Shopping for College Dorm Room, College Freshman necessities

[Stacy9402]

I have a question about the dorm insurance. How do you know how much to purchase? off the top of my head I know my daughter will be taking a macbook air - $1200, iphone, ipod touch, dslr camera - $1000. So how much coverage should I get for her?

 

[MindyDean]

No argument posts please - this is just for people like me who can appreciate the task of getting their son to school with min headache. It can be very different getting a son off to school as opposed to a girl!


DS is just entering his Senior Year & so this will be our 4th dorm move in. It is so true about the boys being about what they want/need. His Freshman year he did not shop for one single thing! After getting to know a lot of Mom's from his school, as well as knowing Moms here, it seems like it is a common theme with the boys. I don't think they like shopping & don't want to plan for moving away. They want to have fun, hang with their friends, work, watch sports, etc. oh wait - kinda like their Dads

So - unless you want a call at 1:00 AM, saying I need deodorant, mine ran out yesterday or whatever, I found it was easier (shhh...and fun) to just get his stuff for him. The other Moms' I am friends with did that as well. But that is just how I roll I guess. Please, no comments on making him stand on his own two feet. I still shop for DH! They both get the scary spiders & carry heavy stuff for me

So, after a start of frustrated calling (me) & sending photos of bedding while shopping & asking if he liked this bedding, etc. and getting lots of "no"s, I finally came home with stuff that was just duplicates of his room at home. He was thrilled & declared he loved it all so, that just sorta became my theme while shopping.

So - hints for boys (at least the ones I know):

Stock up. So, when he calls about the deodorant, you are ready & can say "there is more in the bottom drawer of the rolling thing" or whatever. I sent enough toothpaste, deodorant, contact stuff, laundry det, etc. for the 1st Term.

Send a wide variety of meds. I got a small rubbermaid box & filled it with travel size, compact, or concentrate size meds. Everything. When they get sick, and you are far away, it is so helpful to be able to say, look in the box, there is a small bottle of chloraseptic concentrate. Totally agree with figuring out where they should go if they are sick. A lot of campuses have regular Doctors within walking distance & they can use your insurance. In our experience, this is a FAR SUPERIOR choice then the campus clinic!

Buy gray towels! Ewwww. Don't ask. And if they don't know how, make sure & have them start doing their own laundry NOW!

I purchased a desk drawer organizer & just filled it with paper clips, pens, etc. put Seran on the top & we just took that off & popped it in the drawer & instant stocked desk!

A small tool set, or a couple of basic tools is an absolute must. It will also make you instantly popular on move in day.

A really great idea is to get one of those UV toothbrush holders. Kills the icky germs & it seemed like Freshman year was like sending them off to school again, exposing them to many new germs.

And treasure every moment - they are MOVING and don't be surprised if move in day itself is stressfull. For some of the kids, they are more nervous than they may show and you might have some fireworks. I know more than A LOT of mothers of sons that end ended up fighting with their DSs on move in day. It will turn out ok. promise.

Great post. My son is also leaving for college this fall and he doesn't want to shop for anything. I just buy it and he is perfectly happy. Love your ideas.

 

[java]

Does anyone know anything about a Student Advantage Card?? My son's school sent this along with other gift baskets we could buy to send. The card info is very light- just that you can save up to 50% at retailers. But no specifics.

Anyone have this card or know about it? It talks about Amtrak savings and that would be a plus.

ok looks like 10%-20% off travel- curious as to AAA rates- maybe that would be better?

 

[louey]

The girl stuff is sooooooooooooo much better than the guy stuff
My daughter graduated college 2011 and I think throughout her 4 years there I bought a total of (3) new comforters for her
My son same as the rest of the guys, he could care less. When my husband and I went shopping for him and brought home his dorm stuff her says yeah thats nice and Thank You alright then. We ended up getting a few things at Target, Bed Bath and I ordered his comforter and a blanket at Target online. Looking forward to going to his orientation next week as I didn't go on the campus visit with him and my husband
Not looking forward to dropping him off in August

 

[DVC Daisy]

Not looking forward to dropping him off in August

not fun for Moms.

 

[luv2mickey]

If anyone is looking for a bookbag I just bought The North Face-Heckler for $55 originally $95 from sunnysports.com .

