<p>Bigtrees comments about cutting cables got me thinking-</p>
<p>S want to bring his bike. A lot of kids have them on campus, he’s <em>not</em> bringing a car, at least for the first year.</p>
<p>As far as I know they are all stored on racks. I was going to get him a heavy duty lock, obviously not one of the thinnish cable types. Any recommendations for locks?</p>
<p>My S will not be separating his whites from his dark clothes. Is there a preference for a laundry basket or a bag he can bring stuff to the laundry room in?</p>
<p>I despair of him even folding his clean things :(</p>
<p>My kids preferred laundry baskets that they kept in the bottom of their closets. It made it very easy to carry the clean folded clothes back up to their rooms. They were also very handy to carry all the linens or small items to school for move-in.</p>
<p>Good point on the laundry baskets vs the taller pop ups. I never thought about the wasted space at the bottom of the closet.</p>
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<p>U-locks are generally the most secure. Depending on what college he will be attending, he may want to have two (one for the front tire and one for the rear). Some students will take their seat to class and into their dorm with them so people don’t steal that.</p>
<p>Your S will probably want to find a location that is safe. Some bike racks are in full view, while others are out of the way and not noticed. I picked an out of the way location and didn’t have a problem (also had an old bike).</p>
<p>On my campus, bike theft was a problem. But the majority of bike theft was caused by people not locking their bikes up and somebody “borrowing” it.</p>
<p>Yurtle: I got a chuckle out of the juxtaposition of these two comments</p>
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<p>followed by </p>
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<p>This is a fun thread. My college students are girls but what’s good for the goose is good for the gander here. I would recommend that when you move in that you have your kid put their “things” away while you focus on the clothes and making the bed. I found that most of the things I put away they forgot they had. </p>
<p>D2 “I think I have a fever.”
me “Did you take any Advil?”
D2 “I don’t have any”
me “you already used it all?”
D2 “huh? I have some??”</p>
<p>Also am realizing that when we move DS in 3 years from now it will be simpler and less expensive.</p>
<p>If your kid is in a warm state without AC in their dorm room yes on the fan!</p>
<p>and another endorsement of the Purex all in one Laundry Sheets!</p>
<p>–pop-up mesh laundry hamper with handles is preferred by both of my college sons. They hated the mesh laundry bags. Don’t buy a big pop-up hamper because they won’t do the laundry until it’s overflowing. </p>
<p>–first aid kit with bandaids, antibiotic cream, benedryl, motrin, cold medicine, immodium (for stomach upsets), extra toothbrushes, tweezers, and nail clippers. Yes, throw some condoms in there too and let them know they’re there.</p>
<p>–if bringing a printer, include a couple of extra ink cartridges</p>
<p>–debit card, checkbook, medical insurance card, photo ID (license or govt issued) other than the student ID, and a credit card for emergencies.</p>
<p>–laptop, ipod, extra sets of cheap headphones, cell phone—and all cables and cords</p>
<p>–bring all of the discs that came with the laptop (and the discs for any additional programs like Word, Photo Shop, etc.). They’ll need this if something goes wrong with the laptop. Also bring a memory stick or external hard drive for saving work.</p>
<p>–extra long size comforter, mattress pad, one set of sheets (they won’t use the second set), a few towels and wash clothes, slides or flip flops to wear in the shower.</p>
<p>–don’t overpack clothes. You won’t need the winter coats/clothes right away. You can ship them or bring them back with you at a later date.</p>
<p>–older son also brought a folding bookshelf. It’s been great and he plans on bringing it with him when he starts grad school in the fall. It folds completely flat and easily fits in the car. It has three shelves. </p>
<p>–cheap plastic garbage can and the bags to fit in it.</p>
<p>–desk lamp</p>
<p>–no-iron white dress shirt, a tie, one pair of dress pants, sport coat or black suit, one pair of dress shoes. They should have one outfit of dress attire.</p>
<p>Don’t overpack. The rooms are small and the guys won’t use half of the stuff that parents think they need. Don’t waste your money on clip-on lamps, extra sets of sheets, extra blankets, fancy storage things like sets of plastic drawers or organizers for the closet, bulletin boards, or white boards (kids text each other rather than write on white boards).</p>
<p>One thing that turned out to be really helpful was a bedside caddy that slips into the bedframe and can hold pens, calculator, highlighters, post-it flags and other nice-to-have-at-hand things for studying in bed. As far as I can tell, the desk was more of an art object or poorly equipped dresser.</p>
<p>S1 used the tools, cable ties and duct tape (can you say Scav Hunt?). Plan to supply the same for S2. He did not realize he had suffered through the winter without cold/cough meds until he opened the medicine bag when he got to his dorm for his summer internship and saw all the OTC meds I had so lovingly packed, still in their shrink-wrapped containers.</p>
<p>Flashlights and folding chairs are useful. Extra cell phone charger.</p>
<p>He HAS worn a shirt, tie and khakis on more than one occasion. </p>
<p>White noise maker (small HEPA or portable fan) is VERY useful. Two sets of XL sheets were plenty. Colored towels get spotted when bleach, cleaning products, etc. get on them. Dh bought S white towels from Costco last summer and those have replaced the nice colorful ones I bought when he first left for school.</p>
<p>A black comforter shows everything. Hair, leaky sinuses, food, etc. It all looks pretty disgusting. Large bookcase was useful but a pain. Will get a smaller one for S2.</p>
<p>S1 appreciates food in the room.</p>
<p>Many schools work with companies that rent refridg’s and microwaves. Depending on how far you live from school this can be a heck of a lot easier.
