What are your must haves for college

[momoftwins]

Mom here invading College Board. DD will be attending U of Pitt and DS Ithaca College this Fall. Since I am new to this, what were your must haves or nice to haves you are glad you brought to college?

Any good websites to search for things they may need?

Any input appreciated. Thanks~

 

[waltsdream]

Congratulations to you and your children! What a big achievement.

I just graduated, and I found that some of the most useful things I bought (the ones that lasted all four years, and that I plan to bring to grad school) are:

-a lap desk for bed (can read/take notes/put your laptop on it, really came in handy)
-a coffee maker and a reusable portable mug, to take it to classes etc
-a throw blanket : came in handy for movie nights, late night study sessions, everything!
-dry erase board calendar
-big plastic tote boxes - I used these under my bed to store seasonal clothing, etc so it was out of the way
-bed bath and beyond has closet extenders that really came in handy for me - it basically hangs in your closet and gives you an extra rod down below to hang skirts, shorts etc on. Came in handy in such a small dorm closet.
-an over the door shoe organizer, again to maximize space in those really small closets

I'm sure there's more, but that's what I can think of right now. I hope this helps, and again congratulations to your family!!

 

[thebutlerdidit]

Two things that I always give as graduation presents. I fill a shoebox size box with medical things, Tylenol, cold/allergy medicine, thermometer, band aids, cough drops. My other option is a small tool case. The day we moved my daughter into college she used a hammer to keep her door open. It was a great conversation starter, and plenty of people borrowed it. I hope your kids have a great college experience!

 

[jenniy122]

-bed topper. dorm mattresses are awful.
-if it's allowed/not provided, microwave and minifridge (arrange with roommates)

agree with the toolkit.

there are lists of "dorm essentials" on bed bath and beyond and such, and if I remember correctly the book "the naked roommate" had a list too, as well as other helpful college hints.

 

[cleverclovers]

Footlocker with a good padlock to protect valuables and store junk. Also doubles as a table for pizza nights.

 

[fitnessfun]

I don't know if it was a "necessity", but when I went to college I got a mini fridge to store stuff in. A good one out right now is the Avanti upright freezer. It has great reviews, and can fit in a cramped space.

 

[PrincessEeyore]

galoshes (rain boots) and a really sturdy umbrella! i just graduated from penn state and knowing that conditions are just as rainy and wet at pitt (not too sure about ithaca) i definitely recommend both! the galoshes will certainly come in handy too in the winter once the snow starts to fall around campus as well. also, depending on how far from home your son and daughter are moving, i would also recommend that they bring their winter clothing (as well as boots, gloves, hats, etc.) now. winter hit campus unexpectedly early my first year at penn state and i very much regretted not having my winter clothes with me in october.

best of luck to them both!

 

[lam0037]

One thing a lot of people forget is laundry detergent/dryer sheets. Freshman year I had everyone borrowing mine b/c they didn't have it/couldn't go to the store whatever. Also quarters for laundry machines (this is nit picky stuff but like I said, often overlooked)

 

[MOpGrad2013]

DS and DfosterS just finished their freshmen years. Each lived in different situations, but both determined that the items on the lists were overkill. I kept receiving packages of items not needed or they were donating to others.

One big thing to add to the medication basket--find a local pharmacy that accepts credit card over the phone. DS got sick and couldn't make it to the store. I phoned the pharmacy and ordered all the meds, paid for it and they delivered it for me. NO charge for the delivery!

If allowed, a Keurig or Tassimo is great! The Tassimo was the best, but you can't find too many of the coffees or teas in local stores so we needed . But, being able to make a frothy coffee at 2 am was worth it.

 

[keiraliz]

- Definitely make sure you get medications! I keep cough drops, cough syrup, vitamins, nasal spray, painkillers, allergy medication, and a first aid kit in my dorm room.

- Cleaning supplies have also been a must for me. I've only needed Windex, bleach, and some cleaning cloths/paper towels, but they're nice to have at hand. My roommate and I also have a small vacuum, but needing one may depend on the school.

- A portable shower caddy is great to have to transport toiletries. My dorm doesn't have community showers/bathrooms, but a shower caddy is still so useful to have.

- I recommend getting a printer if there's room. At my school, if you don't have your own printer, you're dependent on the library or one of the computer labs, but they have set hours. It's easier to print something late at night if you have your own printer!

The previous posters all have great recommendations. Something else you might want to consider is buying only the bare essentials (bedding, towels, etc.) first until you see the actual dorm room. This is what my mom and I did. It made knowing what to get easier once we saw the actual size of the room. There were some things I wanted for my room, but I ended up not getting them simply because there wasn't enough room.

 

[emilyindisney]

I have an over the door hook that I love! I've used it in both my old rooms, and now it's on my bathroom door in the apartment.

Don't forget command hooks/stickies! They're a great way to hang things on the wall and decorate the room.

 

[scarscar93]

-A vacuum and/or Swiffer wetjet is handy for cleaning up before leaving the dorm for a break.
-Power strips are a must
-Filtered water pitcher (Brita, pur, etc.)
-Shower wrap/towel dress (easier than changing right after the shower if there are community bathrooms)
-Paper plates/plastic silverware
-Febreeze
-Measuring cup
-Ethernet cable (school wireless is too risky)
-XL twin sheets (Target has them cheaper and cuter than Residence Hall Linens)
-1 large and 1 small garbage can (and garbage bags)

My school sent incoming freshmen a list of things to pack (and also things not to bring; some dorms consider christmas lights a fire hazard) that covered a lot of the basics. If neither does, there are plenty of useful lists online to give ideas of the necessities.

 

[smadath]

I second the coffee maker idea that was suggested earlier. Late nights studying require lots of caffeine.

Also, a hot pot. Lots of cheap ones at WalMart! Good for tea, ramen noodles (ate lots of those!), mac n'cheese, etc. Whether you're in the mood to snack, missed dinner, or just don't feel well, it's nice to have.

And, quarters. Lots of rolls of quarters. Our change machine in the laundry room was always out! It's nice to have some ready to go... laundry accumulates fast!

 

[kanga5roos]

A must for my kids was a laundry basket with wheels and a pull-up handle (like luggage has) as well as a plastic set of drawers on wheels - usually 3 stacked drawers. They could load these up and roll them wherever they needed them - especially the laundry basket. Sure beat carrying a loaded basket downstairs or wherever to do laundry.

I agree that the other must-haves are the medicine kit and the tool kit. My daughter was sought out all the time for her hammer, screwdriver, pliers, duct tape, etc etc.

 

[SulleysMonkey]

First, before sending a bunch of change find out if it cost to do laundry. I know my university was in the minority but they didn't charge for laundry

Second, as strange as it sounds, my absolute favorite thing to have when i lived in the dorms was a little folding dolly. It wasn't more the 3 or 4 feet and folded up flat so i could easily store it. It help with so much, from laundry to move in/out, even just going home for breaks. It saved so much time. I was also able to use it to get somethings to my classes that i needed that were large and heavy for presentations.

Three, I loved having a white board to put by my door, my room mates and i would put reminders, notes, countdowns etc on it.

Something that might be over looked, but make sure she has a good pair of walking shoes, or just shoes. Especially if that's the main form of getting around. By the end of the first week i as so glad my mom made sure i had good shoes.(but my campus had a lot of hills and only took 10 mins to walk from any point to any point. We also walked up to the main street for entertainment.)