Just to share some experience.
Printer - We ended up purchasing one for DS after figuring out he did quite a bit printing. The cost is $0.1 per page at library. We figured it’s more economical to buy a printer and use for 4 years. He shared the printer with his suitemates. Actually, half of the suitemates had their own printers.
Fridge - DS never needed one. He drank milk and juice at cafeteria, and rarely drank soda. So, he did not claim he needs one. The suite decided not to have shared-one either.
Fan - Yes.
My son was also glad to have his black and white laser printer, both for convenience and cost (he also prints a lot). He used the library for more infrequent color printing and faxing. I’d strongly recommend a laser printer as one cartridge (past the starter cartridge, which doesn’t have a lot of ink) got my son and roommates through 4 years of boarding school and nearly 2 years of college. I do think one printer for the suite is plenty.
The suite had a fridge and no microwave freshman year–but he tends more toward granola bars for evening snacks. I’m not sure how much use the fridge got. I did, however, send an electric teakettle freshman year when bronchitis was going around the suite, and I gather that’s gotten a lot of use–my kids have always been big tea drinkers. So I’d say I’d get whatever fits with your student’s current evening snacking patterns.
Agree with the need for a mattress topper, fan, and lamps–we got some cheap floor lamps from the student section at Walmart. One actually ended up being used as a closet light. A small carpet for between the beds–inexpensive as they are a pain to store and may end up getting tossed at the end of the year. A futon couch for guest sleeping space and a couple of chairs (the guys had those items divvied up before they got to school), and I think that was it.
Years of living in dorms has made my kid a real minimalist when it comes to clothes and furnishings. We learned to put off a lot purchases until he was actually settled into his space–parent’s week-end always included a trip to Walmart, and to rely heavily on Amazon Prime rather than trying to anticipate what he would need over the course of the year. It was interesting to see the difference between my kid and his roommate at freshman move-in–he was unpacked and ready to go in about an hour while roommate’s mom was still looking for places to cram all the “necessities” that would probably never get used. 
The differences in printer, fridge, MW, etc point to the likelihood that what matters is the kid. Many different approaches.
The only absolute is that a fan is necessary. Mattress topper is almost an absolute.
We didn’t bring a printer- one of her suite mates did and there was always an issue with it working properly. Either there was a connection issue, ink issue or paper issue. She just printed things at the library because she worked there and it was more reliable.
Mattress topper is a must
Fan is also a must- in fact she contemplated one of those standing portable AC units because she was on the 4th floor and it was terribly hot.
Lamps were HUGE… there are no lights in the dorm rooms so the only light is what she brought. We had a wall lamp, standing lamp, desk lamp and Christmas lights.
Agree that the “musts” are fan, lamp, memory foam mattress topper, and wool socks.
Easy to fly out of Logan on sun after the yale/Harvard game. Have to store traveling stuff where they r staying. Dd would stay at a H friend RC. Others might stay in hotel rooms.
How common is it for students to use a laundry service vs doing laundry themselves?
We signed DS up for the service in the beginning. He didn’t use it often, and they lost a good bit of stuff. They eventually reimbursed him, but it was a pita. He now does his own laundry.
My son had laundry service at boarding school, where he had to wear a shirt and tie every day, but does his own laundry now. Laundry was in the basement of his dorm freshman year (and I assume the same is true in the residential colleges) so easy enough to access. I remember hauling my laundry across the quad to the one dorm out of eight that had laundry facilities and waiting for machines to open up. Compared to that, doing your own laundry at Yale is easy peasy!
@classicalmama
I read that there are only two laundry rooms in all of Old Campus, so your son must have happened to be in one of the dorms that has one of the two (Farnam is one, I don’t know what the other is). It does seem strange that 1000 students are sharing 2 laundry rooms, so maybe they are big?
My daughter did her own laundry. She never had issues with it really except the time she left the dryer to do something and someone took items out of it. Its just a matter of knowing when NOT to try and do it. She did say that her suite mate that had laundry service was finding things missing all the time or ruined and so they ended up doing wash together. It just became a part of her schedule.
Many thanks for all of the helpful comments on what to pack/buy.
A Davenport student created this list for incoming freshmen - the essential list (excluding any suite items):
• pencils
• notebooks
• fans (there is no AC)
• lighting (there is no overhead lighting)
• bed sheets
• comforter
• mattress pad
• pillows
• clothing (most people bring too much)
• hangers
• laundry bin + detergent
• cleaning supplies
• coat hooks
• trash can
• towels
• shower shoes + shower caddy
• backpack
• raincoat/umbrella
The need to provide a trash can surprised me! Everything else confirms what this helpful group has provided, all in a nice list format.
My recollection for Lanman Wright (L-Dub, Pierson’s freshman dorm) was that trash cans were provided and overhead lights existed, but cast such an unfriendly light that we were glad to have desk and standing lamps. That was two years ago, so who knows?
@IxnayBob , I am now remembering some wise words on this thread - they must have been written this time last year. The recommendation was to wait until you see the room itself, since every building on Old Campus is different, and in fact there are even different configurations within the same building. It sounds like the fundamentals remain the same - fan(s), bedding, and a good mattress pad.
@Faulkner1897 thanks for that list! Already screen shot and texted it to the kid.
Wise words…wait until you see the room. My kiddo will be in a single. I understand there are no lights in the bedroom
. Are there any lights in the common rooms, or do they also have to provide this as well? And what kind of lighting do you recommend for a bedroom? Someone mentioned wall light before - how do you mount it? I thought walls were supposed to stay intact?
I think that my kid is handling it well. She claims she is in contact with all other suit mates. They will get a sofa, fridge etc and divide the cost. One of the girls wants a TV, my D said she will not participate since she does not watch TV, but she will bring a water kettle 
Hope internet is good ???
@Kelowna, I have only had excellent wifi on campus, using the guest account. DS has had no complaints about the main wifi. I remember once, during finals week, it was down for an hour or two; panic ensued.
@Kelowna
One of the colleges put out a freshman guide for last year’s class (similar building to the one your D is in). PM me for link. What I read is that there are NO lights in common room or bedrooms, although the suite corridor is lit. The recommendation was for one bright floor lamp (no halogen lamps allowed) for singles, two for doubles, at least two for common rooms, plus desk lamps. I was wondering about the wall lamp comment too!
I also heard that it is sometimes best for people to pay for different things since there is clear ownership at the end of the year (if the suitemates don’t stay together), but who knows.
@IxnayBob
I am wondering whether to get an apple Ethernet connection for my daughter’s computer. I suppose she can get one from the Apple Store nearby if she has the need.
I keep reminding myself that she is not going to a desert island and can buy things locally or order things on Amazon if needed.
Speaking of that, has the street address capability added last year helped at all with package shipments? There were comments on this thread in previous years about the challenge of receiving packages. People were renting mailboxes at the UPS store for their kids because it was so frustrating. But it sounds like Yale/postal service situation might have improved since then?
I whined on this forum for three years about the horribleness of the YPO, and finally took the advice to get my kid to rent a box at the UPS store. Money well spent, though we were annoyed that it was necessary. I don’t think the street address capability was new last year…?
I shudder to think what it will be like with the addition of two new residential colleges.
Deliveries to 135 Prospect Strret worked well for us last year–never felt the need for a UPS box. Forget the USPS box.