<p>Can anyone post a link to a good list of dorm/college items to purchase? Or, if anyone would list some things they think of? Thanks, planning for my first off this fall!</p>
<p>Here is a link to get you started</p>
<p><a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/college-life/82285-z-what-bring-college.html[/url]”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/college-life/82285-z-what-bring-college.html</a></p>
<p>That list is ridiculous. What my second child took to college was about half of what my first child took, because the first child never even touched 2/3rds of what she brought. And the second child still brought too much.</p>
<p>Pay attention to how much space your child will actually have, and how much storage space. The answer is going to be a surprisingly small amount. If you bring stuff that doesn’t fit in that space, it will be encroaching on someone else’s space.</p>
<p>I haven’t read the list, but my answer was simply…a lot less then you feel like you’ll need to. There’s a thread floating somewhere I tried to find recently and couldn’t about what people sent with their kids that was never touched/opened/used/etc. I think that’s a useful one to read. There are some really common things, like the second set of sheets…rarely, if ever, do the kids use those second set of sheets! I’ll search again and try to link it. If anyone else knows where it lives, please link it, thx.</p>
<p>The list is to get started and not the be all and end all. Obviously each one of us will take things that we individually deem necessary.</p>
<p>blueiguana</p>
<p>The link to that list is here,</p>
<p><a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/parents-forum/926984-10s-what-did-you-send-college-your-child-never-used.html[/url]”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/parents-forum/926984-10s-what-did-you-send-college-your-child-never-used.html</a></p>
<p>Ok…here is the advice from my college grads. Put everything you THINK you need in the living room of your house and then take HALF of that with you. Even doing that, you will use about half of what you take.</p>
<p>Our kids “shopped” in our linen closet first. They took towels, pillow cases, etc from there. We had sets of jersey knit regular twin sheets that fit an xlong twin bed just fine. They took those.both kids took the comforter right off of their beds. They liked them and wanted them.</p>
<p>I figured that if ANYONE deserved new towels, it was ME. No need to send those to college. We sent two each year…on a one way trip. They never came home. It was a good way to get rid of the aging towel collection we had here.</p>
<p>Re: what you NEED…as JHS pointed out, you NEED far less than you will take. So…look judiciously at the lists and take ONLY what your kid needs. Absolutes in our opinion…a surge protector, and a roll of duct tape. Mattress pad, and bed linens. Two towels. Enough underwear to last 7-10 days. Something to sleep in. Clothing (keep in mind the closets are small), and shoes (no need to overdo here). Enough school supplies (pens, paper, etc) to get you started. Family picture including the pets. </p>
<p>Optional…but our kids had these: a cheap small printer, dorm fridge.</p>
<p>DS had a room with very thin carpet so we splurged and got him an inexpensive rug…but this certainly wasn’t a necessity.</p>
<p>No printer here (and no one ever missed one – they could and did print in the library if they needed to). No fridge either (they had access to communal ones, but in any event try to coordinate with future roommates so you don’t wind up with two or three of these). No mattress pad or duct tape. But things we brought that WERE used included some extra hangers, extension cords (and that surge protector), a lamp (lighting in many dorm rooms is awful). Check to see if the dorm room comes with a trash can.</p>
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<p>Save your receipts for all of the dorm purchases. The trash can was definitely returned! Son’s dorm room came with two trash cans and two blue recycling bins…certainly didn’t need any more!</p>
<p>The widest range of opinions you will hear is on the issue of printers. Some students never ever use them and some use them all the time and have dorm mates borrowing them, too. A lot depends on the hours that the school printers are available (24/7 or a lot less?), how convenient they are, how many there are. Some schools charge nothing for printing, some give a “credit” (paid for thru fees) for a certain number of pages, etc. It’s really truly all over the board.</p>
<p>Another thing that varies a lot is whether they need quarters/change for laundry. Some still require quarters, for a lot they can swipe their card, and a few have free (again, paid thru fees) laundry machines.</p>
<p>My daughter never used her printer. She rarely needed to print anything, and when she did, she used a printer in the library or elsewhere.</p>
<p>An extra phone charger might be a good idea, as they will use their phones as alarm clocks, flashlights, and even TVs.</p>
