<p>Ok, do we want to start the list of what they need, or is there a list we can link to? Four months or so to go to OA or AA. Our issue is we will be flying, so whatever we could do without I would like to. I’ve already purchased one package of xl sheets as I couldn’t find decent ones anywhere and thought I’d better order them. Now I am thinking about a printer? Also, mattress cover & foam topper, I assume xl will be hard to find. Are there shower doors in the honors suites?</p>
<p>There is a link in the parents forum about what to bring (can’t find the link right now; I’ll check later) but Bed, Bath & Beyond, Target, WalMart etc. will all have lists of a gazillion things that they think your child needs for college. You know your kid. Look at the lists and think about what they’d really use. Here’s the link for BB&B: [College</a> Checklist - Bed Bath & Beyond](<a href=“http://www.bedbathandbeyond.com/bts01_checklist.asp]College”>http://www.bedbathandbeyond.com/bts01_checklist.asp)</p>
<p>Someone on here had a fantastic thread about how they shipped everything to Paty including the hand truck. </p>
<p>As for shower doors, no. There is a plain white vinyl shower curtain liner. My d got a cute shower curtain for in front with a matching bath mat. But boys may not need that :)</p>
<p>ETA: Links from the main Parent’s Forum:
<a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/parents-forum/926984-10s-what-did-you-send-college-your-child-never-used.html?highlight=what+to+bring[/url]”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/parents-forum/926984-10s-what-did-you-send-college-your-child-never-used.html?highlight=what+to+bring</a></p>
<p><a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/parents-forum/910715-list-important-things-bring-college-boys.html?highlight=what+to+bring[/url]”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/parents-forum/910715-list-important-things-bring-college-boys.html?highlight=what+to+bring</a></p>
<p>yep - malanai is the sensei of college shipping! : )</p>
<p>they need lots of things!</p>
<p>a couple of things that have been handy that may not be on your radar are a medicine kit and a tool kit. i saw a tool kit at big lots yesterday for 14 bucks. worth a look.</p>
<p>over the door hangers with multiple hooks - we took one but 3 would have been handy.</p>
<p>over the door storage for shoes (girls - boys may not need this as much)</p>
<p>if you outfit your closet to use all the space well, you will have plenty of room for storage of clothes and other things.</p>
<p>whatever you get - save the receipts in case multiples show up. there is not enough room to have multiples of things, so just take them back.</p>
<p>my DD also got a pretty shower curtain. : ) </p>
<p>towels - 4 should be plenty for one person - there is not a lot of room to store a bunch of towels. i also sent 2 beach towels.</p>
<p>command hooks, power strip, coax cable.</p>
<p>i ordered the mattress topper from amazon. sheet suspenders (walmart) to help keep the mattress pad on. xl mattress pad was easy to find. you will find plenty of xl stuff in the summer in the college section.</p>
<p>those are a few things that come to mind for me.</p>
<p>I think a list is an excellent idea. I have a DD but we started a list about this time so that when she registered for graduation gifts people could see what she needed/wanted and choose accordingly. Most of the “new for Fall '11” items will most likely not show up in store until July. I know with having to be there for recruitment we felt like things seemed to be late coming in and were last minute scrambling. I would also watch for sales…I know our printer was free when we bought a lap top. If you are a Mac user Apple has an educators discount you can use. I know a lot of posters are NMFs so the computer doesn’t apply. If you are driving just a hint…we packed everything in the $1.99 cloth bags from Bed Bath and Beyond. They had handles and were easy to transport. The men who moved us in raved about them. For the girls…alot of them put curtains on a tension rod across the bottom of their bed to make a long bedskirt…they then put large tubs under for t-shirts, hoodies, shoes ect (although most of the girls had hanging shoe racks). Don’t forget a clothes hamper or dirty clothes bag…we put those round balls that you put in smelly tennis shoes in it to keep it fresh. I will have to go fishing for the girls list…we moved DS as a freshman 3 years ago and boys are a whole different story.</p>
<p>made a combo tool and first aid kit out of a fishing tackle box. One side = tylenol, nyquil, pepto, bandaids etc., the other 2 screwdrivers, wrench, duct tape and some other little stuff. Has come in quite handy! Sure there is Publix but who wants to make a Publix run when they have a bad cold?</p>
<p>S is my third, so you think I would know, but I think there are some unique things about Bama particularly the super suite set up. My S has a lot of clothes and shoes. He just isn’t a throw on some sweats kind of guy. Maybe college will change that- when he has to wash it all himself. Couple of questions on the comments-
- How do you “outfit your closet well”?
- so you are saying the shower has the rod and the vinyl liner? Do they replace it each year, or are you supposed to replace it every couple of months?
