $$ (usually kicking in about $25 each) and we buy a big item and several smaller items. The friends bought my daughter a refrigerator last year. This year a girl is getting a TV with DVD. We also always include a blanket from the new college bookstore. Great to take to football games to sit on or wrap up in. (Big 10 country here).</p>
<p>Right now, one of the best things to buy is a gas card.</p>
<p>ariesathena - thanks - now that it is getting closer I can imagine many potential opportunities to feel removed from things going on at home that I hadn’t really thought about - yikes - can’t believe he will be so far away!</p>
<p>Rileydog–bring the blanket!! It gets really cold here in VA (it was in the 30’s last night, which is unusual for May, but obviously not unheard of). This whole week it has not been above 60-65 degrees! And also, he will want to show off his Red Sox spirit!</p>
<p>It was cold last night - but today is nice - high 60s maybe? </p>
<p>Oh, yes, VA is far away. Depending on where S is going, it’ll be quite a trip back. Most likely, he’ll have to drive (a good 9-11 hours) or fly (connecting in DC or New Jersey). It’s really one of those situations where it’s easier to get from Boston to Florida than Boston to VA.</p>
<p>our project graduation gift to our seniors last year was a beach towel with the hs initials and year 2005 on one corner… I thought it was a great gift… as they got onto the yellow school bus for their last ride home they were each given their towel…LL Bean will monogram anything…</p>
<p>My wife and d. spent all summer making a “going away” quilt together - they planned it together, and sewed all the squares. It now covers her bed at school. I enlisted the aid of a local potter to make four large coffee mugs, with the legend “Have Fun. Learn Stuff. Grow” handpainted onto them.</p>
<p>ariesathena - he is going to Wm & Mary. We went to DC to look at schools then decided to “vacation” for a few days in Williamsburg. I thought it would be cool to look at Wm & Mary for comparison - who knew he would fall in love with it??? He applied ED so it is kind of a suprise in a way - who knew he would get it??? Ah, well, we have already discovered that traveling is not easy. There is one non-stop per day into Newport News but we haven’t tried that yet - it won’t be easy and I am sad that I can’t take him out to dinner once in a while like all my friends do with their Boston based kids! However, he has no regrets - for some reason - the school really won him over. We never even looked at UVA - hadn’t planned on anything in VA!</p>
<p>W&M is gorgeous! </p>
<p>Amtrak runs from DC to the Williamsburg area, so he could do that. Usually, though, you fly with a layover in DC and take a puddle jumper to Newport News. </p>
<p>If you plan on driving, get Fastlane! The tolls are killer - as you may know -2 in Delaware, a million in Jersey, the Tappan Zee, the Thruway if you take that, and then the Pike. Mapquest claims that it’s a nine-hour drive or so, but that just doesn’t seem right - I drive like a bat out of hell and it takes almost 11. </p>
<p>Anyway - he’ll love it there. Williamsburg is a great town. The women’s PGA goes there every so often for tournaments at Kingsmill. Do the W&M kids spend a lot of time at Busch and Water Country? Ohh… and outlet shopping is nearby, too!</p>
<p>It might be hard to carry (safety on planes) but a tool box with hammer, plyers, screwdriver, some wire, string, you know, emergency stuff. </p>
<p>When my niece went off to college, driving distance, we gave her a goodie basket with tea, aspirin, a couple of tea cups, bandaids, air fresheners, those little things that can make life a little bit more pleasent…all kinds of goodies to start off with. As well as the tool kit. She said everyone was always borrowing something, so for my D, I will be writing her name on everything</p>
<p>Ariesathena - LOL - re: outlets, he did think that was cool and, of course, he was on the HS golf team so will love being near great golf courses - still, one hopes he will be busy studying <g>. I hate flying - the idea of the puddle jumper is just frightening to me - as of this week, I already want him to transfer <half joking,=“” just=“” half=“”> - it’s true that things look different in April than in November. </half></g></p>
<p>I agree that the drive is NOT 9 hours and I also have a lead foot (who from MA doesn’t). My friend’s daughter is at McGill and I used to think that was ridiculously far away - but it is 6 hours closer! How about traveling back in the winter - does that seem to be a practical nightmare?</p>
