<p>After freshman year it was very clear that son should have brought about 50 percent less stuff to school. They are not going to the wilderness! With kid #2 we are going to pack her up very sparingly and let her acquire what she needs as the need arises.</p>
<p>The one item returning freshman S2 is asking for is a kettle. He used his mug, cups, spoons and bowl, but the forks and knives, not so much. The nifty dishwashing dispenser/brush leaked all over everything his first week. The canopener was used for the bottleopener. 2nd set of sheets not normally used, but came in handy when he got sick and was too bushed to launder sheets.</p>
<p>Some schools will offer a hot/cold package which is a fridge with a freezer and a microwave in one compact unit. Also depending on the bathroom cleaning arrangement, they can use the dorm’s cleaning supplies when it’s their turn for cleaning duty. But it’s still nice to have their own clorox wipes, febreeze and maybe a dry duster for their own room.</p>
<p>I’m a current college student and Clorox wipes were the single best item I brought (after mattress pad). So easy to clean up spills, and I used them to dust upon move-out.</p>
<p>Thank you everyone. Great ideas!</p>
<p>Don’t forget the hangers. Everyone always forgets the hangers. An over-the-door plastic hook for wet towels is great - I think the 3M type of hooks would be too flimsy for a wet bath towel. Do reuse things like the zipper bags that blankets and pillows come in for under-the-bed storage. Don’t send too much!</p>
<p>I was thinking about sending one of those over the door multiple shoe pouch things so S could keep his little “treasures” organized. (cologne, stocking cap, gloves, those rubber bracelets, Advil, etc) Thoughts on this? For all I know they don’t even have doors on their closets…</p>
<p>I am hoping his dorm room has regular walls because I heard the 3M hooks don’t adhere to cinder block.</p>
<p>My son’s mattress at Carnegie Mellon was probably nicer than the one he had at home. He didn’t get a topper. I think 2 sheets is a good idea even if the second one never gets used. There might be an occasion when washing a mess right away just isn’t going to work. He loved having a fan for the hot weather. My kid had an apartment style room. He used a bowl and spoon for breakfast cereal everyday, but did no other cooking. His roommates cooked more.</p>
<p>From reading this thread and others, the trick seems to be to pack light… and add items locally as needed. The real trick will be at the end of the year finding storage for (or mailing home) the accumlulated items. </p>
<p>I’m considering sending old towels with my son, to trash at the end of the year. Maybe even same for comforter. Darn, wish that colleges didn’t need XL sheets.</p>
<p>If you have concerns about local shopping options or summer storage, try posting in the specific college thread.</p>
<p>I just picked up a nice set of twin XL sheets at Marshalls/TJMaxx for $19. They said after the 4th of July they get in a ton of dorm stuff. As for towels, my son played HS hockey and was forever losing them so I went to Target and actually got some surprisingly decent ones (in atrocious color so no one would “borrow” them) for only $4 each. These are going to go to school with him and I don’t care if I ever see them again.</p>
<p>D did not have regular closet. She had a wardrobe instead. The door to the room had hooks and a towel bar already installed so I had to take her over-the-door shoe rack, like the one referred to, back home. I recommend seeing if you can find some pictures online of the dorm your child will be living in. Sometimes you can get a good look at the furniture. My D’s room for next year has a regular closet. Since she will be staff, she already knows her room assignment. She knocked on the door and the current resident let her in for a look around.</p>
<p>things I packed that DS never used /opened: that 2nd set of sheets, vitamins, 409 spray, white board</p>
<p>things he needed once he got to school: a louder alarm clock, power strip for all his electronics, a stapler, more socks, more hangers (not sure where they all went…with the socks, i guess), the ties he refused to pack in the first place</p>
<p>How many towels would a girl need?</p>
<p>Depends on the girl. Does she do laundry frequently? Does she use a separate towel for her hair? D uses one bath sheet, one hand towel and one wash cloth (also one set of sheets). She does her laundry weekly. I also sent one beach towel and a picnic blanket. All of these items used frequently. D is at a school in California so the weather is good for about 3/4 of the year.</p>
<p>LOL…She doesn’t do laundry yet but she is getting ready to start 
She uses two towels…one for her hair and one for her body. I am thinking once she starts doing her own laundry, that might change.</p>
<p>There’s a great list in the College Life forum. Of course not all these items are needed for everyone, but it’s a great way to hear some suggestions of what different people like to have with them.</p>
<p>Kajon, my D isn’t in college yet (one more year), but she LOVES that hangs-over-closet-door shoe holder thing.</p>
<p>She does not use it for shoes, but for organizing all kinds of other stuff.</p>
<p>Critical recommendation: be sure to get the clear plastic kind. That let’s you see instantly what’s in each pouch.</p>
<p>I can think of a million things this would organize and maximize space: toiletries/cosmetics, hats, gloves, socks, scarves, pantyhose, scissors/tape/stapler, art or craft supplies, Advil, cough drops, bandaids, etc., showercap, envelopes/stamps, iPod, headphones, various electronic chargers, the list is endless.</p>
<p>My daughter’s is so cool and keeps her room so tidy, I’m thinking of getting one for the back of MY closet door. :)</p>
<p>On the over the door hangers…DD’s room door was too thick for those hangers. Also, check what is NOT allowed. Many schools don’t allow halogen lights and many of the nice desk lamps are halogen. It seems as though every college has different rules.</p>
<p>The door to the room in a newer dorm is extra thick; it’s commercial grade, for fire prevention, I assume. However, closet doors are standard thickness. I’ve even seen some OTD hooks that can be adjusted in thickness. However, don’t dream of giving a shoe-holder to a guy. He’ll never live it down.</p>
<p>For those with kids who will be a plane ride away, check with the school about when they will begin accepting packages if you plan to order online and request delivery at the college - should be somewhere in the student handbook or on the student life site.</p>
<p>We had about the right mix of desk/computer supplies, dishes, clothes, etc. but she didn’t use up everything and also took some “only one on the floor” type items like a veggie peeler and small tool kit, which didn’t take up much room and were very handy to have. I think I overstocked her and we agreed that she could have done with less as most is available nearby or can be sent via USPS for a few bucks. One thing she always needed more of was vitamins and hand sanitizer! The sanitizer is a must if they want to stay healthy in the dorms, we think, but is unkind to winter hands so a good hand lotion is needed. Most of her floor was sick for days on end, and her roommie came down with everything under the sun. I had D take a multi daily (it was only a chewable Flintstone-type) and echinacea during cold/flu season and she was only sick once. She was testing and afraid to take cold meds but I had also packed some myrrh in her med box and she was completely recovered within 2 days when her friends had been sick for days…that’s about the time the other girls started taking the vitamins too, which may be why she went through so many!</p>
<p>Well, I know it’s hearsay, but my daughter, who always comes down with at least one horrendous respiratory ailment, involving a week or two of coughs, etc, started with thieves’ oil this year, a drop or two in a glass of water whenever she felt a little seedy. She didn’t have a single cold all year, shared it with a couple of friends, etc., who also felt the better for it (thieves’ oil, according to legend, is a combination of essential oils of various herbs–cinnamon, clove, etc., that have actually been shown to have quite a strong antiseptic effect–allowing thieves during the plague years to steal from victims without getting sick themselves). I really would chalk it up to nonsense and placebo effect, except that my D really has gotten very sick every year with at least one hideous cold, leading to cough, leading to at least a week of lost school (till I get threatening letters from the high school: your daughter has missed more than x number of days of school, so she may not get credit for the year unless you appeal our decision)–and this year, she didn’t. Google it, if you’re interested; I got mine from Amazon.</p>