<p>We're busily packing my son for fall move in. We're from CT and will be flying my son down, so we'll be mostly packing clothes and personal items and going to Target/Walmart when we get there. </p>
<p>At orientation and at the housing web site, there's a whole list of suggested things to bring. From what I've also read, special emphasis should be put on Extension cords and power strips. And from what I'm told, an Ethernet cable is a must have as wireless is spotty.</p>
<p>This got me to wondering... What are the items that aren't on the list? What items did you bring to college and figure out: "well I really didn't need that" and what things did you get there and say: "I can't believe I didn't bring one of those!"</p>
<p>When you’re at Wal-Mart get one of these hand crank LED flashlights for $10. You don’t have to worry about dead batteries ever–the flashlight is perfect for carrying in your purse or pocket at night. I’ve used mine for at least 30 minutes with full charge, in fact the light never has gone dead on me. The flashlight is great to keep in car glove box too for emergencies. For $10 it is a steal.</p>
<p>Hmm… go figure… And I was going to send him with his samurai sword and the family dog! LOL…</p>
<p>Ok, guess it was a crazy question. I mean it’s not like he won’t be able to go buy those things he doesn’t have.</p>
<p>I was reading a post from a young woman elsewhere on College Confidential and she had one heck of an alphabetized list going. Couple things I noticed that I wouldn’t have thought to pack… nail-clippers, those are always just “around the house”. Ear plugs also sounded like a good suggestion.</p>
<p>All things he can go to Target for, but he won’t have a car so I was trying to stock him up before we left.</p>
<p>The funny part is the items on FSU’s list of what “NOT” to bring. And the knowledge that the only reason they are likely on the list is that at some point, some damn fool showed up with said items!</p>
<p>Nail clippers to me would be something that I’d count as part of a toiletries listing. </p>
<p>The list from Housing is pretty good, I have to say. It’s pretty extensive on items that your son might need. While personally, I can do without a dry erase board or bulletin board, maybe he wants/claims to need one. </p>
<p>General suggestions:
If you’re buying surge protectors and ethernet cables and stuff, buy something with a long cord. You never know how moronic the outlet setup might be in the room. </p>
<p>I highly recommend a 25 foot ethernet cable, which should be more than sufficient for getting across the entire room if needed. Plus, you can get one off Amazon for under $5.</p>
<p>You can go shopping at your local Bed Bath and Beyond and they will have everything ready for you when you get to Tally.</p>
<p>Other suggestions would be to possibly think about </p>
<p>a fan
those sticky things to hold up pictures on walls (nailing is not allowed)
a combination lock for the desk,its all set up for it
shower curtain
over the door hooks for the closet
a rug is a needed item and I got her a dust buster because I doubted that she would use a vacumn
extra usb cord
printer
I bought her a desk chair and stored the one that came with the room under the bed
feather bed or foam mattress topper (she loves hers-purchased at bbb…remember twin xl)
plug ins for room deodorizing,especially for stinky boys
no candles are allowed
lava lamps are nice
directions to do laundry…throwing all items in one wash usually doesnt work unless light blue is your color of choice
dryer balls
be sure to deposit fsu cash for laundry machines
easy tie trash bags
i took pics of all important items and bought insurance
little book lights that she hangs in her closet to see what she wants to wear (there are no lights in closet) pretty innovative of her…
I also got her an adapter for the tv and a cable so that she is able to watch movies on tv from her computer…you would be surprised how many courses teach thru film…she also has a netflix subscription…for her this is what she uses instead of buying the cable service</p>
<p>I bought my son the shower stall type shower curtain liner…works well for the dorm showers…even if it’s a little long it can be cut along the bottom; but the regular size ones can be a little short.</p>
<p>The water purifier pitcher is a great idea. He’s a big water drinker and takes a water bottle everywhere he goes!</p>
<p>If the shower curtains are short, I can only imagine how wet that floor is going to get. These are 4 boys responsible for the cleanliness of a bathroom? EEWWW… I’ve seen the kids bedroom. I can only imagine the bathroom!</p>
<p>“These are four adult gentlemen, they can keep a clean room and a tidy bathroom easily.” </p>
<p>sorry, but this was a LOL for me. their idea of clean is vastly different from ours. I had brought a bath mat for my son’s suite and by the second day it was so filthy I threw it out.</p>
<p>I did buy my son easy to use things–clorox wipes, squirt in bowl cleaner–in the hopes that he’d at least use them to sanitize.</p>
<p>neither my son or his roommate had a microwave and ended up not needing one. There is one in the kitchen on the floor in Broward but I doubt he used that. Plus is was a big item to pack and carry. I’d wait and see if his roommate has one or see if they need one.</p>
<p>As move-in day approaches, any tips to help it go more smoothly? I’ve heard it is chaos right at 9am. Is there an organized line of vehicles with enough time for off loading? Where does one then park? (Landis) Should any packing bins/boxes be labeled? I’ve heard some schools have vounteer helpers to unload which would be good since DH will not be with us. Also, should D do any cleaning before bringing her things up? Advise greatly appreciated. Thanks!</p>
<p>It pretty much is completely chaotic at 9am. People start lining up before then to move in. It tends to slow way down around noon, although it also tends to heat up significantly around then. </p>
<p>There’s parking around Landis (there’s a nearby-ish parking garage, but it might get full really quick), although it might be asked of you to sorta pull up, park, remove your stuff from the vehicle & set it on the sidewalk, and then to park in a parking spot somewhere else. With that in mind, I’d label your stuff with your name if you can (even if it’s just on a piece of masking tape or something). </p>
<p>My advice though would be to park somewhere, and walk to check-in with as little as possible, just in case you do find that the room needs some cleaning before you move-in. The rooms do tend to be clean when you move in, but the last thing you want to do is to pile all your stuff on the sidewalk, only to find out that when you move in that the room needs a scrub down. Then if it’s clean, you can go pull up and unload, without having to worry about leaving your stuff unattended. </p>
<p>I don’t recall whether there were people helping unload stuff or not when I moved in Freshman year. I seem to recall a couple people sort of watching your stuff just so nothing was left unattended, but I couldn’t say either way, sorry.</p>
<p>Since you’re moving in almost a week before most everyone else, you’ll be good. There’s plenty of parking near Rogers, so you won’t have to do any unloading and then parking; you can park up close to the building and get your stuff out as you please. </p>
<p>Yeah, at 9am on the 22nd (or whatever the first general day of move-in is each year), it’s chaos. There are people lined up well before it opens. If you’re moving in that first day into any of the freshman dorms, it’s hectic beyond belief.</p>