packing suggestions (move-in)

Colleges and Universities A-Z Smith College
1

<p>Couldn't find the list on my computer but managed to find what I'd posted here on CC on June 8, 2006. Today being June 6 is more appropriate...the logistics at times seemed to rival those of the Normandy invasion.</p>

<p>====</p>

<p>A pre-first-year that I met at an "Accepted Students" party had asked me if I had a packing list for what to take to Smith. Below is D's first-year list, segregated by Bring/Buy, which division will certainly differ if home is within driving distance. It's not definitive but should provide something for each individual to react against. I just remember running around for two days shopping here, shopping there amid all the orientation stuff.</p>

<p>For those from warm climes like SoCal, a winter coat, hat, (maybe a scarf) and boots are necessities but in our experience it was better to purchase those locally. Neither the selection nor the prices for winter gear are particularly good here...D found it helpful to see what other students from colder climes preferred and why.</p>

<p>====</p>

<p>School/Office Supply Store</p>

<p>Bring:</p>

<p>dictionaries (Latin, French)
CD holder
software
laptop & backpack
keychain memory</p>

<p>Buy there:</p>

<p>surge protector
extension cord
English dictionary
4 spiral-bound notebooks
four 1-inch 3-ring binders
looseleaf paper
computer paper
extra HP ink cartridge for printer
composition book
TI-84-Plus Silver Edition calculator
blank CD's
mechanical pencils
black ink pens
color ink pens
white out
graph paper (in spiral?)
scissors
mouse pad
batteries for clock</p>

<p>Bed/Bath/Beyond (etc.)</p>

<p>Bring:</p>

<p>flashlight
ipod, ear buds, speakers
laundry bag, hamper
blanket (lightweight souvenir "outdoor" blanket)</p>

<p>Buy:</p>

<p>alarm clock
pillow
pillow cases
sheets (twin size) 2 sets
mattress pad
comforter
blanket (Polartec)
desk lamp with bulb(s)
clothes hangers
towels
bulletin/memo board
wastebasket
cushions
shower caddy
under-bed storage</p>

<p>Drug Store/grocery store</p>

<p>Bring:</p>

<p>toothbrush
hair dryer
Benadryl
IcyHot
Bain de Soleil
retainers
mesh washing bag</p>

<p>Buy:</p>

<p>shampoo
conditioner
gel or spray
toothpaste
feminine supplies
Advil
Aleve
Nyquil
Dayquil
Sudafed
Maalox
Immodium
sewing kit
heel inserts</p>

<p>Other things to do:</p>

<p>Open bank account
Obtain local cell phone
acquire refrigerator</p>

<p>===</p>

<p>Of all things it might have made more sense to bring instead of buy, it was the alarm clock. Finding one that suited D took trips to three different stores, one of them twice.</p>

2

<p>Amend or add to compilation as you wish.</p>

3

<p>Thanks, TD! :D</p>

4

<p>Much appreciated!</p>

5

<p>Just re-read the list slowly and oh, my, things have changed…nobody would get a “local” cell phone anymore I don’t think. People are pretty well used to everyone having phones with “home” area codes, I suspect. </p>

<p>We save bucks by having a Verizon “family” plan so that we just keep D’s # on our account, subsidizing her slightly to this day. The economics don’t make sense for her to pay for a separate account and I really can’t see asking her to send us a check every months…so, what the heck, it’s a subsidy.</p>

6

<p>I know Smith has a health plan that you can purchase based on your own coverage, but what do people do as far as dental plans? I’m going to keep my home dentist, but I imagine it would be necessary to have some kind of back up plan at Smith if there’s a dental emergency or something. Any input?</p>

7

<p>We’re with California Dental but I think that plan includes out-of-state emergency service. Not sure. The one thing I might have thought more about was provisions for physical therapy. D broke a bone in her foot and the physical therapy she got in NoHo was fine for “regular” people but was grossly inadequate for a dancer and I didn’t appreciate how much it fell short at the time.
Not sure what the answer would have been except to send a check and tell her to make private appointments with a therapist. Ka-ching. From a dancer’s point of view, her foot isn’t what it should be to this day.</p>

8

<p>FYI D reports health services pretty bad and very slow and hard to get timely appointment. We are localish so not so much an issue - when she was really sick we picked her up and brought her home to her local Dr. You should se what out of state coverage your family plan has and look into a local off campus Dr. before buying Smith insurance.</p>