Another good buy, bought my son Tommy Hilfiger twin XL sheets, 200 thread count, for $16.99 from Ross. I was having a hard time finding cotton sheets it seems they are making the twin XL sheets 100% polyester.

 

[Green Tea]

Does anyone know anything about a Student Advantage Card?? My son's school sent this along with other gift baskets we could buy to send. The card info is very light- just that you can save up to 50% at retailers. But no specifics.

Anyone have this card or know about it? It talks about Amtrak savings and that would be a plus.

ok looks like 10%-20% off travel- curious as to AAA rates- maybe that would be better?

I got that info when my first child went off and he was all for it....they said his ID would have the special logo all 4 years. He never used it. They SAY you can go through their website for savings, but he never did. No merchants ever said "Oh, let me give you that discount." If you have a proactive saver it might be worthwhile, but for a kid who is not it probably isn't worth the fee.

 

[kristinw3girls]

We went to DD's Summer orientation Session yesterday. The student tour guide suggested we buy a loft bed kit. She said you get it to help the girls loft one bed over another. Where do I get this?? Looked on ebay but I ust not be calling it the correct name. Any suggestions??

 

[ctinct]

I have a couple of suggestions.

Shop for a pharmacy that delivers, and give them your medical insurance info to put on file. This will come in handy if your child ends up sick or in the hospital. Trust me on this one. If they are sick, the last thing they'll want to do or even be able to do is trek to town to fill a script.

Also, as the kiddo is packing, or as they unpack next spring, have them draw up a working packing list of everything they brought along. This way, for the next three years, they won't forget one of the little things they'll need. Also, they can look at the list and eliminate stuff they did not use. My daughter did it this spring as she unpacked, simply because it was much more relaxed that way, and she was able to take stock of things she purchased at school . (Ex.-ziploc bags)

 

[Grumpy's Gal]

I dont think this has been addressed.......does anyone know?

If you have your child's prescription at a chain pharmacy(Walgreens', CVS, etc) , do you know if they can transfer it between states if your child is going to collge out of state?

anyone with expereince like this?

 

[DVC Daisy]

I have a couple of suggestions.Shop for a pharmacy that delivers, and give them your medical insurance info to put on file. This will come in handy if your child ends up sick or in the hospital. Trust me on this one. If they are sick, the last thing they'll want to do or even be able to do is trek to town to fill a script.

Could not agree more! . It is also a good idea to find a Dr. And Urgent Care facility near campus that accepts your insurance. Hopefully your DS or DD will never need these, but if they do, you will be glad that you did your research ahead of time (unlike me ).

 

[Green Tea]

I dont think this has been addressed.......does anyone know?

If you have your child's prescription at a chain pharmacy(Walgreens', CVS, etc) , do you know if they can transfer it between states if your child is going to collge out of state?

anyone with expereince like this?

Yes, they will just fill it in the store requested.

 

[MrsPete]

Rather than search out off campus resources that require a car or a bus ride, look into your school's health center's offerings. You're paying for the health center anyway through a big chunk of your tuition.

They can take care of run-of-the-mill troubles like strep throat or bronchitis, and when I was in school they provided over-the-counter medicines (Robitusin, Sudafed) for free and without an appointment! They also can fill prescriptions on campus. My daughter actually learned that she can get her prescription filled on campus for $5/month. Right now I'm paying $19.99/month at our local Walgreens.

 

[DVC Daisy]

Rather than search out off campus resources that require a car or a bus ride, look into your school's health center's offerings

I would recommend asking around first about your kids particular school before relying on Campus Health Services. Just my opinion - no flames please - but they are not always the best. My DS has strep his Frosh year that Campus Services tested neg. I had him in a regular urgent care facility within hours and not only did THOSE tests come back positive, but the Dr. said it looked so bad, he did not even need to run the tests.

Campus Services charged over $70 - DS had to write a check to be seen, and our health ins would not reimburse us for the cost.

Just do your homework, every campus is different & everyone has different health care needs. For DS, it is actually faster to walk to the closest Urgent Care (although he does have a car) than clear across campus to Health Services.