<p>Um… travelling back in the winter is fine - I plan my return trips when there isn’t any snow. Luckily, I do have that luxury. Most dorms kick students out 24 hours after the last final. Ah, apartment living. My rear-wheel drive darling car does not handle well in the snow, which is also why I wait. (I tried to do the VA-New England drive on the last weekend in February. It was blizzard conditions from PA on up, and I had to stop over the night.) One problem is that us hardy New England types think that 12 inches is fine to drive in, but the Southerners think that 4 inches is a “snowstorm,” so everything shuts down. Seriously shuts down. On that Feb. trip up, I saw an 18-wheeler which had skidded off the road, through the guardrail, and across the median strip. It came about a yard away from oncoming traffic. There were only a few inches of snow on the ground. So, to answer your question: if driving, wait for good weather. If flying - well, there isn’t much snow down here anyway. As I said, a few inches and they flip. </p>
<p>If you don’t like the puddle jumper idea (which is how you are going to get to any VA airport), then take the shuttle to Baltimore or Reagan and rent a car. You would probably rent one anyway for the drive. (Side note: rent a minivan for the trip down in August. Enterprise does unlimited miles, and it’s easy to cram everything in there.) </p>
<p>Glad I’m not the only one who can’t do that drive in 9 hours. DC to Boston is a solid eight - seven if you fly and don’t hit any traffic. Williamsburg is about 2.5 hours beyond that, which is why I can’t fathom being able to do that in less. I don’t stop (well, for gas, once every 300 miles, at pre-set stations which are right off the highway and have decent restrooms), bring food with me, use Fastlane, and just cannot imagine Williamsburg to Boston in less than 10. Anyway.</p>
<p>Final warning: avoid some holidays. My sis and I drove from New England to Florida after X-mas, and it was hell. Absolute hell. Virginia alone on 95 took about six hours. Delaware took an hour and a half (yes, that 10-mile strip that you ordinarily would not notice except for the tolls). Labor Day would probably be just as bad.</p>
<p>It gets humid there during the summer - if you are feeling really nice, a dehumidifier would be great. Even in April, my clothes were sticking to me after a few minutes outside. Otherwise, go the window fan route. </p>
<p>Outlets - VA charges 5% clothing tax, fyi. They also have a 5% grocery tax (things unheard of up in your area) and an 8.5% meals tax. So unless the clothes shopping will be taking place at outlets when you go down there in August, get stuff up in MA.</p>
<p>Oh, man, what were we thinking…highways shut down in the snow, puddle jumpers, sticky clothes, taxes on everything AND 12 hours from home. Honestly, my biggest concern in December (acceptance time) was that VA was too Republican. LOL. Well, we will have an adventure - really, of course, it’s his adventure! Good tip on renting the van and he can take our dehumidifier - who needs one when the furnace goes 11 months of the year. </p>
<p>On a more serious note, I logged onto the Wm & Mary webpage today to discover a fire had burned out two dormitories. There were no injuries - it happened in the afternoon - but it sure is worrisome.</p>
<p>W&M is VERY liberal. If you wanted conservative Southern schools, I could suggest some - but trust me, W&M is not on that list. VA is also pretty moderate for the South. Williamsburg doesn’t quite have the heavy church/religion thing going on that you get in other parts of the state (even up through rural Penn - nothing but churches as you drive along 78), and the history there seems to be focused on, well, Colonial times, not reliving the Civil War. </p>
<p>It’s a 5% tax (except for meals), which is a lot better than Florida, which is 8% or something obscene. </p>
<p>There is a rule in VA (not really enforced, though) that students who have cars there must register them in VA if they are working and earning a salary. Log onto the dmv website for that info.</p>
<p>This spring has been quite cool. The last one was sticky and hot. It actually snowed last week (well, there were flurries - but no real accumulation by any standards). Reminded me of home. ;)</p>
<p>I’m not being very consoling - but your son will return in December, happy, tan, sporting the latest outlet fashions, and with a great golf game. :)</p>