<p>I think I'll agree with the "less is more" philosophy. I was vaguely considering buying one of those suction devices that compresses comforters, etc into thin plastic. Of course, he might end up with bedding and towel that look like tissue paper when we're finished! Sounds like those storage cubes, especially ones with slide-out drawers, might be handy.</p>
<p>I would not be so concerned about storage cubes if your kid is anything like mine. For some kids, the floor is much more useful...</p>
<p>Seriously, you may want to find out what the room layout is like before thinking too much about storage. In my D's case, all the beds can be raised so that there's about 3 feet of space under the bed. Lots of storage options fit there. But I've seen other rooms where you would not even find much space for some cubes.</p>
<p>Boy I feel like a bhuddist monk, considering that when I went to college I flew back by myself with about 3 suitcases!</p>
<p>I guess I didn't think about the floor issue... looking at his room, yup. Seems to work for him, even though the sight gives me hives.</p>
<p>We were lucky to have s. in a large metropolitan city, so stores were not sold out of anything. The SuperTarget closest to campus still had plenty. I was worried, so rushed everyone over there the first night we arrived to pick up the dorm fridge (plus it was on sale, with the sale ending that day) and they had plenty. </p>
<p>My s's dorm also has a printer available for everyone, but we bought one of those small box-shaped printer, copier, scanner/fax machines, and it has turned out to be quite handy (and it is pretty popular amongst his dormmates). Besides, when you are printing something a 3 in the morning,who wants to have to go and retrieve it somewhere else in the dorm..</p>
<p>SUGGESTION:If you child plans to host prospies or have visitors, get them one of those inflatable mattresses, but be SURE to get the electric/reversible pump that comes with many of them. It quickly inflates and deflates the bed. The deflating part works like a vacuum-- just reverses the air action. Pretty cool. I found a twin mattress on line for not a lot of money, and yes, good ol' Target has them too. My s. helped one of the girls down the hall inflate one without a pump. Never again! They decided to leave it inflated for the remainder of the year and prop it up against the wall. Took them FOREVER to get that thing blown up!</p>
<p>There will be a vast difference between the amount of junk you buy for a girl vs a boy's dorm room. I couldn't believe the amount of stuff and the detail that the girls had. In contrast, they guys had spartan rooms, but with big entertainment centers. The trip to Target involved buying those round chairs so they could play video games. And I thought I didn't believe in sex differences.... Ha.</p>
<p>we shipped stuff via UPS. If you live near a bed bath and beyond, they have a service where you can order your dtuff at your local store or on line and have it delivered to the store that is closet to your campus. As we got closer to the college date (3 weeks) any thing we ordered on line we just had shipped directly to school which held it until move in day. when Daughter actually left for campus we only took her clothes, Roby (see I remembered) last year posted on how her son used LL bean Xtra large duffels (there are various threads, about this and other equally good duffels. we purchased one rolling, and one without wheels.</p>
<p>As far as the computer find out what the school uses and supports. If son is not the most tech savvy person, find out if they can order it through school (Dartmouth has an authorized Mac and Dell service center on campus. If you purchased your computer to them it was already set up with everything, mail, applications etc and we picked it up on campus move in day. If I knew then what I know now I would have ordered a printer at the same time. In the end I ordered on on line got free shipping and there is no tax in NH, so no harm no foul.)</p>
<p>when time to leave for the summer, with the exception of her clothes, we are putting everything in storage in NH (daughter said it was some really low price -$30 to store over the summer-worth the $$)</p>
<p>I did the drive or fly + UPS option when I went to a college 1200 miles from home. </p>
<p>S is more than 9000 miles from home now. Shipping from here is not a rational $$ option. </p>
<p>We take full advantage of international air weight limits for luggage. We use hockey bags because they weigh nothing and can be stuffed somewhere.</p>
<p>We also packed up a few boxes of store bought essentials when we visited grandparents in the US--and left the pre-addressed boxes ready for UPS pick-up--though I think my mom took them to the MailBox place. $60 for five boxes.</p>
<p>He carried his laptop. He floored us when he told us he had been shopping with his roommate for rugs and room decorating stuff. Hadn't seen an ounce of Martha-tendancies prior to college. That's for sure.</p>
<p>Wish, just a couple of head's up. There is a large Target just down US 1 from UMiami's campus and if you're going to do some purchases there, go EARLY. When we moved son in we waited till later in the day and couldn't find 1/2 of what we needed. That is the nearest larger department store to campus and Wal-mart's are not near as common in Miami. </p>
