As UA students and parents reflect upon items they brought for on campus or off campus living, there are bound to be items you found useful or useless. It might be helpful to entering freshmen and their parents to read your thoughts. Add your thoughts below and specify gender and on or off campus if you like.
Leave it:
- laptop cable lock - shoulda left it in the packaging so I could return it…
- ironing board and iron (I was even going to buy him a STEAMER…whew, really glad I didn’t do that!)
- butterfly chair for his suite room (not comfy enough, never used, took up space), but a huge and heavy recliner-lounger would have been appreciated, I think!
Take it:
- a good (meaning not bagless) vacuum cleaner - invest in a good one that they will have for many years to come - bagless sticks and handheld dust busters just don’t cut it…
- mattress topper/memory foam pad
- a good lamp for desk/nightstand, because overhead lighting is the worst for work/study
- a printer/scanner - roommate contributed this to the collective pool of furnishings, so not every student needs it…sure you can print at other sites on campus, but having it in the suite/apartment has been a godsend on many an occasion
- an extra flash drive (others can be lost or break)
- ethernet cable if/when wireless is spotty
- multi-plug power strip w/ surge protection
Take it:
Memory foam mattress topper
Blackout panels and tension rod
Rain jacket and rain boots for girls
Ice scraper if your car isn’t in covered parking
Printer
Extra long Ethernet cable
Power strip with on off switch
Portable phone charger
Small supply box of medical supplies
Inexpensive wireless door sensors for off campus
Wemo cam and outlet control for off campus for added security and for checking in during breaks
Renters insurance (off campus)
Apple TV for off campus
Weather app
Flashlight
Leave it:
Too much of anything made for dorm
Anything bulky or difficult to store or move unless you really need it
Cable TV (off campus) except during football season unless you really love to watch television a lot . Apple TV works great and has no fee
Too many gadgets or too much clutter
Take it:
Passion and desire to learn and try new things
School spirit
Ethernet cable
Extra phone battery and charger
Cash
Credit card (cash and credit cards can still be processed in the event of a power outage)
Small vacuum
Formal clothing (suits are required attire for a number of events)
Passport or Social Security Card (jobs require proof of work eligibility) The passport also helps if one loses their wallet or decides to go on an international vacation directly from school.
Printer (sometimes you need something printed off ASAP)
Condoms (they also make great balloons)
Recommended vaccinations
Blanket (it can get chilly sleeping near the window)
Umbrella (Seattle natives don’t typically use these)
Bottle opener (some fancy sodas require these)
Leave it:
Attitude, stereotyping (the world has too much of that already)
Laptop lock
Too much cookware or cups/plates (especially with an unlimited meal plan, one isn’t going to be doing a lot of cooking)
2nd set of sheets
Desk light (I’m used to working with just an overhead light)
High School memorabilia
So far a great list. In the dorms the mattress topper is definitely a must (the extra set of sheets is not.) All my boys also had a comfortable desk chair that they bought from home (we stored the one provided under their bed.) Finally for those in suites, don’t forget that you must supply items such as toilet paper, paper towels, garbage cans and liners. Since my boy students do not have a car, we buy a whole pack of TP from Sam’s and bring it at move-in (as they are too embarrassed to walk with some from Publix). Finally for my sons I make sure they go to school with 21 pairs of underwear and 21 pairs of socks so they can go 3 weeks between laundry.
Take as many said an Ethernet cable, get one long enough to go from one side of room to the other in case they want to use their laptops of the bed.
Also one the take side is an external backup drive and the knowledge of how to backup their computer. Heard a few horror stories about laptops being stolen, dropped, fallen on, etc and the student losses all their work…,
^^ Take:
- YES, forgot to mention a good desk chair (adjustable, rolls, padded seat) - the ones provided are not going to be what they want. Costco or IKEA have good, inexpensive options (Costco is in Birmingham area; IKEA is further afield).
- YES, forgot about the external hard drive - great suggestion - teach them how to do this, and put a reminder on your calendar to remind them every few months (or whatever time frame you/they are comfortable with)
Must-haves:
Ethernet cable (and plan to use it when it’s time to buy your football tix for the following season!)
A steamer (if your kid is, or has suddenly morphed into, a fashion plate).
Memory foan mattress topper.
Is there a specific suggestion on these? I have been looking at different sites, and there are a huge variety of mattress toppers and huge range of prices.
I, personally, don’t like memory foam, so what is their main purpose? Are the mattresses saggy, thin, hard, uncomfortable?
The mattresses are thin, hard, and uncomfortable. Don’t worry about finding a twin XL because a twin will work. Both Costco and Sams Club have them from $75 to $100.
Some good stuff.
Take:
Thick foam mattress pad
Umbrella + Good rain jacket
Extra towels
scissors
Vacuum
Leave:
Excess kitchen supplies
Clutter
Take:
Folding Drying Rack - do Not put jeans or “delicates” in the dryers, they run too hot.
