I agree with those who say less is more and it’s fine to show up with the bare basics like bedding, pens, papers etc. Also find out if your kid even needs a printer. My D has never had her own printer at college. There are plenty of places to print stuff and her student ID card is used to charge the printing cost to her account. Also I’ll never forget when we arrived for move in day freshman year and walked past the college’s outdoor “co-op” recycle sale. It’s something they do every year and it was a giant accumulation of stuff donated or left behind by the previous year’s students: lamps, bookshelves, every imaginable kind of organizer, millions of hangers, just about any kind of dorm accessory. My D had sooo much stuff at move out. Also because we are one state away and in driving distance, she didn’t have the enforced discipline of knowing she’d have to fly or ship stuff home.
@Corinthian Wow, that’s great! I hope my daughter’s school does that!
And the wastebasket was only $4.99 so if that’s our biggest regret, I say we’ve succeeded!
Regarding printers, check your college’s computer lab hours and printing policies/limits to see if you need a printer or not.
In my case I was able to do without a printer during undergrad thanks to unlimited printing, computer labs not being overly crowded, and being able to plan ahead so I printed during non-peak periods…
However, some colleges have limited computer lab hours, place strict limits on how many pages one can print, and/or charge a ridiculous amount for printing/page or if one goes over the limit(It was 20 cents/page at Columbia back in the mid-'00s if one went over one’s weekly free page limit).
And depending on majors(i.e. Printing multiple drafts of research papers for mandatory workshopping/Professorial review) or non-academic needs(i.e. printing resumes/CVs), one can go through one’s weekly free printing allotment pretty quickly.
@IBviolamom my kids were easily able to carry shampoo, soap and a towel with no tote.
^^ I think it depends if the student has a sink in their room. I did, but my son does not. He will also need to carry shaving stuff, toothbrush/paste, face wash, etc.
I agree with getting school supplies beforehand. Stay away from that zool
Fill a small shoebox with a bit of your own desk supplies–pens, pencils, rubberbands, tape, note cards, highlighters, post-it notes etc. No need to send a lot of any one thing. Small stapler. Scissors
Paper plates were handy. I hope a microwave is available somewhere! A small coffeepot if your kid likes coffee. A small electric kettle if they like tea.
Another small shoe box size supply of cold medicine, antihistamine, ibuprofen, band-aids, neosporin cream, imodium, cough drops, just a bit of whatever may come in handy. Perhaps an ace bandage. True, you could get these things as needed but when you’re sick or hurt you don’t feel like trotting out to get medicine. Then when your kid calls asking what to take for whatever is ailing them, you can direct them to the shoebox. It also keeps them from standing in front of the pharmacy shelf trying to figure out the 10,000 variations on a theme…easier to use something you already use at home. If something was in blister-paks, I stuck them in a sandwich baggie with what it was for and the directions. No need to send whole boxes–keep it small–just put together the supply from what you have a home. Write on a notecard what is in the box and put it on top. I will say this came in VERY handy!
Check what dorm furnishings are supplied by the school before you buy. My son’s room had desk lamps, wastebasket, desk chair, etc. And there was no room or a small bookcase (unless it stacked on top of the desk). String lights weren’t allowed.
One of those small sewing kits that just have a few basic color threads, small scissors and sewing needle came in very handy when one of his buttons fell off. he learned to sew it back on :).
MY DS’s college doesn’t provide the wastebasket. It doesn’t allow the twinkle lights or tapestry/drapes or anything else that covers more 10% of the wall (NY fire code?), so that is worth checking. I did get him a mesh shower caddy since we will buy full sized products and he will use the hall bath. I know some of the stuff I chose from BBB will be left at the store when we go to pick up. I want to get a locking trunk with wheels to use in the summer storage area. There will be room under his raised(not lofted) bed this first year.
No TV, fridge or microwave. He has a meal plan and there is a micro on the floor. He can get one later if he wants. Less is definitely better, since they will collect things along the way.
Another memory from my D’s freshman move in day: watching 2 RA’s explaining to someone’s parents that the fancy desk chair they brought had to be removed because, given the small dimensions of the room, it was going to block the roommate from having access to her desk.
Bed Bath & Beyond’s minimalist dorm list…
Good luck!
ETA link in case you didn’t believe me… https://www.bedbathandbeyond.com/store/registry/campuschecklist/?icid=college_sidenav
Well, if I was president of BBB–that would be my “minimalist” list too!
But as a mom whose kid took less and less with him every year of college–it is more than a tad overblown. Especially on the bed and the bath…skip most cleaning supplies…put in a box of “color catcher” for the laundry and you’ll be good.
Send towels from home and buy yourself some new ones.
If travelling by car just use big IKEA type bags or bags from SAM’s or BJ’s to pack this stuff in–got good handles, they squish good and when your done they fold to nothing ready to be used as a hamper or travel back home.
I thought my D was overpacking - but now that I’ve seen that she’s only bringing less than half of what’s on that BBB “minimalist” list, I feel better!
She’s completely gone overboard in storage containers, but this is the girl who has asked for office supplies for her birthdays. (My parents still talk about the time she asked them to get her a three hole punch.) She will likely have the most organized under-the-bed area on her floor!
Valvoline tells you to change your oil every 200 feet. Makes sense as they sell oil. Same with BBB. More you buy the better it is for them. Wonder what the non-minimalist list looks like? 
Love those list! Sure it is fun buying and installing but the move out would be a doozy! As a fly-in, I just want DS to be able store the winter gear and permanent items (desk lamp, small fan) in the trunk and bring a duffel to come home. He is definitely not going to use any plastic drawers, at least not this year. I did order two of the fold flat fabric bins to organize the space in the top of the wardrobe.
If it hasn’t been suggested already, bring some tools. I bought a $20 basic tool kid at Ace Hardware when my daughter started college. She rolled her eyes when she saw it, but it turned out to be a life saver on move-in day (tools turned out to be crucial right off the bat) and throughout her education.
Be careful about bringing tools. Some schools consider them weapons and the student will be subject to discipline.
The absolute minimum purchase list is XL bedding and a fan (if needed.) When the stores sell out of those items they do not restock.
Not really dorm things, but make sure kiddo packs an umbrella and rain jacket.
As for tools, we brought a hammer which was helpful to raise the bed, as old metal beds can be difficult to raise without a lot of muscle. A lot of people ended up borrowing it! Most beds in dorms raise, so the bed lifts aren’t necessary.
You got more than enough. Both my students go to college on the opposite coast. Once there, they liked a more comfortable desk chair, fridge and a few other luxuries. We had bought online from the Container Store an extra book case. Did not need it, but it was nice to know you can ship almost anything to the college. Some colleges will only accept boxes beyond a certain date (not too early).
“Be careful about bringing tools. Some schools consider them weapons and the student will be subject to discipline”
I’ll call Home Depot as my first witness…
We did not get DD a more comfy chair…but we did get her a nice comfy cushion for her desk chair. Smaller, cheaper. And worked just fine.