-denim comforter & sheets
-shampoo & body soap combination (one bottle makes it so much easier)
-OTC allergy meds (pollen is different in other parts of the country, even if your S hasn’t shown much of a prob. they may where they are in school).
-I can vouch for the black suit/tux fm JC Penney… on sale you can get this for $130 for the jacket & pants. They are sold sep. so alt are rarely needed. If they want to have fun with a funky vest, go to Marshalls or TJ Maxx.
-Casual pants & shirt w/ loafers (ie something other than jeans & a t-shirt).
-If the dorm doesn’t have A/C, a fan. They can bring it home at Fall break.
-Ext. cords & power strip.
-Several flash drives…they are tiny and get lost.
-Second cord for laptop. It will cost you about $100 +/- but it is worth it when they leave the original at home on a visit.
-Shower caddy only if they are using a hall bath. If they are in a suite, they won’t bother.
-Hanging shoe rack that has ‘pockets’ instead of hooks. This can be used to hold all kinds of things.
Have your student ask other students from that school as each one is different. The websites usually offer blogs where students can post questions to currents students about campus life.
Good luck to your son & to you. I’m sure you’ll both do just fine! :)</p>
<p>S’s bed is lofted, so a tray to hold his alarm clock and glasses (it hooks/screws onto the bed frame) was a must.</p>
<p>With two teenage boys in the room, you definitely need Febreze and lots of Renuzit air fresheners. It’s amazing how bad the room can smell when they only do laundry every other week (if that often)!</p>
<p>A trash can and box of trash bags. Hopefully they’ll take the trash out before it overflows onto the floor… :rolleyes:</p>
<p>S’s dorm doesn’t have A/C, so they needed lots of fans. A small, battery-operated fan is very handy up in the loft.</p>
<p>A small tool kit has been used quite a bit.</p>
<p>Invaluable for now two college boys: (1) small took kit, especially with a screwdriver that works on eyeglasses (and also then fits the small battery-compartment screws); (2) Power strip/surge protector–there are NEVER enough outlets in a dorm room–cell phones, ipods, computers, lamps, clock… etc. (3) Box with all kinds of medicines–advil, tylenol, sudafed, vitamins…etc. (4) No-Iron dress shirts - white and blue–they laughed when they were a gift–they thank me for them–and wear them–all the time for events (5) hot pot with auto shut off–these ARE allowed in dorms because of the auto shut off.</p>
<p>Always check your specific school’s housing website to see what is provided and what is allowed. Two of my kids’ schools provided trash cans and bags in the rooms and one had desks with built in desk lamps.</p>
<p>Sent my daughter with a toolkit too. She liked that it was pink, but we did teach her how to use the tools, and she did learn.</p>
<p>I also suggest checking to se how close the nearest Target, Home Depot, etc., is from campus, and then adjusting what you bring accordingly. I went a little too crazy at Bed, Bath and Beyond and ended up bringing home a desk lamp, clip on bed-tray and a mirror. Also brought home mid-year a really nice plush terry bathrobe that I thought was great but he never used - he just wears a towel from shower back to room. Also brought home a never-used printer at spring break - easier to use the campus facilities. Unless the campus is really remote - bring as little as possible initially.</p>
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<p>You had to teacher her how to use the tools?</p>
<p>I shouldn’t laugh, but I did. </p>
<p>Then again, my Mom had to teach me how to do laundry and I had to pass this info on to a guy on my floor who forgot to ask before going off to college. Looking back, I’m not sure why “put clothes in washer, add soap, turn on machine” was so confusing for us.</p>
<p>Heads up…some colleges do not allow halogen bulb lamps.</p>
<p>Here is what DS asked for during the first semester:
–A stapler
–A louder alarm clock
–Two more dress shirts and 2 ties (he had them at home but was sure he would never need them) Turns out there were numerous social events that called for a little pizzazz.
–Beach towels instead of bath towels. He likes that they are bigger, thinner and colorful. No one grabs his by mistake.
–More contact lenses.</p>
<p>Oh yes, an electric guitar. He bought this for himself over Christmas.</p>
<p>Another vote for not taking too much stuff, especially if your son has access to Target-type stores. We love our Amazon Prime membership. For an annual fee you get free two-day shipping–faster, easier, and usually less expensive than finding the time and a ride to go shopping.</p>
<p>A few things my son liked freshman year and still uses as a sophomore in his apartment:
–Stackable bins from Container Store (I forced him to buy them, and I was right)
–Lysol wipes (he and his roommate claim they never got sick because they swabbed down their room whenever a bug was going around)
–An under-bed storage box
–A medicine kit (I had to convince him that it’s like our medicine cabinet at home–there if you need it)</p>
<p>Biggest caveat: Don’t take too many clothes, sheets, and towels. Do take some dress clothes. If he is on a big campus and will do a lot of walking, his everyday shoes should be comfortable. Even my flip-flop son admits that.</p>
<p>Duct tape.</p>