9

<p>For bedding, we found it simpler to buy all our bedding needs from RHL online for both our twins. The company had been recommended to me by my sister who used them for my nephew. The quality is adequate, not great, but the whole package deal is quite reasonable and guaranteed to last till graduation. We live in Massachusetts so we had it delivered at home where I was able to wash everything beforehand to get the sizing out, but they can ship directly to the school if that’s what works for you.</p>

<p>[Home</a> Page](<a href=“http://www.rhl.org/g?gclid=CPGM3-uGjqICFchD5godvmnzUw]Home”>http://www.rhl.org/g?gclid=CPGM3-uGjqICFchD5godvmnzUw)</p>

10

<p>Funny, TD, that your daughter was very particular about her alarm clock. Definitely different strokes for different folks! This last year my daughter simply used her cell phone as her alarm.</p>

11

<p>Definitely check with both your health insurance and dental and vision insurance providers to find out what their out of network policies are. And make sure your kid has all of her insurance cards and knows what to do if she has to go to the doctor/hospital/etc. </p>

<p>Dental emergencies are pretty rare, most students including myself just stayed on their parents dental plan and then got cleanings/checkups when we got home for winter and summer break (it’s like a ritual). </p>

<p>Health services can be pretty slow, though it’s better than nothing and they have a consulting nurse line which honestly I think is the thing most college students need. I’ve heard both sides of stories, that it’s not good at all or that it’s great, seems like soem people have a good relationship with them and others not. Before you jump at gettign the Smith insurance, I would check and see what the options are with using your own medical insurance.</p>

12

<p>Carolyn…awaking the D is a non-trivial exercise. The last two years of high school involved a klaxon, a crowbar, a hoist, and several verses from a necromantic book of Dark Arts. (She’s like me and tends to stay up way too late relative to when she needs to get going. But I understand that sleep is an oft-dispensed-with item among Smithies anyway.) </p>

<p>Now she uses an alarm clock <em>and</em> her cell phone, with one of them located across the room so that she has to get out of bed to turn it off. Me, I’d hate to use my cell phone on the principle that I don’t wish to be awakened by some person calling a wrong number or forgetting the time zones, etc.</p>

13

<p>I have heard that refrigerators are a dime a dozen in May from graduating seniors, etc. So I have told my MoHo bound D (sorry to be lurking here amongst the “enemy”) to wait until then to pick one up. It’s also greener to buy one gently used than buying a new one and having the gently used one get tossed out.</p>

<p>I would also add a good number of some extension cords and wall plug splitters, and a fan.</p>

<p>How about a phone answering machine with a wireless phone?</p>

<p>Snacks to share (popcorn!!) make for instant friends.</p>

14

<p>^ an answering machine is not needed, and a wireless phone probably isn’t either/won’t be allowed. The rooms are not so big that a wireless phone is required and the phones that come in the rooms have answering systems already built in. MOst of the time she’ll be using her cell phone anyway, as the room phones (at least at Smith) only call local numbers and campus numbers and require a calling card to do long distance (and since most of her friends will have long distance phone numbers on their cells, it makes more sense to use her cell to call them).</p>

15

<p>TD, I’m delighted your daughter has found a wake-up system that works for her (and I’m glad you don’t have to have in your house all that alarm paraphernalia, particularly the klaxon–nasty sound!). I, too, deliberately put my cell phone across the room so I have to get up. :)</p>

16

<p>The process my parents have to go through to wake me up for school sounds a lot like what you had to do with your daughter, TD.</p>

<p>For graduation, my parents bought me an alarm clock that, once it rings, jumps off the nightstand and rolls randomly around the room so you have to chase it to turn it off. I hope that does the trick. :D</p>

17

<p>Phanatic, that sounds like one wild alarm clock! I love it! :)</p>

18

<p>Here’s a bit of a laugh, for the morning-challenged: my D’s first semester, she called a high school friend in Chicago EVERY DAY to wake her up. This friend could not wake up without someone talking to her and had missed several classes because of it.</p>

19

<p>Carolyn, the klaxon was so bad, it was the “DIVE! DIVE! DIVE!” coming over the loudspeakers with it that upset the local equilibrium.</p>

<p>Phanatic, sounds like a great alarm clock that would improve hand-eye coordination.</p>

20

<p>Phanatic - where did your parents get that alarm?</p>