<p>I figure 2 mugs so you can serve a friend. </p>
<p>I’m not sure how much extra sitting room is left in a double that is 12 x 15 when you aren’t allowed to loft the beds. Not much the architect says!</p>
<p>We have a Keurig, as well. However, I find the cost of the K-cups prohibitive (compared to buying our own coffee in larger quantities), so I found these online: </p>
<p>[YouTube</a> - <a href=“http://www.My-Kap.com”>www.My-Kap.com</a> - Reuse Your Keurig K-Cups (short)](<a href=“- YouTube”>- YouTube)</p>
<p>I realize in a dorm room this might defeat the whole purpose. Less mess is what you’re looking for. But, I find that it not only saves on the expense of the K-Cups, it also cuts down on paper litter in the landfills. You can usually get about 10-15 uses out of each K-Cup. OR, another thing I like just as well, is the permanent filter that came with my Keurig. That creates absolutely NO waste and it can be used over and over. I think when my daughter goes off to college in 3 weeks, my husband and I will make more use of the permanent filters. While the K-caps and reusable K-cups are nice…it can be inconvenient having to make them up in a regular basis. But, they do serve a purpose!</p>
<p>I bought my daughter the Black and Decker Brew N’ Go single cup coffeemaker. [Black</a> Decker DCM18 Brew 'N Go Coffeemaker](<a href=“Google Shopping - Product not found”>Google Shopping - Product not found) It has a permanent filter, but she can use paper ones to catch the grounds. It comes with a stainless steel mug. Got good reviews and was very inexpensive.</p>
<p>I’m so glad I posted this question as I was seriously not thinking of some essential items. The electric kettle, oversize mug and can opener (will be necessary for son who always seems to be making soup) and several other must-haves. Thanks! (Can we stop now?)</p>
<p>just want to add that our son used the micro to heat water for tea, soup, hot chocolate, etc.(Along with cases of easy mac, ramen, and I don’t know what else) But if there is no MW, then an electric kettle would be great.</p>
<p>Stop? these threads often take on lives of their own! Let’s see.</p>
<p><a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/parents-forum/378931-items-college-most-parents-overlook.html?[/url]”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/parents-forum/378931-items-college-most-parents-overlook.html?</a></p>
<p>Sorry, I couldn’t resist!</p>
<p>Lysol spray</p>
<p>S will be in a quad set-up with two 9’x11’ bedrooms off a 11’x17’ common room. School is far north, so cold-weather/snow clothing and footwear will take up precious space. We can bring/send the real winter stuff later. For now, we’re taking up for him what others have mentioned (including a fan), plus an area rug for his bedroom and an electric broom. The school-provided desk chair is straight-backed hard wood and others say they’re pretty uncomfortable, so S picked out a “task chair” like what he uses at home. (don’t want to discourage him from spending time at his desk!). We’ll assemble it at school.</p>
<p>S is a coffee drinker so he is taking our mini-Keurig with him. Roommate has arranged for a micro-fridge that the 4 guys will share the cost of. Got S a butterfly chair for common room as well as a storage cube ottoman for extra seating and storage. College provides sofa and coffee table.</p>
<p>School says someone probably would have left a stick-on full-length mirror so no need to bring. S has a lot of hooded sweatshirts that he hangs on his bunk bed post at home. No bunks in dorm, so I thought a clothes tree/hat rack thing would make him more likely to put them someplace other than the floor, but I didn’t come up with one yet. Had hoped to avoid buying one new. Got S a large basket to dump his shoes into as he’s not much one for putting them away.</p>
<p>Great thread. As far as the additional seating. Last week Target had both Butterfly chairs and saucer chairs for a mere $18–normally they are $30. This was move in weekend at Cornell, so you may find a deal on these during your move in weekend too. Also, they are collapsable. My D and her roomie love their chair.</p>
<p>they are still looking for a nice 3" shag area rug. Any ideas? We saw some short ones at target for $60. Any other suggestions on where to find a deal on a shag rug?</p>
<p>^^^ Ikea, maybe?</p>
<p>For OFF-CAMPUS housing or suites–</p>
<p>S1 lives with friends off campus. S2 will be a freshman in a suite with a shared bathroom, no housekeeping. The one thing that gets the most disgusting in such a setup is the bath mat! Aside from everyday use and dampness there is the sticky foot traffic from parties, proximity to toilet, etc. The first time we visited S1’s house, I realized there was no way ANYone would want to put that thing into the wash with their own clothes. I will be sending both boys off with a couple of our beat-up old bathmats - the ones I’ve been saving for years that we never use anymore. They can just discard them when they get really awful.</p>
<p>I think if the OP takes up everyone on the responses there will indeed be a ‘mountain of stuff’ and it might be tough to move it all and even tougher to fit it all in.</p>
<p>What’s needed depends mostly on the particular kid, the particular room, and the particular college’s rules.</p>
<p>For example -
- (last time I checked) UCLA (as an example) doesn’t allow plugin electrical heating appliances like coffee makers. They also don’t allow a separate fridge/microwave (one or the other or a ‘microfridge’ combo). Luckily no one in my family drinks coffee and things can be heated up in the microwave anyway.
- When I moved my kid into UCSD resHalls it was kind of amusing to see all the stuff, especially furniture items like chairs, parents were loading back into the vehicle because despite lugging it all the way there, there was no room for it. And this was when the room was a double (now I’ve heard they tripled those doubles).
- There’s no way some of these rooms could have reasonably fit things like chairs - especially if the room’s a triple and all 3 wanted a chair. Students just sat on their beds or desk chairs anyway. It’s best to coordinate with roommates so one doesn’t end up dominating the room or bring redundant stuff (i.e 3 TVs, multiple fridges, etc.).</p>
<p>If you bring extra stuff you need to bring it back (or get rid of it) - either right away or at the end of the year. Assuming you or the kid’ll ever make another trip to the college throughout the year, more stuff can alway be brought then if the kid thinks it’s really necessary. It’s also possible to ship some things if really necessary or buy things locally or buy things online and have it delivered.</p>
<p>Note that at larger campuses at least the bookstore/store usually has a lot of the essentials for sale in the event the kid neglected to pack the shower caddy or things like ethernet cables (has anyone mentioned that?), power strips, etc.</p>
<p>When my son moved into the freshman dorms he didn’t take much. Some people feel the need for more stuff than others. Some people get more pleasure from stuff than others. Some people find the nesting (or the nesting of the kid) more satisfying than others.</p>
<p>I hope the OP just approaches it in the way it makes sense for his/her own kid and his/her own family.</p>
<p>I thought my son was coming to college with next-to-nothing, but his roommate flew in from China with one suitcase and a carry-on. My son’s next-to-nothing looked like a ton of stuff compared to his roommate’s side of the room. Out the window we saw other kids and parents pulling up small moving vans. It’s all relative.</p>