<p>I'm sure a saw a thread started somewhere recently which listed what their S or D had needed/bought for their dorm room. I've done a search for it but nothing is coming up- can someone point me in the right direction? We need to start shopping soon and we only have a vague idea of what our S will need - he's more focused on choosing a roommate and choosing courses right now, but I'd like to get ahead.
Thanks-</p>
<p>There are lots of threads on it so posters can help link them.</p>
<p>However, I noticed the other day that when I went to Amazon and was looking for the info on Amazon Prime and clicked the ‘Amazon Student’ link to the right, that the page indicated a lot of the supplies a student might need/want to have at the dorm. It can be a good reminder.</p>
<p>I think I’ve seen the thread as well, but I’m not sure where it is. In the meantime, Bed Bath & Beyond has a checklist that you can pick up in the store to get you started.</p>
<p>This thread might give you some tips as to what you think your student needs, but they don’t:</p>
<p><a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/parents-forum/926984-10s-what-did-you-send-college-your-child-never-used.html[/url]”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/parents-forum/926984-10s-what-did-you-send-college-your-child-never-used.html</a></p>
<p>Good ideas, thanks…
</p>
<p>Yes, I’m sure there are things I’d like him to take that he’d end up never using…I’ll definitely be looking at that too. A friend of mine told me each time she took her 3 daughters to college, she stayed in a hotel nearby (will be doing that too) and each daughter ended up calling her the next day with requests for mom to go shopping for lamps and rugs and more storage boxes and other things. I’m expecting that too:)!! </p>
<p>I’ll keep looking for this list because I know I saw it (why didn’t I book mark it??!) and I’ll post it if I find it…</p>
<p>Here are some examples of checklists. Just make sure to check with your college to see what is and isn’t allowed. They usually have a list online in their housing section. For example, my daughter can’t have extension cords, nor are they supposed to have bed risers (although her roommate does, I notice.) Good luck! We have to go and move her out in a couple of weeks and I’m not looking forward to lugging all that stuff down three flights of stairs. At least, it’s down! :)</p>
<p>As for starting to buy supplies now, many stores don’t put their dorm supply inventory out in full force until the summer. Last year I bought a few things before that and starting stashing them away in a spare room. But, it wasn’t until July that I could really find larger items at stores like Target, Bed, Bath and Beyond, Kohl’s and Ross. </p>
<p>[Dorm</a> Essentials Checklist - The Ultimate College Dorm Checklist](<a href=“http://www.gifts.com/ideas/dorm-essentials-checklist]Dorm”>Dorm Essentials Checklist - The Ultimate College Dorm Checklist)</p>
<p>[Dorm</a> Supplies, college checklist for students: desk & school supplies, electronics, food supplies and other essentials for college dorm living.](<a href=“http://mydormsupplies.com/college_checklist.html]Dorm”>http://mydormsupplies.com/college_checklist.html)</p>
<p>[Checklist</a> for college dorm - first year of college](<a href=“College Board - SAT, AP, College Search and Admission Tools”>Campus Life – BigFuture | College Board)</p>
<p>[College</a> Checklist - Bed Bath & Beyond](<a href=“http://www.bedbathandbeyond.com/bts01_checklist.asp]College”>http://www.bedbathandbeyond.com/bts01_checklist.asp)</p>
<p>[108</a> College dorm necessities to have on your checklist | Xatal](<a href=“http://xatal.com/life/108-college-dorm-necessities-to-have-on-your-checklist/]108”>http://xatal.com/life/108-college-dorm-necessities-to-have-on-your-checklist/)</p>
<p>We used the Bed Bath and Beyond checklist and while obviously we didn’t get everything on the list it did help with items we hadn’t thought of. When we went in to order our supplies (we picked them up near his college) they had a checklist personalized to his college.</p>
<p>From my experience boys seem to “need” much less than girls. What was really helpful for both my kids were the show and sweater hangers for making more room in the closet.</p>
<p>Here is the compendium of collegeconfidential wisdom on the topic.
<a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/parent-cafe/53990-last-years-shopping-checklists-bedding-threads.html[/url]”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/parent-cafe/53990-last-years-shopping-checklists-bedding-threads.html</a></p>
<p>One often forgotten item? Clothes hangers. </p>
<p>One of my D’s friends forgot to bring his backpack - it wasn’t on his list of “dorm room supplies.”</p>
<p>My daughter got a lot of use out of her Leatherman multi tool and it was borrowed often.</p>
<p>Send in a small supply of whatever your kid likes to take for a cold or allergies When he gets sick, he will be glad not to have to go to the drugstore.</p>
<p>Look at all of the lists as things you might want to consider, rather than as “things to bring.”</p>
<p>In thinking about a leatherman or Swiss Army knife, do colleges tend to be as terrified of “weapons” as high schools?</p>
<p>@proudmom
My mother told me at story about walking into a post office by where we lived two days after the semester started to mail me my bathrobe and being greeted by a line made up of exclusive parents of college kids mailing them what they forgot.</p>
<p>mathmomvt–No.</p>
<p>There is a list on the College Life forums… Should be near the top. I think it’s “A to Z of what to bring to College.” however most of the things on that list I never would have used or even considered having, and I don’t know many other people who did or would have. I created my own list by thinking of all the things I used daily and also writing down anything I discovered was useful.</p>
<p>“If in doubt, leave it out”. That’s especially true if traveling by air and/or stores are near campus.</p>
<p>Daughter’s three suitemates failed to remember to purchase or bring cleaning supplies - good thing I invested heavily in this area.</p>
<p>Terrific replies- thank you! I feel like such a newbie to all this…my S is the first of the kids to go to college and it doesn’t seem that long ago that he was knee high and adorable…now he’s almost 18 and a (wonderful) young man. Where does the time go? </p>
<p>Am going to check out all your suggestions…I have to say, cleaning supplies hadn’t occurred to me!! He would definitely have left those off the list!</p>
<p>Assuming that they’re in a traditional dorm and that bathrooms are not cleaned by the students themselves, what kind of cleaning supplies should we be thinking of? I would assume there is a vacuum/broom/dustpan owned by they dorm that they can use for vacuuming and sweeping up, and I honestly can’t imaging kids (especially boys!) doing much cleaning beyond that.</p>
<p>I’ll just note that some of the lists, particularly those at sites that sell you things, are exceedingly long. BB&BY has 140 separate items. You’d never fit it all in a dorm room!
Mom of a boy, I’m looking over the lists and coming up with my own suggestion list which we’ll probably prune down. I wouldn’t buy cleaning supplies at all. I certainly don’t remember ever using any, and I can’t imagine that they would be hard to come by.</p>
<p>Giggles…there is a typo in one of the linked lists:</p>
<p>mouse for mousse (under personal care items…)</p>
<p>My D had to travel across the country to get to college (same college as OP). We sent her with 2 suitcases full of clothes and a laptop. She was told to purchase the rest. It was amazing what she DIDN’T need! No rugs, lamps, storage, extra shelving, vacuums, irons, etc. (We did ship a box later with a few items from home).</p>