<p>I thought I would start a new thread for everyone to put tips on items a new freshman needs to be sure to bring to college. Of course specifically Pepperdine.</p>
<p>For example:</p>
<p>Those dividers that hang in the closet to hold shoes or clothes.</p>
<p>A coax cable if you bring your TV</p>
<p>Bedding materials</p>
<p>Post It Notes are very helpful for leaving notes for roommates.</p>
<p>Lots of Quarters</p>
<p>I am sure others know of some odds and ends us newbies wish we knew about. Pitch in...</p>
<p>check on cell service hard to get in Malibu/verizon I think works best
sprint is spotty</p>
<p>thermometer when my daughter called home sick, 1st thing i wanted to know was her temp., (we had a college age friend almost die from Meningitis this year and heard another one who did die, get the vaccine!)</p>
<p>lots of sunblock if new to california</p>
<p>the closets don't have doors, girls especially hang curtains over the closet</p>
<p>a plastic basket open weave to carry shower supplies in and out</p>
<p>needle & thread, safety pins</p>
<p>flashlight, some dried food, water pouches (earthquake territory)</p>
<p>Lysol wipes, great quick clean up if a mess is left</p>
<p>Some great tips JC. I guess we do have to be earthquake prepared out there.</p>
<p>When we visited (Freshman visitation day) it was fairly cold and most people were wearing Jeans. Are jeans the common wear throughout the school year (after November at least) or does the weather usually allow more shorts/capris?</p>
<p>OK (this is hard because my D is still on the waitlist & this is her dream school!) being a CA native here is the weather scoop(raining today!)
Being close to the beach, there is usually going to be a chiil in the air in the am and pm. We tend to layer a lot.<br>
Jeans and t-shirt or tank tops are usual attire, but shorts and capris are quite common.<br>
Currently in are the mid calf wide legged pants (gaucho style)
We wear sandals hot or cold, but athletic shoes better for around campus
So leaving in the morning with a sweatshirt is usually sufficient
To say to you it is cold after November is unpredicatable, we can have 80 degree Christmases, yet we've had a cold spring this year
My D's bday is in April, usually goes to the beach & bonfire, but not this year
Anyway, jacket yes, full east coast type winter coat, rare
In Ca we feel cold if it dips below 70 Degrees!
Hope this helps and not too long winded!
Pray for my D!</p>
<p>Sounds like it is necessary to have a variety for Malibu. 70 won't seem cold to my D since we are from Missouri. However she may adapt quickly to Malibu.</p>
<p>I do hope your D gets accepted. It does seem to be a great school. What is your D's favorite aspect of the school? Are you a member of the Church of Christ?</p>
<p>SHe is looking for a strong liberal arts program that also has a good theater program as her main EC is theater. She also want to minor in Religion and Pepperdine offers both a minor in Religion and Ministry. She attended a large state college last fall and it was a disaster. She went to a small private Catholic high school and wants to return to a faith based college. We are not Church of Christ, but very active in the Catholic Church. My D has bee very involved in leadership for youth ministry. She really missed the small community aspect and is very social, but not a partier, really likes the "dry campus" aspect.</p>
<p>Sounds very similar to my daughter. She wants to go to Law School (undergrad in English), but wanted to stay away from a party atmosphere.</p>
<p>Sorry to hear your family had a bad experience at a state school. I wonder if being a transfer student has anything to do with being waitlisted?</p>
<p>Back to items needed for college. A coouple of new thoughts are:</p>
<p>A fan
Shower caddy for shampoo, soap etc...