- Will an actual extra dresser fit under the bed when it’s raised or some of those plastic things with drawers? The plastic tubs sound good but not if you have to constantly rummage through it.
*how many doors are there for over door hangers? What are they used for apart from shoes?
*a small portable type printer would be ok? Not the flatbed kind with the scanners right?
*music is important, he is thinking of asking for graduation for one of those small systems that apple carries, don’t want anything too big/loud
*is there a dry cleaner that delivers on campus?
*how late is Paty open to get packages that first OA/AA week. It doesn’t seem like they will have a lot of time until after dinner.
*how often do they do the Target buses during WOW?
*Publix is on the strip right, how far is that from Ridgecrest S-N?</p>
<p>I’m hoping he connects with the 3 unknown room mates to perhaps coordinate some things, but I can’t see the guys doing a lot of coordination. Unfortunately if it doesn’t fit in two duffle bags or in a shipped box or two it isn’t getting there.</p>
<p>** How do you “outfit your closet well”?*
The closet already has good shelving. the extra organizers make the space better suited to each person’s specific wardrobes.</p>
<p>** so you are saying the shower has the rod and the vinyl liner? Do they replace it each year, or are you supposed to replace it every couple of months?*
The curtain can be cleaned somewhat easy and is also cleaned by the cleaning staff during the summer.</p>
<p>** Will an actual extra dresser fit under the bed when it’s raised or some of those plastic things with drawers? The plastic tubs sound good but not if you have to constantly rummage through it.*
The dresser will fit if the bed is set to its maximum height, as will the plastic chests with drawers.</p>
<p>*how many doors are there for over door hangers? What are they used for apart from shoes?
One entry door and two closet doors.</p>
<p>*a small portable type printer would be ok? Not the flatbed kind with the scanners right?
Of course. UA has scanners and copy machines if you need to use them.</p>
<p>*music is important, he is thinking of asking for graduation for one of those small systems that apple carries, don’t want anything too big/loud
That’s fine, provided that he has it at a respectable volume ie roommates can’t hear all the song lyrics when he’s playing it at 1 am. :)</p>
<p>*is there a dry cleaner that delivers on campus?
Yes, it is part of the Bama Laundry service.</p>
<p>*how late is Paty open to get packages that first OA/AA week. It doesn’t seem like they will have a lot of time until after dinner.
Paty is usually open until 5 pm. AA will include afternoon break periods during which he can pick up packages. OA has a slightly different schedule that may not include afternoon break periods.</p>
<p>*how often do they do the Target buses during WOW?
IIRC, The buses will run late Sunday evening during WOW for an after-hours shopping event and Sunday Afternoons during the school year.</p>
<p>*Publix is on the strip right, how far is that from Ridgecrest S-N?
It’s a 5-8 minute walk.</p>
<ul>
<li>How do you “outfit your closet well”?
The closet already has good shelving. the extra organizers make the space better suited to each person’s specific wardrobes. depending on if you need more shelves or more drawers you can add what suits you.</li>
</ul>
<p>Depending on how many clothes, what type of clothes your kid has, you outfit the closet with different closet organizers to hold the things your particular kid needs to store.</p>
<p>my DD used all her dorm drawers up with jeans, tshirts and … something else (three drawers), so we got her two of the 3 drawer plastic storage drawer bins at target when we got there. those hold underwear, socks, pajamas, shorts, swimsuits and something else. makes it easy to put things away when you have a specific place to put it. also with underwear or socks in their own drawer eliminate the need for folding them. : )</p>
<p>her suitcases fit behind the plastic drawer things in the closet and her other smaller travel bags (large duffel and small duffel) are inside.</p>
<p>on one of the closet shelves, she has three canvas bins. they hold dvds and that type thing.</p>
<p>on the top shelf of her closet she has her tool box some games and dress shoes in boxes.</p>
<p>she has shoes in the over the door shoe organizer (sandals and flop flops) and she has other shoes either in boxes or on the floor under where her shirts hang.</p>
<p>she has one of those hanging jewelry things with little zip pockets to hold all her jewelry where she can see and find whatever she is looking for.</p>
<p>*how many doors are there for over door hangers? What are they used for apart from shoes?</p>
<p>the over the door hangers i was talking about are the kind with about 5 hooks. she has one on the back of her entry door that holds things like purses and backpacks. they could also use one in the bathroom to hang towels or bath robes. one towel holder is over the toilet and not very handy. the other one is handy but it is only big enough to hang one towel to dry.</p>
<p>we added a tall bookshelf from target ($25). it is not foldable. it is handy to have and holds things like her tv, books, and a few things like framed pictures.</p>
<p>IMO there is plenty of room in these rooms, especially if you loft the bed. most kids in college are sharing a room roughly this size with another person! my DD has the nightstand, desk and dresser under her bed giving her room to have a comfy chair and ottoman (butterfly chair) and an additional bookshelf in her room. the chair can be brought out to the living area to watch movies when needed. : ) and she has been able to keep her room clean all year without much trouble.</p>