<p>S1 used his printer, loved his fridge and took tons of clothes/shoes so YMMV, but I’d like to second the “extra hangers”! I swear he got at least 20 free tshirts that first year. He still steals more hangers every time he comes home!</p>
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<p>One of my kids told the story of a classmate being given a reduced grade because her major project was turned in “late.” It seemed that every teacher - except this one - wanted papers emailed and did not want a hard copy. This teacher, however, noted in the syllabus that he wanted hard copies only. The girl had emailed (on time) but did not bring in a hard copy, so the paper was deemed late. So a word to the wise (that we didn’t have to worry about back in the day)- pay attention to whether the teacher wants hard copies or digital.</p>
<p>Somebody gave DS a nice little tool kit for graduation and it was heavily used!..by DS himself, roomies, kids all over the dorm…Screwdriver, small hammer, measuring tape, box cutter, etc. etc. Came in very handy! It would make an excellent gift for grads if that’s your thing.</p>
<p>Don’t buy anything! Raid your cupboards at home. Don’t send anything you ever hope to see again. A set of old sheets, towels, blanket, pillow, crate to carry toiletries which can then be used for files, clothes, electronics. That’s it. Send hangers from the dry cleaners or from the store where clothes were bought. Nothing fancy!</p>
<p>3 cu ft fridge. Preferably one with a real freezer. Other than that, wait until you get there. One kid wanted a filing cabinet, the other didn’t.</p>
<p>Cleaning supplies if room has its own bathroom.</p>
<p>Bedsheets. Monitor and keyboard for when working at the desk. External hard drive for backups.</p>
<p>I think it’s perfectly fine to buy hangers and towels! You’re going to college for goodness sake! </p>
<p>I’m getting a mini fridge and maybe a microwave after I’m settled in. I probably will bring one of our printers from home. It’s wireless so if my roommate needs it, all will be well. I highly advise getting a lock box and a kicking trunk if you have valuables or personals you want locked away. </p>
<p>Bring pictures! Lights as well! Half of the things you need for your diem you can buy in the surrounding town. </p>
<p>A rug is always nice. Keeps the feet comfy. If you’re lofting your bed considerably I suggest a sticking shelf or a caddy to put on your bed to hold things.</p>
<p>“Buy when you’re there” works if it’s a town or city of a certain size. Even then, if you start school later than other schools in the area, the store may be fresh out of mini-fridges or the like (that they only order in quantity for “dorm” season.)</p>
<p>If you are driving, transport hanging clothes on the hangers they are already on. Cover wiht a clear plastic bag for the trip.</p>
<p>A note on printers. I teach at a good, though non-“elite” state school. the library is not open all night. I taught a class at 7 am, freshman comp. And yes, for a variety of reasons, students often needed paper copies. They could not print before class, so it was a constant annoyance to me to get into “can I email to you later?” discussions. (not going into pedagogy, but I wasn’t just being arbitrary about requesting paper copies.)</p>
<p>So if printing is not available 24/7, it’s something to consider.</p>
<p>So much of this is school specific. Our son dormed first year, on grounds student apt second year, and finally off grounds apt third year. It made no sense to buy a refrigerator. He and his rm split the cost of renting a microfridge for their first year… It’s there when you arrive, you leave it when you go. No storage, no fuss, no selling something you no longer need. A different school with a different housing system and we may have made a different decision. </p>
<p>Don’t buy a lot until your student chooses a school and is assigned a dorm. Then read the regs carefully, what’s allowed, what’s not, what’s already there. Many housing websites include detailed measurements. S2 wasn’t allowed extension cords, only surge protectors, and with very old dorms these needed to be 6ft. Lighting was very restrictive (most of what you’d see advertised in BB&B was not allowed). </p>
<p>Yes, yes, yes to the homemade tool kit! DH did this and it’s been great. Duct tape must be a personal preference, S2 is an engineer and uses it for everything. First year he went though quite a lot catching stink-bugs (old dorms, no a/c means lots of bugs). Also a homemade firstaid/medicine kit. We sent the printer, which does get used. For boys, number one thing S2 didn’t want, that he uses constantly and thanks me for repeatedly still, is a good pair of goretex hikers for rain, slush, & snow. They are out walking, a lot, probably unavoidable, and wet feet all day are just not fun.</p>
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<p>Most colleges have x-long twin beds, so you unless you have those sheets at home you will probably have to buy some.</p>