<p>We have a big order from Target.com ready to ship as soon as school will allow boxes. That's another good way to get bulky things there. D has to have a fold up clothes drying rack... try to get that in a suitcase!
The gift bag idea is great - plus some birthday cards. Good for dorm celebrations! If there's room in that zip-lock add a little box of birthday candles!</p>
<p>most appreciated (girl)
#1 by a mile = egg crate or even better - memory foam mattress pad - worth every penny (a comfy bed is a retreat from the stress)
#2 washable cover for the comforter (beds get lived ON more than IN)
Don't spend a lot of money on the rug it gets destroyed/replaced every 6 mo.
Those little boxes that go under the bed legs to loft the bed (more room for storage bins)
A jewelry box with a lock and a jewelry box without a lock.
Endless supply of printer ink ;-)
A couple gift cards for restaurants (Olive Garden, Cosi, Panera...whatever's in town...for when you just can't stand the dining hall one more night)
The first-aid kit got used. medicines. Tylenol, Advil, TUMS, Pepsid ac (or other stomach). cream for cuts. bandaids.</p>
<p>Forgotten & needed later
copy (or original) of SS card to get a job
copy (or original) of medical insurance card </p>
<p>Don't stress - UPS ground works for things that can come later ~!</p>
<p>Students should always have their medical insurance card in their wallets. That's the kind of thing that when you need it, you're not going to want for the mail to come in.</p>
<p>A note about medicines--if your child doesn't already know this, explain exactly what each medicine is for, how it works, when to take it, side effects, etc. It's especially important for medicines like Nyquil, Midol, etc. where there are multiple ingredients to know what ALL the ingredients do. When it's 3 AM you don't exactly want to thoroughly read 5 medicine labels to figure all this out. </p>
<p>Not all kids learn this from their parents, and it's good to have at least someone on the hall who knows things like, Benadryl will make you drowsy, Midol has caffeine in it, Sudafed is great for a stuffy nose but won't help a drippy one, etc. I've met lots of kids who don't know any of this stuff.</p>
<p>my D did a redcross training for a summer camp this summer and when the instructor learned most of the trainees were college students, she talked to them about alcohol poisining, what to do if someone passes out, what to do with other problems that can occur with college students</p>
<p>she actually has helped three people already</p>
<p>Nail clippers. Dental floss (not just for teeth...has many uses.) Pictures of pets. Two or three 'comfort' books. </p>
<p>We bought a desk lamp with a base that holds office supplies since the desk has only a small drawer and not much top space.</p>
<p>cushion for the desk chair. DD didn't want it when I bought it, but says it's the one thing all of her friends wish they had.</p>
<p>I think every student should bring:
Cleaning supplies like toilet scrubbers
toilet paper
and paper towels......i had trouble surviving without those....well i brought toilet paper</p>
<p>What to bring? Good study habits. Discipline. Morals. Ethics. Integrity. Patience. Understanding. The Golden Rule. Tolerance....lots of it.....people are VERY quirky. Good eating habits. Maturity. Good housekeeping and laundry habits. Clean underwear.</p>
<p>What to leave home? Ego. Bad habits. Hooliganism. Lawlessness. Anger. Dark side. Laziness. Snobbery. "Attitude" Immaturity. Bratiness. Pettiness. Poor eating habits. Poor health habits. Messy habits. Insecurity. Emotional dependencies. Your complete high school history.</p>
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<blockquote> <p>I think every student should bring: Cleaning supplies like toilet scrubbers toilet paper and paper towels......i had trouble surviving without those....well i brought toilet paper>></p> </blockquote>
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<p>DD need some cleaning supplies for the sink in her dorm room. She did NOT, nor did her brother, bring cleaning supplies or toilet paper for the bathroom in the hallway. I would think this would only apply if you live in a suite with a bathroom where you are responsible for the cleaning.</p>
<p>Both kids did have Lysol wipes to wipe the desk area in their rooms every so often, however.</p>
<p>For kids who have regular prescriptions - how do other families handle refills? I know we don't remember in advance of running out now - but it's just a few minutes drive to the pharmacy.</p>
<p>arkitex- Both of DD's doctors have given her copies of her prescriptions to take with her. Getting a relationship with the pharmacy is on her list of things to do. She needs to be aware of possible interactions so needs a good place to ask questions, too. I believe most doctors will do the same thing since both of hers offered without even asking.</p>
<p>Our kids did two things with prescriptions last year. They filled them here at national chains that also had stores where they went to school (CVS, Walgreens). In addition, both kids took paper prescriptions with them in case there was an issue. There wasn't and these were not used. This year we are doing all of their prescriptions mailorder, so we (or they) just have to call the 800 number and have them shipped to the school. And yes, someone needs to remember to do this!! But it saves us a ton of money and is actually easier than going to the pharmacy as they deliver right to your mailbox.</p>
<p>If you carry home owner's insurance, you may want to check with your agent. We found that our policy covers our son's dorm room. The policy amount for his dorm has coverage up to 10% of the value of all the possessions in our entire house. So we did not have to purchase additional dorm or renter's insurance.</p>
<p>Our homeowner's policy covers the same way, but we decided to go with the lower deductible($25 vs $500) and the freedom to file a claim without involving our premium. We're going with <a href="http://www.studentinsurancegroup.com%5B/url%5D">www.studentinsurancegroup.com</a> ($87 for $5000 coverage). The rates are much lower than other companies I have seen referenced-- I hope they are reputable!</p>
<p>Philips head screwdriver. Maybe they are in all toolkits--I don't know. When you need one, you need one.</p>
<p>If you get an iron, get one of the automatic off ones. They are much less likely to start a fire. Speaking of which...</p>
<p>If there is none provided, a small fire extinguisher is in order.</p>
<p>Oh, and as silly as this may sound...make sure that your kid knows that you can't put tin foil in a microwave and, if necessary, put a little label on any microwave saying that. There's always someone who doesn't know it. One of the most common causes of dorm fires.</p>
<p>Hadn't thought about insurance - great thing to look into! Thanks for the idea.</p>
<p>Thumper1, the chair pad sounds like a good idea. What type did you get, and where did you find one?</p>
<p>Regarding prescriptions...I don't work for CVS (no ulterior motive!), but I recently found out that they will fill a 'script from one of their stores, even across state lines. Left my prescription medication at home by mistake when on vacation. Called the local cvs and they were able to retreive the info from their data base and give me a small supply to tide me over until I returned home. Other chains may do this as well. Thought the tip might come in handy for others.</p>
<p>2blue -- I'm not Thumper but we bought two pads for our house office chairs at Pier One. World Market has a nice selection of pads as does the inevitable Target. </p>
<p>(Actually we bought one at Pier One and then the identical one at Big Lots.)</p>