<p>Yes, printing is free on campus, but son tells me it's a good thing to have at least one printer in the dorm room. Lines at the printers can be long during certain times, plus when one is doing last minute revesions etc to term papers finding an open printer at 2am is a pain. He and his freshman roommate made sure they had one and shared and it worked out great. This of course is also contingent on roommates getting along...which they did. :)</p>
<p>Keep in mind the option of on line ordering a delivery right to the dorm. You may pay a bit more in shipping, but you'll save time and money.</p>
<p>Most kids bring/buy WAAAAAY too much stuff frosh year. Let them settle in and figure out what they really need. For instance, a suite of 4 kids does NOT need for refrigerators or printers. We have a printer, still in its shipping box, that we never even sent my D because she does not need it or want it.</p>
<p>What we found, and I suspect what you will find, is that you will go to the store for stuff that you never would have thought of.</p>
<p>So keep in mind:</p>
<p>Bulletin board for the door, other office supplies? Staples delivers.</p>
<p>Printer? Printer/Scanner? Printer/Scanner/Fax? Printer/Scanner/Fax/coffee maker? Dell delivers.</p>
<p>storage stuff, underbed racks etc? Lots of places deliver.</p>
<p>You will find move in day much less traumatic if you have less, not more.</p>
<p>Some colleges have floorplans of the dorms on their website so you can sometimes get the actual dimensions. Talking to roommate(s) ahead of time always helps to avoid duplication of large items. Some schools already have message/bulletin boards on each room door. </p>
<p>I agree that LESS is usually more than enough. Wait and see. Rooms are small, kids don't usually need all the stuff we/they think they need. It's easy enough to mail order just about anything anyone could ever want, and at the end of the year it all has to be dealt with. S. flew to his school with the allowable two suitcases and one carry-on. We sent maybe four boxes with bedding, small stereo, misc. We flew in for parent's weekend and hit Walmart for the few things he needed but didn't have. Kids help each other out, and it's even a nice way to get to meet people. Someone in the dorm (with a car) announces they're going to Walmart. The strangest story I ever heard was a friend's son's roommate freshman year. The two were sharing a small double but the roommate's father (carpenter) had made furniture for the room - tables, a chest, bookshelves, etc. There simply wasn't room for it but after the dad arrived with it in a u-haul (the student's parents were divorced and so he had two sets of parents helping him move in) friend's son felt there was no way he could suggest they'd be better of without it. Come to think of it, I'm sure this is a big emotional area for parents. We think we need to equip our kids for a stay in Antarctica with no hope of provisioning for six months. Most schools will send information on what to bring with their orientation material.</p>
<p>Thanks, 1tcm! That is useful. The two tour guides (a junior and a freshman) had a different take on the need for a printer. </p>
<p>Isn't there a Bed, Bath and Beyond south of the campus? Maybe not immediately south, but a few miles away? Seems to me I saw one - as well as a number of other stores where one could buy the dorm room stuff - when we were exploring south of the campus.</p>
<p>My personal plan, actually, is to employ the less is more philosophy, and to ship/bring most stuff, because I just don't see the need to buy there what I already have here. If S decides he really needs a frige or a rug or whatever, he and roommate can work it out and go get it a few weeks into school. Or we can help Parents Weekend, if it is in the fall. </p>
<p>When I asked S what he thought he might need that we didn't own yet, he said: new backpack with more pockets than the current one and a sports jacket! D spent time the summer before selecting a comforter, sheets and towels to "match" - S is happy to take one of the extra comforters we use for guests, D's old extra long sheets and any towels I am willing to send. I think boys are much easier!</p>
<p>What might be useful here is a list of <em>essentials</em>. I'll start:</p>
<ul>
<li>good desk lamp if not provided</li>
<li>extra storage (cubbies, under the bed containers, something)</li>
<li>something for laundry (bag probably, but my D prefered a laundry basket that she stored under her bed)</li>
<li>extension cords</li>
<li>shower caddy of some sort to get shampoo, etc. to and from the bathroom if it is down the hall</li>
<li>extra long sheets, pillow(s), comforter/cover</li>
<li>mirror if not supplied - hmm, seems essential to me!</li>
<li>small fan (essential on some campuses in August!)</li>
</ul>
<p>Things needed will vary from school to school. They do tend to send lists after May 1 and I've seen general "leaving for college" lists around. And Left... is right on - they are not going to Antarctica!</p>
<p>I'm amazed reading some of these posts. How much stuff are your kids taking???? TVs, entertainment centers, buying chairs, inflatable mattresses???? where do they PUT all this stuff?</p>
<p>I recall seeing in my D's freshman dorm some rooms that were PACKED with stuff (and boys' rooms as well as girls', btw). My D and her roommate were fairly spartan in comparison, and she said all year people would come into their room and comment on how enormous it was. While it was a good-sized room, it was the same as the others in the dorm -- it's just that they did not cram it full of stuff.</p>
