<p>What do I really need to bring to college? What will fit? Things not allowed? TV? Stereo? Can each person bring his/her own?</p>
<p>I'll give you my son's advice (he lives on West Campus at BU). Put all the "stuff" you think you need together and only take 1/2 of it. You won't use most of the other stuff anyway. The rooms are not spacious and storage space is limited. Yes, you can bring a tv (all rooms now have cable) and a stereo. DS brought the fridge and his roomie brought the TV. Each has his own stereo (small bookshelf). No small appliances are allowed (like microwaves or George Foremans). If you plan to use a wall phone you have to bring your own (and sign up with Verizon for service...most kids have cell phones and use email). Bring a small computer...flat screen monitor is a must (desks are very small) and is worth the extra expense. Those under the bed boxes are good for storage. Some kids get rack raisers (to raise their beds so they can put totes underneath). DS did not do this. Bring hangers if you plan to hang clothes up.</p>
<p>I'm just wondering, are there any places where you can lock up your valuables within the rooms and are there every issues with roomates stealing from eachother?</p>
<p>HAHA swf30...I was thinking the same thing!!</p>
<p>I have a question too----How do you exactly bring the stuff to your dorm? I live in TX and I can't possibly haul all that stuff as luggage on my plane...should i request a moving service? My parents are too busy to drive me all the way from TX to MA! HELP!</p>
<p>Hey sprkl are you definitely going to BU? LOL, hope to see you there!</p>
<p>I live in Houston, and that's a really good question b/c I have to fly to orientation too. I wonder if there is a better way than to have to drive all the way up there in Sept., which was our original plan.</p>
<p>lol as an international student I don't have that luxury to drive anything... So my list of things to bring is basically limited to whatever I can shove in a suitcase!!..argh.......I guess most of the other things I'll pick up in MA when I get there...</p>
<p>I am flying in as well, my parents refuse to drive... </p>
<p>Is there a place close to BU to get everything we need for our dorms? How nice is the Barnes & Noble for dorm supplies?</p>
<p>There's an entire floor of the Barnes and Noble shop dedicated to dorm supplies/furnishings/doo-dads (third floor in case you're wondering).</p>
<p>There's a Bed Bath and Beyond at the eastern end of campus near Fenway. My understanding from others is that you can order your stuff from BB and B and it will be ready to pick up at the designated store. You'd have to check. Barnes and Noble has a lot too, but it is more expensive. I also believe you can ship things to your dorm for arrival once you are there.</p>
<p>Here are some good places to know:</p>
<p>Bed Bath and Beyond
Landmark Center
Fenway train stop
interior design, space management, small home appliances</p>
<p>Staples
Landmark Center
Fenway train stop
School supplies, office appliances, computer goods</p>
<p>Best Buy
Landmark Center
Fenway train stop
Major appliances, entertainment gadgets, computer goods</p>
<p>Barnes and Noble (The BU Bookstore)
Kenmore Square
Kenmore train stop
Books, some dorm supplies, school swag</p>
<p>The book trucks
All over east campus (seasonal)
Kenmore or BU East train stop
Buy/sell/trade used textbooks</p>
<p>That bike shop
Beacon Street
Fenway train stop
Bike stuff</p>
<p>More to come, maybe . . .</p>
<p>Sorry to double post, but this deserves its own space. Below are Bed Bath and Beyond's [url=<a href="http://www.bedbathandbeyond.com/Bts01_StudentCollegeTips.asp?order_num=-1%5Dsuggestions%5B/url">http://www.bedbathandbeyond.com/Bts01_StudentCollegeTips.asp?order_num=-1]suggestions[/url</a>] for what to bring. You can be sure that they stock anything mentioned . . . (though it appears to be a pretty honest piece)</p>
<p>"How was I supposed to know all the hot tips that would make my life easier?
COLLEGE TIPS</p>
<p>What to bring:
1. Underwear and socks are the first things youll run out of. Bring lots!
2. Bring a bathrobe, a pair of shower shoes, and a shower caddy for that long walk from the showers to your dorm room.
3. Bring your favorite sports equipment: tennis racquet, baseball mitt, roller blades, etc. Dont forget helmets or shin guards.
4. Is the schools climate hot or cold? Will you need thermal underwear, gloves and hats or sandals and extra bathing suits?
5. Handi-Tak is ideal for putting up posters without damaging walls.
6. Use cinder blocks or bed elevators to raise your bed, increasing storage space underneath. You can also use cinder blocks to stack boards at intervals for extra shelving.
7. Bring earphones for your radio, stereo or TV to make it easier for techno fans to live with classical music lovers.
8. Take along a disposable camera theyre inexpensive and worry-free.
9. Keys: be sure to have an extra set, including car keys.
10. A roll of duct tape can be indispensable for securing and fixing almost anything.
11. Take along spare pairs of glasses or contact lenses and copies of the prescriptions.
12. Stock up on individual packets of sugar, sweetener, ketchup, mayo and mustard to keep in your dorm room for those midnight snacks.
