<p>Okay- going to a school 2 1/2 hours away bringing:
3 large bins-with misc. dorm stuff
1 3-drawer plastic bin
3 hefty bags with assorted pillows, blankets, mattress pads
5 LARGE ziplok bags with clothes in them....
1 large suitcase with robe, socks, undies, etc.
TV
Microwave</p>
<p>Has she over packed? It'll all fit in husband's truck.</p>
<p>Sounds like a lot of bedding.</p>
<p>The risk with bringing a TV is that your room becomes a “hangout” room, and you can’t get any peace and quiet to study. Plus, IMO she should be looking for reasons to get <em>out</em> of her dorm room, not have an easy reason to stay in.</p>
<p>Clothes and what-not is hard to say… some kids need a lot, some don’t.</p>
<p>Yep, too much. Reduce it by a third to a half. If she is short of seasonal clothes she can pick them up when she is home on break. I mean, how many mattress pads does she need?</p>
<p>I have two large bins (to be used as under the bed storage), one full of dorm stuff and one full of bedding, an additional bag of bedding (mattress pad, sheets, comforter in bin/memory foam topper, pillows, blanket in extra bag), a large suitcase full of clothes, a crate full of school supplies, and a smaller suitcase with personal items (camera, kindle, etc.) Plus tv, tv stand, fridge, microwave, and a little night stand. I anticipate adding another few small boxes for miscellaneous things I haven’t packed yet. This is about half as much as I brought last year. Last years stuff fit fine but I had a VERY large double. This year I have a mid-size single and I don’t anticipate any problems. I am one to do a lot of nesting and I do all my studying/relaxing in my dorm, so I bring more than someone who just anticipates using the dorm for sleeping.</p>
<p>My thoughts on your list is that 3 bags does seem like a lot of bedding, but I don’t know what she has-- if it’s all going on her bed it’s not like it’s taking up storage space. 5 bags of clothes seems like a lot too, but it depends on what she feels her needs are. If that is 5 bags of just summer/fall seasonal clothes that seems like a lot either way.</p>
<p>If it fits in your truck with room for you, sounds fine. She may unpack and decide to send stuff home with you, but that’s ok. If all the bedding goes on the bed at once, it doesn’t take up any more dorm-room space than a single sheet on the mattress would have.<br>
Deep breath, go have a cup of tea and enjoy your evening.</p>
<p>I’d say leave the TV and microwave for now. If she decides she wants it later, maybe parents can bring it during parent weekend or just a visit.</p>
<p>Also, what kinds of things are in the 3 bins of misc dorm stuff? Hard to imagine needing that much stuff.</p>
<p>Assuming she’s already worked out the microwave and TV with the roomies and she’s certain she wants a TV, then since it all fits okay just go ahead and take it and be prepared to bring some back if it was overkill. It’s only 2.5 hours away and you’re driving rather than flying so it’s not such a big deal - stuff can come back and you can always bring more (or better - exchange some stuff) on a future trip.</p>
<p>Have her take clothes for the 1st 8 weeks. you will likely see her by then and can bring more.</p>
<p>My D uses her bed like a couch so she had a lot of bedding–mattress topper, comforter, sheets, blanket and some throw pillows/body pillow. Agree that if its all on the bed, it should be fine.</p>
<p>Not sure how big the 5 zip locs are? </p>
<p>3 bins of what? Will it fit in the desk, the 3 drawer bin and the closet? If so, you should be fine. Don’t forget hangars.</p>
<p>As she unpacks, she can always send some stuff home–especially if its stuff shared with a roommate. </p>
<p>Agree on the TV. Not a good idea…</p>
<p>–Bedding: Only need 2 sets of sheets maximum, 1 comforter, 1 mattress pad, and maybe 2 or 3 pillows. Most dorms are very warm and extra blankets are usually unnecessary. If she finds that she needs a blanket at a later date, you can always send one to her. </p>
<p>—Clothes: 5 bags of clothing PLUS one large suitcase with more clothing is an awful lot of clothes. There’s no need to bring the winter stuff now. You can ship boxes as needed at a later date or she can bring home the summer/fall clothes during Columbus Day weekend or Thanksgiving and bring back the winter clothes. </p>
<p>----3 bins of miscellaneous stuff?-----go through the bins and really think about what will be used and what will simply be tossed aside and take up room. Don’t forget to bring one small garbage can. We usually pack the desk stuff (including the desk lamp) in the garbage can.</p>
<p>—Don’t pack a lot of cups, dishes, or silverware, etc. My college kids find that paper plates, paper bowls, and plasticware are more convenient. They admitted that they’re never going to wash dishes in the bathroom. Maybe pack one large mug for hot chocolate.</p>