I just recommend doing your research & be prepared ahead of time. I did not & ended up having to make a hasty trip to school to take care of DS because of it. extra knowledge in hand is always a good thing " just in case"

 

[poohbear8]

On the medical issues, when you go for Orientation or drop off, check how your school handles clinic visits. If your child is seen in the clinic do they need to sign a release EVERY time they are there for you to get the info?

DS was diagnosed last Sept., 2 weeks into his freshman year with Type 1 Diabetes. He called to tell me they were sending him to the hospital. While he was driving to the hospital, I called the Clinic to get the whole story and to find out how serious this was. (DS had told me there was no need for me to come see him in the hospital ) They told me they "technically" couldn't tell me anything since he had not signed the release. Thankfully, the nurse was willing to give me answers in a round about way and confirm it was serious and I needed to come see him. This year we do plan checking to see if they will just put one in his file.

This also goes for the grades. We made DS sign the release while we were there so we could get his grades and other info. His school is a BIG stickler on this as we found out. I called to check on something and found out that when DH and DS went to sign the paper (while I was asking about the dorm rooms), they had not put MY name on the paper, so the office would not release ANY info to me until DS went by and signed the paper!

 

[DVC Daisy]

On the medical issues, when you go for Orientation or drop off, check how your school handles clinic visits. If your child is seen in the clinic do they need to sign a release EVERY time they are there for you to get the info?

DS was diagnosed last Sept., 2 weeks into his freshman year with Type 1 Diabetes. He called to tell me they were sending him to the hospital. While he was driving to the hospital, I called the Clinic to get the whole story and to find out how serious this was. (DS had told me there was no need for me to come see him in the hospital ) They told me they "technically" couldn't tell me anything since he had not signed the release. Thankfully, the nurse was willing to give me answers in a round about way and confirm it was serious and I needed to come see him. This year we do plan checking to see if they will just put one in his file.

This also goes for the grades. We made DS sign the release while we were there so we could get his grades and other info. His school is a BIG stickler on this as we found out. I called to check on something and found out that when DH and DS went to sign the paper (while I was asking about the dorm rooms), they had not put MY name on the paper, so the office would not release ANY info to me until DS went by and signed the paper!

AWESOME info! I totally forgot about having to have them sign all of the releases. DS's school is great & we only had to do that once for each thing (grades, housing, medical, can't remember if there are others).

BUT - what I always wonder is: why can't you tell me this info, but there is no problem sending any and all bills directly to me with my name on them, even parking tickets?

 

[Karabee]

Didn't read this whole thread but I have 2 things that I realized only after I took my first shower in the dorms:
1) Shower flip flops (seriously, those bathrooms are gross)
2) Bathrobe to wear walking from the shower, down the hall, back to my dorm room

I didn't have the bathrobe for a little while and it really wasn't much fun walking down the hall in a towel!

 

[Gina]

I just stumbled on this at the Bed Bath & Beyond website while looking for something else, and thought it might help some of you as well. I think it's great!

BB&B has a page where you can select your child's college and it will take you to an info page specific to that school. Tells you what size the beds are, what items are ok or not ok to bring, what is provided by the school, etc. Way cool!


http://www.bedbathandbeyond.com/bedbathandbeyond/storelocbts.aspx?bts=1&


Hope this helps someone!

 

[Chelley00]

I just stumbled on this at the Bed Bath & Beyond website while looking for something else, and thought it might help some of you as well. I think it's great!

BB&B has a page where you can select your child's college and it will take you to an info page specific to that school. Tells you what size the beds are, what items are ok or not ok to bring, what is provided by the school, etc. Way cool!


http://www.bedbathandbeyond.com/bedbathandbeyond/storelocbts.aspx?bts=1&


Hope this helps someone!

Some stores have a big kiosk with a bunch of flyers with college information. I went to one today in Indy, and it had lots of schools lists.

DS told me to just get stuff, so I went today and bought stuff with my 20% off coupons.

comforter (he had picked it out online)
desk lamp
fan
laptop lock
surge protector pack
small storage boxes (one each for first aid stuff, spare bath stuff, one for cleaning stuff, one for kitchen stuff and one for school supplies)


Then we hit the dollar store and bought stuff to put in all those storage boxes

Soon as I get another 20% off coupon, I need to get a mattress pad and then we might be done other than some snacks.

 

[txaggie94gigem]

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