<p>The newer style of plush covered hangers that are very thin are great. You can fit so many more of them in the closet than the plastic tubular type. We found a great deal on them at Costco (like the plug, AL34?) and then got some accessories for them (skirt clips and add on clips to make them cascade) at Bed Bath and Beyond.</p>
<p>i think they may also have that type of hanger at places like tjmaxx.</p>
<p>Printer: my D got a regular Canon printer (in Crimson!) almost exactly the same as the one we have at home. Malanai’s son was kind enough to be her personal, onsite technical support when there was a snafu setting it up 
She had bought a little $7 table at ikea that she uses for her printer & some books. You don’t have to worry about getting a small printer; he should have room enough for a regular one. </p>
<p>I’ll also third the suggestion for a tool box & first aid kit. D ended up getting 3 or 4 colds that first semester and was really happy I’d sent the Costco pack of Nyquil :)</p>
<p>Since we are staying in the dorms for BamaBound, I am thinking that would be a good time to plan how the room should be arranged (assuming we are RCSN) and what additional things (storage, bookshelf, etc.). Does anyone know which dorms the parents stay in for BamaBound?</p>
<p>^ two things randomparent -
First, even though the rooms are similar in size throughout the honors dorms, there are different closet vs. door vs. window placements for the A,B,C,D rooms. BamaBound is good for getting a general idea of the size of the room but not for specifics. For example this year DSs Ridgecrest W “B” room, though similar in size, seems to have the smallest workable space when you look at the closet/door placement.</p>
<p>Second - and of course your mileage may vary, much as our son loves us to bits and appreciates everything we do for him etc. (disclaimer!) The setting up room and moving of things around his space was something he wanted to be his own thing. You’ll find several stories on here about how the hallmark moment of dropping your son at college didn’t turn out quite as pictured. The minute DS walked on campus we were on his turf, room layout/unpacking suggestions from DH were not appreciated. After some drama he did a few things and then of course completely changed his room as soon as DH had left.</p>
<p>What did work was me picking up the various items, comforter, dishes, clothes, shelves etc. over the summer and making sure he was taking what he needed. I didn’t mind and it was basically the last time I was able to really do something like that for him. Moral of this is (for us) do what you can to make sure they have what they need and then let them have at it. :)</p>
<p>I found it! Momof3boyz posted a very detailed account of how she shipped her son’s stuff from OOS. It’s incredibly thorough and I’m sure it will answer many of your questions:
<a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/university-alabama/889722-packing-tips-out-state-students.html?highlight=paty+shipping[/url]”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/university-alabama/889722-packing-tips-out-state-students.html?highlight=paty+shipping</a></p>
<p>PACKING TIPS FOR OUT OF STATE STUDENTS:</p>
<p>As many of the freshman Out of State students are gearing up for HS Graduation and Party, family and friends may ask you (or parents) what you need for college. Since you probably have’nt given this much thought, I would like to offer some ideas and shortcuts that will make move in a breeze. </p>
<p>My first two sons attended school FAR from home (Central Ohio). My oldest went to the US Air Force Academy his first year. First year cadets had very little freedom and could not leave campus without a pass and they had no transportation either. I got real good at preparing care packages for his situation. </p>
<p>My second son is at UA. He attended Alabama Action and arrived afternoon on a SUNDAY. We initially did not allow him to have a car on campus. He purchased a cheap bike at Wal-mart a week or two after classes started. (Roommate had a pickup truck) He had lots of problems with the bike and had to exchange it twice. He settled on a higher quality bike but ended up donating it to a local program that refurbishes bikes from college students and gives them to teens in need. All he had to do was leave it unlocked and hang a provided tag/hanger identifying it for donation. This fall he invested in a high quality Trek bike from a cycle shop in the Downtown area just south and east of the river. Lesson learned: consider investing in a bike that will last all four years</p>
<p>Since we live 11 hours by car (one way), we decided to send him to Alabama by plane. He took a shuttle from the airport to campus. This was pre-arranged. On his arrival day, he rode in a large passanger van with three other UA students. He checks only two large duffle bags with wheels and carried his backpack. His bags contained warm weather clothing, shoes and toiletries. I shipped two large items a week before he left to insure they would be on campus before he was. We confirmed that the “Package Delivery Service” in Paty Hall would be open on that arrival Sunday until 4PM. Paty Hall was about three blocks from Riverside North. </p>
<p>As soon as he got his keys, he dropped his luggage in his room and ran over to Paty Hall. I shipped one large duffle on wheels that contained his bedding and towels packaged in “Space Bags”. The second container was an oversized “Rubbermaid - Tough Neck” Storage container that had wheels on one end and a molded handle on the other. This large molded plastic tote/bin is extra storage under his bed when raised up high. I strategicly packed non breakable items along with a collapsable hand cart and bungee straps. He was able to use the hand cart and bungee straps to transport items shipped direct from on-line stores. </p>
<p>This fall I was at Wal-mart in Tuscaloosa the first night of Move-In. Wal mart was completely sold out of small and kitchen size trash cans plus tension style curtain rods.
