<p>My son will be freshman this fall. Can anyone please suggest the best place to buy stuff for the dorm? Is there is checklist that contains all the items we need to buy? We will be flying into Boston from mid-west region and will take a rental car to arrive at the Dartmouth campus.</p>
<p>You should be able to find just about anything you need in West Lebanon, about 10 minutes from Hanover. Most of the big chains have stores there. And don’t forget, no sales tax!</p>
<p>Also remember, what ever you take or send, you will eventually have to bring back home!</p>
<p>['SHMEN</a> GUIDE](<a href=“http://www.dartmouth.edu/~shmen/whattobring.html]'SHMEN”>http://www.dartmouth.edu/~shmen/whattobring.html)</p>
<p>This is a pretty helpful website for a lot of things Dartmouth-y, but this list is a pretty comprehensive list of things that a student will need over the course of the year.</p>
<p>Thanks for the info</p>
<p>Will your son have a roommate(s)? Perhaps they will want to coordinate their efforts. Unless you are close by and driving stuff there. I would take advantage of anyone who has free shipping and send stuff to his HB at school in late august/early september and pick it up on move in day.</p>
<p>If you are staying nearby campus, I strongly suggest shipping to the hotel instead of the mail box, particularly bedding. On campus mail pickups can be a zoo since all the 'Schmen are in line doing the same thing. Plus, depending on when it arrives, it the boxes may have not yet been sorted. (I had a couple of things sent overnight, but it sat in Hinman for 3+ days while they sorted it all out.)</p>
<p>Local pickup is fine for basic items, but local stores may be out. Then it becomes a hassle to make another stop (or two). OOS shipping is generally tax-free, and for me, the security of having stuff in the hotel before arrival is worth a few extra bucks.</p>
<p>and make sure your kid goes to the recycle sale at Collis a few days before classes begin, great buys on portable refrigerators, lamps and other things from seniors.</p>
<p>I, too, recommend the Collis sale on move-in day. S and his roomie bought a used fridge for $25 or so.</p>
<p>BTW, there is always excellent information in the shopping thread in the CC Parents Forum, including stuff such as who is having a sale on memory foam bed toppers and the like. (I personally recommend The Company Store internet shopping for X-long twin sheets. Excellent quality and price. Another useful factoid: Full/Queen comforters/duvets fit the beds very well, coming down the sides like a bedspread, so there is no need to buy a twin-sized one if this is the only time it would be used.)</p>