<p>Inspired by the great thread about things not to forget, I am reminded of the big “not” that several local kids have enacted.
Do Not Bring Your High School Letter Jacket to College
No matter what all-state high wonderfulness is sewed onto the patches.<br>
Please. Even if it’s the warmest, comfyest jacket your own. People will laugh.</p>
<p>Do not bring your mamma.</p>
<p>“Do not bring your mamma.” At least not beyond move-in day! </p>
<p>Don’t bring big stereos, with speakers.( unless you are living in an off-campus apartment.) Kids use their ipods and computers with small speakers, and anything larger will be bulky and unnecessary in the dorms.</p>
<p>I would also advise girls to really pare down what they might consider clothing necessities. There just isn’t room for everything you own in a small room shared with another person. Take less, and call home for things to be sent if you miss them and have room. My daughter used to bring a suitcase full of summer clothes home at Thanksgiving, bring winter clothes out, and then bring the winter things back home when she came home for spring break.</p>
<p>Also, limit the cutsy nick-nacks. They collect dust, the room rarely gets dusted, and there is usually limited desktop and shelf space.</p>
<p>bread-making and sewing machines, as suggested by my D and her freshman roomie (moms nixed it)</p>
<p>Most students don’t need reading books, beyond a couple of light favorites.</p>
<p>You’ll wear fewer clothes than you think.</p>
<p>A bread making machine is a hilarious idea. I can see it now - flour all over the room… :D</p>
<p>Alcohol is a very bad idea, especially if you happen to get an anal RA who will turn you in!</p>
<p>Also, don’t bring pets, candles and some electrical appliances (i.e. coffee makers and microwaves are banned at some colleges).</p>
<p>On the other thread about “what to bring” someone suggested leaving the yearbook at home since it’s irreplaceable.</p>
<p>I also warned my D that she may not have enough room for all of her clothes. Of course, she thinks she doesn’t have enough! I think when she arrives, and realizes how little room she has, that she will send the winter clothes home with us (to be brought back at Parents’ Weekend or mailed).</p>
<p>I’m really kinda stuck about the winter clothes thing. My D may not be home till Christmas, and I know Ohio is going to be much colder to her, coming from Georgia, than it will be to those who are used to it. Her roommate suggested that she not get her winter things till later, but roommate is planning on going home every 6 weeks - she lives 5 hours away, we live 11 hours away. I’m leaning toward sending her winter coat, boots, hat, scarf, and mittens, and a few sweaters. Even if she ends up coming home at Thanksgiving, that might be too late.</p>
<p>Once we start packing the car, she might be taking much less than planned.</p>
<p>Binx, remember that even if you’re driving her out, you may not be driving her home at the end of the year. If she flies home, she’ll be limited to two suitecases under 50 lbs plus a carry on. She may be able to store things at school during the summer, but if it’s school-provided storage there is often a limit.</p>
<p>binx - generally speaking, Ohio does not suffer from “dreadful midwestern cold” until January. And even on a very cold day, her jacket, a hoodie, and turtle neck should do it for walking from dorm to class, etc. Gloves are nice though, since cold hands = cold everything. Leave the down at home till spring semester.</p>
<p>Except at Hillsdale, guns and knives are generally unwelcome additions to the dorm room.</p>
<p>Yeah, we’ve been there with our boys, who both went far from home. We’ve dealt with all sorts of storage issues. But D is actually going to school about 45 minutes from my H’s brother, so we have reason to go up there to get her, and a place to stay when we do! (And why she might not come home for Thanksgiving.) You give me an idea, though – if her winter things don’t fit at school, perhaps we can stow them in her uncle’s basement.</p>
<p>The bigger concern for D is that she is very messy. I don’t want her to take so much it doesn’t fit anywhere. I am trying to make sure she has enough storage to stow all her stuff easily, or it won’t happen. She laughed a bit at the idea that I bought her 20 hangers, since she seldom hangs anything up. I told her they make good dryers for wet clothing and towels.</p>
<p>Just saw fencersmother’s post - Thanks for the info. I grew up in northern PA and remember Trick-or-Treating in the snow!</p>
<p>Don’t bring extra furniture. No room for it. </p>
<p>Check the “do not bring” list from your school which could include things like halogen lamps, appliances of any kind, etc. </p>
<p>Ironing board…unless you are a music major, you won’t be needing this item…or an iron.</p>
<p>food that is not in resealable containers (attracts little "creatures).</p>