First, I have a daughter in an honors suite so some of the “leave its”, she definitely used…so you know your kiddo and what they would likely use…
Take it:
Umbrella
Wall clock (nice to have at eye level if bed is lofted)
Rug (yes, dorms have them-but they are not cleaned every year and the floor was pretty utilized as an alternative to sitting on the bed or desk chair, so it was nice to be on a clean rug)
Sunglasses
Fan-used in the summer when it didn’t get cool enough and in the winter if roomies had heat warmer than preferred.
White noise machine-to block out the evening noise when she just wanted to sleep or study
Laundry bag
Door-hanging full length mirror
Multiple over the door hangers-for bags, purses, towels, etc.
Over the door hanging shoe holder-remember, girl here 
Blanket or throw
Study buddy pillow
Lap desk
Printer and extra ink
Second set of sheets (mine put them on when she took off the dirty ones and didn’t feel rushed to wash right away)
Dryer rack
Iron/mini board
Floor lamp (bed was lofted and nice to have extra light up high)
Eggcrate topper ($25 at Targt-not a fan of sleeping in the “hole” from memory foam toppers), mattress protector
Copies (we scanned to her laptop)-medical insurance card, passport, driver’s license, prescriptions, bank acct info
Personal property policy (thankfully, didn’t need, but would get again…inexpensive for replacement coverage on laptop, cell phone, clothing, etc)
Over the counter meds-not an adult until 19 and they can’t purchase. Nice to have stash of cold meds, etc-just in case…
Leave it:
Backpack rain cover (mine couldn’t be bothered-used an umbrella)
Clothes steamer (Never used-just the iron. Thought she would use steamer for dresses to sorority events, but we always dry clean them anyway so they were good to go)
Vacuumn-purchased an expensive one for suite and after a couple of months (and four girls)-it was so clogged with hair it wasn’t salvageable-in RCS anyway, you can borrow a heavy duty one at the desk, which worked great.
Desk chair-debated this because I read so many took them, but daughter did not. Didn’t miss it-used pillow in provided chair for back and worked fine…depends on your student-but mine worked up on her bed with her study buddy pillow and lap desk, as well as, labs, library, sorority house.
Was searching for an item in this thread, so it seemed like a good time to bump it. Keep in mind, where technology is concerned, things change rapidly. Nonetheless, there are some great tips in here. Roll Tide!
Just FYI on STEAMER: #7 says you might want to consider sending a small/medium size steamer; #12 says skip the steamer, as they will use the iron instead. Depends on the kid…my son unfortunately will not even consider dealing with an iron and ironing board; however, he WILL occasionally use a steamer. Conair Extreme Steam works well for us (I bought one first and loved it, let him try it out, and he decided he could deal with it).
Had to add this. Checking the Bama account and there was a fee for a rental book. Asked DS why he didn’t return it. He told me it got wet in his backpack and though it dried OK, it didn’t look as good as it should have.
DS: “That umbrella you sent me wasn’t big enough and didn’t cover my backpack.”
Me: “Oh, you mean that umbrella you INSISTED you didn’t need and weren’t going to use?”
Next semester, a bigger and better umbrella!
UA Bookstore is VERY particular about water damage. Had the same issue….
^^ A waterproof backpack is a must!
Take it:
-First aid/medical/“mom I’m sick” kit (especially OTC drugs kids can’t buy underage and things like micro rice, crackers, ginger ale, chicken broth granules and how to use them in the micro)
-cereal bowls (even on a meal plan kids will eat cereal for fun)
-floor lamp and desk lamp ( overhead lights just not strong enough)
-thick bath mat (reminded DS of home)
-shower curtain (DS used one he liked from home and we put the dorm one back on at move out, no cleaning)
-plenty of plug in air fresheners (kids just stink)
-old towels (no need to purchase brand new towels especially if they share space)
-too many dorm decorations (it is a travesty all the nice stuff including those expensive headboards that get thrown away at move out)
-bucket, Pine sol, lysol wipes, magic erasers, trashbags (yes my DS used them)
-hangers (many people just seem to forget these)
-laundry hamper that is mobile (we had a stand up shell where the mesh insert can be pulled out with handles)
-plastic bins (great to store things in and to get things into the dorm room at move in)
-raingear (it rains SO MUCH; girls like those Hunter boots I think)
-waterproof bookbag/backpack
-over the door shoe hangers (you can use them for shoes and other things as well just to keep knick knacks from getting cluttered
-good warranty for your high dollar value items/electronics (we used CSI which was very cheap and covered all his belongings to damage or theft)
Leave it:
-those stick on wall letters (even though you’re supposed to use heat to get them off, I heard countless people having such trouble with those stupid things at move out)
-hotplates, crockpots, etc (read the prohibited list on the dorm website as many things you’d think are a given are not allowed)
-out of state bank account (unless it is easy to deposit checks with your computer/phone and you can get $ out of ATM without extra fees; USAA reimburses fees and their mobile app is awesome)