<p>In terms of bedding, probably all she’ll need is: 1 mattress pad, 2 sets of sheets, one blanket, one comforter, one pillow.</p>
<p>I second the idea that she shouldn’t take a TV. Either she’ll never be alone, or she’ll be alone too much. Plus it’s going to take up alot of scarce horizontal space.</p>
<p>At this point, she should only take warm-weather clothes. She can pick up her cool-weather clothes on a weekend home. By then, she’ll have a more realistic idea about the tradeoff between desired clothing and storage space.</p>
<p>OTOH, my D loved her 3-drawer plastic bin. It provides alot of storage for the small amount of floorspace it takes up.</p>
<p>Remind her that she’s not going on a year-long wilderness expedition. If she finds she MUST have something that she doesn’t take, it can be shipped, or brought, or done without for a while, or worst case, bought.</p>
<p>I agree that most dorms are over, rather than under heated, and that a tv is unnecessary. A blanket or 2 is useful if roomie likes to sleep with the window open, and it’s nice to be able to grab one off the bed in case of late night fire alarms. </p>
<p>Protip: all clothing, barring undies, can be worn more than once between washings. So one can “go easy” on clothes, but having plenty of underwear is not over rated. (I imagine a large suitcase full is enough). </p>
<p>Have your daughter pack a box of winter stuff now. This way you can just send the box without having to track all of her stuff down. </p>
<p>It’s amazing what a college student is capable of stuffing into a dorm room, however. She can always send stuff back with you.</p>
<p>What happened to the suitcase full of shoes? ;)</p>
<p>The only thing I would be concerned with is whether her stuff is imposing on the roomate - A high school classmate of mine met her roomate on move in day and said, “I need to hang everything up so is it okay if I get both closets and you can have some of the dresser?” Not a good way to build a relationship.</p>
<p>Every single “Mom of a daughter” that I know says their D took way too much “stuff” for the dorm room. </p>
<p>That being said…let her take it if she’s really determined to. You can always throw some back in the truck and take it back home if it doesn’t fit. Both my sons’ dorm rooms came with a micro-fridge. They used the microwaves all the time. I would say keep the micro. and leave less necessary stuff off if room is an issue. </p>
<p>The good thing is she’s not far from home so it will be easy to work out if she finds she needs to change things. If it makes her more cormfortable to take “stuff”, she can always bring some back home at Fall break if she finds she doesn’t need it.<br>
From what I hear from friends, most freshman girls take too many clothes and too much decorative kind of stuff that just takes up space.</p>
<p>You can take the suitcase home with you after she puts her clothes away. She ought to take some kind of small easy-to-store bag to pack things to come home with over breaks or to visit friends on other campuses over a weekend. When she moves out at the end of the year she can throw her stuff in garbage bags for the trip home.</p>
<p>I would never bring a TV. Most kids watch TV on their computers or in the dorm lounge. (Leaving aside the fact that there are better things to do in a college dorm than watch TV! Play bridge, for example. 
) Does she really need a microwave? Doesn’t the dorm have a kitchen? I’m wondering what is in the 3 large bins…</p>
<p>On the plus side, since you live within reasonable driving distance, you can take home stuff that clearly does not fit or is not going to be necessary.</p>
<p>She doesn’t have a printer?</p>
<p>Not sure about the TV. But what really jumped out at me was the 3 drawer bin. I’m assuming she has a desk and a bureau. If so I don’t see the need for extra drawer space especially if any of the other containers are for under the bed storage.</p>
<p>After helping my sister with my niece, it sure does not sound like too much to me. My son on the other hand left for college a few years ago with an addidas duffle bag. Not sure how he did it, but that was him…girls…different animals.</p>
<p>I guess if you are driving up there, and it all fits in the car, you can bring whatever does not fit in the room back with you ;)</p>
<p>Its obvious you have thought of all the essentials but…</p>
<p>Don’t forget to pack a can of shark repellent, a 36 piece ratchet set, a Cuisinart ice cream maker, a small potted bonsai tree, a pair downhill slalom skis, 3 red phosphorous emergency flares, and a set of replacement blades for a John Deere ride on lawnmower</p>
<p>I mean she’s off to college!
Why deny her a few extra little luxuries…right?</p>