13. Rolls of quarters are a hot college commodity, needed for laundry, soda, snacks and meters.
14. Take a supply of your regular medications, prescriptions, and your doctors phone numbers.
15. You can never have enough batteries, in all sizes.
16. Stamps come in handy for snail mail or paying bills.
17. Bring along framed photos of those you love so your dorm room will feel more like home.
18. Let there be light! Remember extension cords, lamps, and extra bulbs.</p>
<p>What to do:
19. Since you will be living on your bed, your comforter needs to be washable. Check the tag, most are.
20. Sign up for frequent flyer programs with your favorite airlines. Many are affiliated with credit cards that give you mileage for purchases.
21. Put a dry-erase message board on your dorm room door so others can leave messages for you.
22. Make two photocopies of everything in your wallet and your important papers. Keep one copy at home and one at school.
23. Memorize your social security number. It will come in handy more times than you can imagine.
24. Keep a running list of all your extracurricular activities. Someday soon, youll have to write a résumé.
25. Assemble a small sewing kit with pre-threaded needles, extra buttons and safety pins.
26. Many people have similar-looking clothes (like socks). Write your name or initials on them with a laundry marker.
27. Apply for a passport now. Youll probably need it for that Study Abroad Program or Spring Break trip.
28. Know what you are allergic to the specific names and types of drugs. When did you have your last tetanus shot?
29. Assemble a small tool kit with all the essentials. Put your name on these items; they will be borrowed.
30. When you buy luggage, remember that it has to be stored, so collapsible bags are best. Almost everyone has black luggage so put some unique identifier on the bags.
31. Get your parents a subscription to a local newspaper or the school paper.
32. Get a copy of the colleges regional area phone book/yellow pages for your parents. (Maybe theyll send you a surprise birthday cake.)
33. Show some school spirit! Put the decal on the car and order your sweatshirt early.
34. Creative? Make a poster size photo collage, full of memories, to hang on your wall at school."</p>
<p>^^Nom, one word: beautiful.</p>
<p>Thank you.</p>
<p>Thank you Nom - you are wonderful!</p>
<p>Registry of Motor Vehicles
CambridgeSide Galleria
Kendall Square train station, shuttlebus rendezvous (every 20 minutes, Mon-Sat 9-7, Sun 12-7)
Limited-service Boston branch: the only one accessible by train</p>
<p>Apple Store (critical to some students)
CambridgeSide Galleria
Kendall Square train station, shuttlebus rendezvous (every 20 minutes, Mon-Sat 9-7, Sun 12-7)
Macintosh and iPod brand products, accessories, and service</p>
<p>Sears
CambridgeSide Galleria
Kendall Square train station, shuttlebus rendezvous (every 20 minutes, Mon-Sat 9-7, Sun 12-7)
Clothing, basketball hoops, tractors. Everything. Even the kitchen sink.</p>
<p>Stores to hit up while at the CambridgeSide Galleria (not a reflection of personal taste): Filene's, Abercrombie and Fitch, Banana Republic, The Gap, Borders Books & Music, EB Games, FootLocker, Payless Shoes, etc.</p>
<p>And, of course, a Starbucks. Never, EVER, use a Starbucks as a landmark when in and around Boston. On the way from the Kendall Square train station to the Kendall Square theater, you pass three of the joints. I would not hesitate to claim a higher per-capita Starbucks density than anywhere else in the world. In fact, I would bet that Starbucks' annual Massachusetts revenue exceeds the national GDP of Malawi.</p>
<p>But I digress . . .</p>
<p>I believe there is one street in Seattle where Starbucks originated that has 6 within two blocks of eachother.</p>
<p>And the best part is: theyre all always full.</p>
<p>thumper1 - do you know how to order to have that service at BB and B done? That is an awesome program to preorder everything if it is true...</p>
<p>Sorry Elysse, I do not know the BB an B ordering thing. I actually read about that last year when we were doing college shopping. Perhaps a call to BB and B would answer that question. My understanding is that you place the order (at a BB and B store near your home maybe???) and that they can then somehow convey that to the store near where you go to school. Your order will be ready for pick up when you designate. The mom who told me about this said it was great...saved a lot of shopping time when they arrived, and also the stuff was there (BB and B can be very picked over the week school starts.</p>
<p>Thanks so much!</p>
<p>I called Bed Bath and Beyond today... and the program DOES exist (for sure)! The program is called "pack and send," or something of that nature. If you go to the service desk at any BB&B, they will give you an electronic scanner, and you go around the store scanning what you want, tell the store what store you would like to pick it up at, and then they will have it for you in boxes when you arrive at the store. You pay when you pick up your items.</p>
<p>This makes move-in day so much easier, especially for me, whose parents REFUSE to drive up! haha</p>