It is difficult to find a curtain rod wide enough for the front room in Riverside style buildings. I managed to build one by combining two rods however, any window treatment must be light weight. The first year I placed “3M-Command” hooks about 5" apart and hung stationary curtain panels with large grommet rings on each side of the window.</p>
<p>Items purchased on line and shipped to Package Delivery Service: </p>
<p>Printer (Staples)
TV/Computer Monitor (Best Buy)
Folding wood book shelf (Target) *arrived damaged and purchased a tall particle board bookshelf at walmart in last Sept. (he keeps it in a storage unit over the summer)
Fan/Waste Basket/Lamp/Hangers (Bed, Bath & Beyond) *fan muffles noise for better sleeping conditions
Kitchen Dishes/Glasses (Amazon)
Rechargable floor Vac (Sam’s Club)
memo and/or cork board
At least a 2" TXL memory foam mattress topper (cheapest price and high quality IMO - Overstock.com) *cheap “fitted” TXL mattress pad will hold memory foam in place
Another option is to purchase a 1" KING foam and cut in half </p>
<p>Items to pack and ship ahead: <strong>start collecting them now to spread out the expenses</strong></p>
<p>“Command-3M” picture hangers & mounting tapes
Lysol wipes
Window wipes
Detergent
Dryer Sheets
Kitchen size trash bags
Air fresheners
Cotton hand rags (cheap low quality wash cloths)
Shower soap
collapsible laundry hamper
toilet bowl brush/cleaning wand
small waste can for bath *pack lots of small items in it before shipping
decorative shower curtain (optional)
green scrubby pads
sponges
Dish towel
magic erasers
paper towel holder
Glad Ware storage containers
silverware/utensils *mismatched is fine
over the door hooks</p>
<p><strong>I purchased clear stackable bins with locking lids for these home made kits</strong></p>
<p>FIRST AID KIT:
(make one with only the items you/they really use…dental floss,
Band Aids, Nail Clippers, fine tweezers, Neosporin, Anti Fungal Cream,
razors, Pain relief, Cold/Allergy relief, Anti Diarrhea, Tums, Cough drops, etc.)
*if your child takes RX drugs, type out your insurance information (ID#, phone number, name and dosage of RX and instructions on how to reorder before they run out). They should also keep a copy of this information in their wallet but knowing the information is in their personal first aid kit makes it easy. </p>
<p>TOOL KIT:
(make one with small but higher quality tools*…duct tape, clear packaging tape,
small hammer, screw driver with multi heads, eye glass repair kit,
bungee straps, needle nose plyers, wrench, batteries (AA,AAA,9V, C,D)
tape measure, etc.) *metal used in cheap screwdrivers usually strip or bend easily. </p>
<p>school/desk supplies
surge protector/octopus extension cord
camera/extra digital card
USB Drive
Gallon size ziploc bags</p>
<p>Well that is enough for now. If you are fortunate to make contact with your roommates ahead of time, you may be able to divy up the communal items or prevent duplication.
Last edited by momof3boyz; 03-25-2010 at 07:23 PM.</p>
<p>oh momof3boyz! We posted that at the same exact time Great minds think alike!</p>
<p>Thanks AL34! I am thinking that if we are in RCSN for BB, we might have pretty good odds of seeing the room layout our son will have because of the symmetry of the 4 room layout in RCSN (he is in a D room). I appreciate the caution on the “hallmark moment”. Our son often seeks our suggestions, but I am sure he will be the one making the decision on how to arrange things in his room.</p>
<p>Thanks RobD! I don’t post as often as I used to but I have some valuable wisdom from time to time. : )</p>
<p>I updated my old post to reflect what I would do slightly different than when we sent my Bama son in 2008.</p>
<p>Okay, I am completely computer illiterate–Is it possible to connect a printer to a laptop?</p>
<p>^ yes! either physically (USB) or wireless :)</p>