<p>If my kid wanted to take a boatload of stuff, I would say if you can't fit it in the minivan, it's not going with you.</p>
<p>Yes there is a Bed, Bath and Beyond in Dadeland Station. There is also a Best Buy as well for last minute electronics needs. Publix for grocieries isn't too far from Sunset Place. The longest trip for us was finding a rug. There are vendors on campus selling dorm size rugs, but I thought they were very expensive and not very good quality. So we went to Home Depot, had carpet cut with the room dimensions and ended up getting it for less money than the rugs. It really made the room alot more comfy for them, and has been used again this year.....although son tells me it's seen it's better days. :) If I could give any advice to incoming freshman it would be to TALK to their roommate before buying anything. If they can come up with some compromise on who's bringing what before getting there it is much easier. Because otherwise it's Mom and Dad who have to lugg it back home when it isn't needed. :)</p>
<p>Our D is 8-10 hours from home. Freshman year we borrowed a suburban and loaded it all in and dropped her off. During the summer/holidays she will generally fly. Happily she can usually get a southwest for flyi discount flight. She and two other girls have rented a self-storage space near campus for all of her stuff. I hope to not have to drive all her stuff back until she graduates.</p>
<p>
[quote]
I'm amazed reading some of these posts. How much stuff are your kids taking???? TVs, entertainment centers, buying chairs, inflatable mattresses???? where do they PUT all this stuff?
[/quote]
Get those engineering students together and they have no problem figuring it out. Loft the beds, put the desks under the beds and VOILA- a whole wall where the windows are to set up the entertainment center. My s's roommate lives in-state, and they worked out the "who brings what" over the phone before they arrived. S brought the phone (they rarely use it), xbox and purchased the fridge and printer. Roommate brought the entertainment unit, the TV and the PS2. Oh, the roommate replaced the first tv with a bigger TV at Thanksgiving. The chairs they use to play the video games? They sit in the middle of the room.</p>
<p>As for the inflatable mattress, the reverse pump works as a vacuum and it (the mattress) packs back up into the box. I imagine when they inflate it there isn't much room left in the dorm room. But the mattress has been invaluable. If and when they have a party they are relegated to people who live in the suites, as they have livingrooms. </p>
<p>It sounds like all they do is play videogames and party. Quite the opposite. Can't speak for the roommate, but so far my s. has straight A's. So, if he wants to play videogames to relax, I am not complaining.</p>
<p>I didn't have any trouble finding the stuff my D needed at the local discount store. The stores seemed to be ready for the onslaught of college students, with Smith/Holyoke/Hampshire nearby. (The only thing we couldn't get was a folding clothes hamper, like the one we left behind.) We did ship some stuff but that does get pricy.</p>
<p>My daughter flew out to college as a freshman. We shipped all her bedding via UPS and a couple of other boxes, bought her the biggest possible suitcase allowed and she had a big rolling duffle. She's picked up other odds and ends, including a bike and a big rug, over the last year and a half but we were all glad that she didn't have a car's worth of stuff to worry about findling storage place for.</p>
<p>The next item she wants is a good office chair. One of those that is soft and turns around on wheels. I had never thought of it before but the school only provides one of those hard desk chairs and here she spends literally hours sitting in it working on papers. We're going out for a visit next month and will go shopping for one then. Guess we'll have to get the plastic thing for underneath too.</p>
<p>
[quote]
We did ship some stuff but that does get pricy
[/quote]
Yeah, but they do love those packages from home! I try to periodically send little care packages, just to put something in his mailbox and to let him know we miss him. Plus, food and little fun items are rarely turned away :)</p>
<p>I'm a bit late to this thread. However, I think the one thing that absolutely, positively must be purchased in advance is dorm sheets. If you are going to need extra-long dorm sheets take care of this as soon as possble. Also, you don't need to buy anything fancy to vacuum pack items. Target and BBB each seel bags that work with a common household vac. Items plum up beautifully after being amazingly flat. Amazingly flat. With the right sized bag, you could get a pillow, a comforter, two blankets, two sets of sheets, and the odd towel in a suitcase with room left for some clothes, especially if you vac pack the clothes.</p>
<p>Sorry about the prevalent typos in previous post. Darling D took that moment to IM me about computer virus problems that have shut down Word on her computer. We are on our second hard drive on a new Dell lap top and have had numerous virus problems. Is this a common problem when the campus is on ethernet links???</p>