Power strip/extension chord
Curtains for closet at pepperdine</p>
<p>Do the students need cleaning supplies or are they supplied by the school? I know the common area is cleaned by a staff. So the students basically only need to clean their room. Does anyone know if the bathrooms are cleaned by the staff?</p>
<p>My son is a jr. at Pepperdine, and I wanted to include some items that we had to add to the usual list of dorm items.</p>
<p>-small toolkit (You will need this if you decide to bunk your beds, or raise them. By raising them, you can create much more storage space.)</p>
<p>-air tight containers for food (to protects yourself from ants...they will find any open container of pop or food. Ugh. Don't learn the hard way!)</p>
<p>-drying rack (your towels will not dry out each day between showers. My son ended up exchanging his plush towels that would still be wet the next day for cheap thin towels that would dry more easily.)</p>
<p>Last I heard the only consistent cell phone service was T-Mobile and Cingular, but another company was building a tower.</p>
<p>Thanks for the tips. Regarding Cell Service, when we were out Freshman weekend I had decent reception with my Cingular service. Very poor in the buildings but decent outside.</p>
<p>Since your son is a Junior WACollegeMom, I have to ask the normal question. How does your son like Pepperdine? Any other words of wisdom to us soon to be freshmen and parents of freshmen to make our first year easier/better?</p>
<p>My son has absolutely loved Pepperdine, and has found it to be the perfect school for him. He loves the location, the people, the profs...everything! I have advice coming out my ears, but I will try to give you one specific piece here. One thing you should be warned about is the freshmen orientation. Do you plan on attending that with your daughter? It is a great time for parents and students, but they do separate the two groups for the most part. (by design...but it is hard for "helicopter parents") So once you hit the campus, you will barely see your daughter, and chances are that your goodbyes will be rushed. It can be an emotional time, so be prepared...</p>
<p>Does your D plan on applying for the Study Abroad program?</p>
<p>I had actually assumed the freshman orientation would be only for the students. It starts on Tuesday so we thought we would go home on Wednesday. I didn't realize they had sessions for the parents. Should I stay in CA a little longer? We (my DW and I) have been talking about how hard it will be to leave. I know we will have tears. I have 3 children and this is the first to go off to college. We have no reservatons however about Pepperdine. I think that will make it a little easier not worrying about her, just missing her.</p>
<p>Yes, she is planning on study abroad. Probably her Soph year. She wants to go to Florence, IT. From what I have seen she will need to apply around October of this year for study ab road for 2007-8. Everything seems to move so quickly. She will just get there and be signing up for going abroad.</p>
<p>Did your S study abroad yet, or plan on doing it soon? If so where, and how did he like it?</p>
<p>Thanks for getting on and sharing with us newbies at this.</p>
<p>There is always a possibility that things have changed, but they did have two days of sessions for parents, and a dinner for all. I found the sessions valuable, and it was a good opportunity to have my questions addressed, and to meet other parents. There is a session for those interested in the Study Abroad program that you should make sure you go to. And yes, the process starts quickly once you start your freshman year, and it can be competitive.<br>
My son didn't participate (at the time, the Malibu campus was an adventure enough for this Seattle boy...) but almost all of his friends did his sophomore year, so he sees the value in it.</p>
<p>Try not to be in too much of a rush after dropping your daughter. You will need at least one afternoon to hit a Target or a Costco and fetch stuff for her room that you figured out she will need. And as much as I like the campus, it IS isolated, and you will have a bit of a drive to get to a store for her supplies. The Savon in Malibu won't have everything!</p>
<p>Hope I am not rambling too much. I am actually leaving tomorrow to visit Wake Forest with another son. I just couldn't talk him into Pepperdine....</p>
<p>Thanks for the valuable info. I would enjoy staying another day or 2 but felt more like I might be in my daughters way to getting acclimated. I will now plan on staying through the first 2 days of the Freshman Orientation before I come home.</p>
<p>Good luck at Wake. I have heard it is a great school.</p>
<p>And please do not feel like you are rambling. I wish we could sit down over a cup of coffee and talk about it. I have lots of questions but I know they will all be answered in time.</p>
<p>I didn't realize it was so competetive for the study abroad. Does that mean some students might not get to go, or more that they may not get their first choice of location?</p>
<p>Pepperdad, if you go to the peppedine website and go to student affairs, then student activities and click on nso there is a schedule of the previous nso to give you an idea of what to expect.</p>
<p>Thanks JC. That was very helpful. I will put in for the extra day off work to spend in Malibu (twist my arm).</p>
<p>Has anyone been to the family weekend? I was wondering if I should bring my 11 and 13 year old children? I would like for them to see where their sister is going to school, but not sure that is the best time for it. Will they be bored? Perhaps I should go to California for vacation such as spring break and they can see the campus for an hour and move on to Disney.</p>