<p>Packing for college lists are available many places but I would like any current or past students/parents insights on what to bring- what to leave home- Keeping in mind Elon's culture. </p>
<pre><code>~For example do a lot of kids use laptop locks or really not at all.
~Are bikes really used by those who bring them?
~ I have a son - will he need a suit jacket at some point during the year?
~I doubt a second set of sheets are really needed. True?
~In dorms without kitchens do kids need a bowl , mug and spoon or is it better to use
disposable stuff?
</code></pre>
<p>I am a current student going into my sophomore year. Elon is a great place and I absolutley love it. </p>
<ul>
<li>I have not seen anyone with a laptop lock</li>
<li>Some people do have bikes, it just matters where your son is living on campus. I lived in Smith ( the all guys dorm) last year which is right in the middle of campus so i didnt need a bike. However, if your son is living somewhere further away ( like daniely) than a bike would be very helpful</li>
<li>the only reason your son would need a blazer or sport coat is if he pledges a fraternity. I had to wear it during my pledge process and i know it was the same for all other fraternitys</li>
<li>I didnt use my second pair of sheets</li>
<li>reusable bowls are alot better for making things in the microwave ( ramen, easy mac)</li>
</ul>
<p>Other than that I hope your son lives in smith because in my opinion it is the best place for freshman guys. Elon is a grea place and hopefully he will like it</p>
<p>My S will be a senior at another college this fall. As an incoming freshman he thought a 2nd set of sheets was a waste. However, he now tells me he uses them. He said there were times he was about to fall into bed at night and realized his sheets kinda stunk, but he was not about to go do laundry. So he threw the dirty sheets in his hamper and put on the second set. I also think a second set is important in case the kid gets sick. They really don’t take up that much room.</p>
<p>My daughter will be a junior (studying abroad this fall). I don’t recall ever seeing or hearing of anyone using a laptop lock.<br>
I’ve seen a lot of kids with bikes.<br>
I really don’t know about the jacket…but i do know my daughter often had to dress up for presentations, etc.
My daughter did use her second set of sheets…she would put clean ones on while the dirty ones were washing.
Elon is very green…they encourage students not to use disposable dishes. </p>
<p>Girls keep boots and flip flops around for when it rains…Elon puddles.
my daughter had a kitchen her first year and never really used it. Last year she had a microfridge and used it all the time. Easy to pop in the microwave meals are nice. </p>
<p>Chairs, lamps, and extra blankets are nice. (of course I am the mother of a girl who loved decorating her room. Have fun!</p>
<p>Question - my daughter will be in one of the dorms that has a small bathroom shared between 2 doubles. They told us Elon supplies toilet paper, but the kids in those suite-style rooms have to clean their own bathrooms. Does Elon supply cleaning products, or will the girls need to get those themselves?</p>
<p>Yes, they do supply toilet paper but you have to go and get it from the residence office assigned to your dorm. It is cheap enough to buy your own. Yes, the students do have to clean their own bathrooms. The school does not supply any cleaning supplies. My son found that having a broom and dust pan, a swifter wet jet are great for cleaning the floors. He also bought one of those automatic shower cleaners that you hang really helped in keeping the shower clean.</p>
<p>Bikes: Where do they live on campus? Danieley is the only one I would say he might really want it, though the walk isn’t bad at all, a bike is still nice.</p>
<p>Suit jacket: Bring one. Whether he’s planning to rush, potentially go to a crush party, giving a speech in class, a suit is always good to have if you can keep it in good shape.</p>
<p>Sheets: Bring doubles. The laundry machine sucks, and there will be times where you will NOT be able to wash your sheets so having an extra set on hand is advised.</p>
<p>Kitchen stuff: Mostly depends on where they are living on campus, but I found it to be nice to have an actual bowl, mug, etc. I’d bring some, but also get a lot of plastic.</p>
<p>Thanks for the answer about the cleaning supplies!</p>
<p>I have more questions regarding Phoenix Cash, the bookstore, etc.</p>
<p>How does Phoenix cash work? Do we add money to that when we drop her off at orientation? Can we add money to it online?</p>
<p>Also, if my daughter buys something at the bookstore, I know she can pay with her bank debit/credit card. Can she also pay with Phoenix Cash? Or instead, can she have the amount added to her Elon bill that we get from the Bursar’s office? (at my son’s college, purchases at the bookstore go on his college account and then we get the bill from the bursar’s office)</p>
<p>I’m just trying to figure out how much to put on her Phoenix card, and how we do that. If she will be charging books to the card, I’ll need to put a lot more money on it.</p>
<p>Hi, Lafaalum. The Phoenix cash deposit is really easy- on BLACKBOARD there is a way to add money to your student’s card, charged either to your credit or debit card. Be careful to choose where you want it applied, as there is a pull down menu, for either phoenix cash or only for meals. You can also use the card at the bookstore, they are a Barnes and Noble store, so if you have any B and N gift cards, she could use them there as well. The following link tells you what you can use the Phoenix card for: </p>
<p>It is very handy for extra food and laundry. We would put three hundred dollars on his card, but he always seemed to need a little more by the very end of the semester. (maybe late night munching for finals!) Hope this helps, and good luck!</p>
<p>NJMOM is right, it is really easy to add money to the phoenix card on Blackboard. Just be careful not to put it all on “food dollars”, I made that mistake. When you go for orientation you can and money to it at the Phoenix Card office, Moseley 111A or there is a Phoenix Card machine near the Mail Center in Moseley. The students aren’t allowed to charge anything in the bookstore to their account. There are many stores and restaurants nearby that accept the Phoenix Card as well. My son’s freshmen year I usually added $100/mo. for laundry, snacks, etc. You know that you can order her books ahead of time. have her pull up her schedule on ontrack, there is a tab that will take you to her classes and which books she will need. I did that the first semester and then realized the students really don’t get that much for the books when they sell them back. From then on, I purchase all of my son’s books from Amazon, or Half.com. This past Spring semester I purchased $400.00 worth of books for $80 and all of the books were in excellent condition. Down the road if your daughter moves off campus you may want to skip the meal plan, it is way too expensive. I can explain in detail if you pm me.</p>
<p>Still waiting for my daughter’s schedule too - any idea when we get it? </p>
<p>Thanks for the info, njmom and noccamtmom. Do you know how much laundry costs? Just trying to figure out how much money to put on the card. My daughter’s room is right across from the laundry room so she may actually keep up with her laundry!</p>