<p>Valuables or items you cherish…think jewelry, or anything else you truthfully miss if it were stolen or lost.</p>
<p>My kids tend to take their whole wardrobe and can fit it (and they do have a lot of clothes…they are girls). If you raise the bed with bed risers, you can put very big storage bins under the bed for either off season clothes or bulkier items like sweaters and sweatshirts. One of my kids also has to take a lot of ski clothing which is very bulky and all her paraphenalia for that sport (also big).</p>
<p>Binx, my D went from Alabama to NH - it is something of a badge of honor for the kids to hold out on winter clothes as long as possible. Hat, scarf, mittens and a couple of sweaters (particularly a neutral sweater that buttons or zips, cardigan-type, or coat-sweater type, longer sweater) will hold her at least until Oct, maybe until T’giving. She won’t need the winter coat and boots until it snows, honestly.</p>
<p>We bought D a parka her first fall and it took up space. Last year, she stored her parka until Jan when she started skiing - that’s when she needed it. The boots are a little different. D has learned she needs different sorts of waterproof shoes and boots for different things - snow, mud, heavy rain, skiing, walking to class, going ice skating, playing in the snow when it 1 foot or deeper - she has bought different types of boots as time goes by.</p>
<p>Another thing, scarves and gloves, but especially scarves, are real fashion accessories up north, in a way that girls don’t often wear them down here. She doesn’t need just a scarf, the way we would wear one on a really cold day - she will need matching ones in different colors, the way we buy costume jewelry. Good choices for care packages, especially since she may not have many now.</p>
<p>I agree with leaving the iron and ironing board home, though ldgirl does have a ‘mini’ iron and board. After buying them, we found out the dorms have them available for loan whenever necessary. And truly, the best invention in the last 5 years is Wrinkle Releaser. Omgosh does that stuff work…buy a couple bottles of that instead of the iron/board.</p>
<p>Worst dorm mistake for ldgirl last year…too many clothes, TOO many shoes (high heels are rarely worn at college…lol!) too many knickknacks, too many books from home. I’d suggest a nice French bulletin board for a collection of sentimental photos or memorabilia from home. It doesn’t take up floor, counter or desk space and it confines the clutter to a small area on the wall or door. One pair of dressy shoes should be enough since girls tend to swap clothing and shoes…focus on comfortable walking shoes instead.</p>
<p>Confining the clutter is so important. Girls not used to sharing a room may not realize that whatever they bring is in their roomate’s space as well. When they think of it as part of being a considerate roomate, leaving some of the stuff behind may make more sense. (Let them imagine life with someone else’s stuff everywhere, and how they might feel about it.)</p>
<p>I don’t mean to be picking on girls, but from my experience with each, boys tend to be just fine with leaving clothes at home…had to convince mine to bring a few changes…;)</p>
<p>Keep fire safety and fire regulations in mind. Many schools don’t allow use of toaster ovens, fondue pots, and a host of other electrical appliances in dorm rooms (as another poster noted, even halogen lamps). Some schools are also very strict about the kind of minifridge and/or microwave you can bring in. So read the housing materials carefully before buying or bringing that kind of thing. No scented candles either–no candles should go without saying, but they are so widely available that I sometimes wonder if people forget how dangerous they can be.</p>
<p>In terms of winter clothes, it is pretty easy and affordable to send a box of sweaters or turtlenecks or even corduroy pants by UPS Ground. Availablle space varies so much by school and even by dorm, it’s hard to know how much room there will be for clothes and shows and what will have to be stored in plastic boxes or wicker baskets on top of a wardrobe (or brought home by parents after move-in). For kids flying to and from school, leuggage weight and quantity are key issues–sending packages of clothes becomes a science. In my experience kids often get together to rent off-campus storage over the summer, so after the first year having too much stuff to bring home is less of a problem.</p>
<p>You can get by with minimal stuff until Thanksgiving. Good time to take back home what you don’t need and bring any missing necessities.</p>
<p>On the subject of packing warm clothes - My son goes to school in Rochester, NY, and I don’t think he wore his winter jacket even once last year. He puts on layers, and not nearly as many as I would under the same circumstances. A long sleeved shirt, t-shirt, fleece hoodie, hat (maybe), gloves (maybe), and he’s out the door. He just doesn’t seem to feel the cold the way I do.</p>