Bed, bath and beyond has a great shopping aide that you can pick up in the store - they may even have it online - but it lists all the typical things that students can use from under the bed storage to sheets to wall hangings. They usually have it in the stores in the spring. Your son's college should also have a list of things to bring (and what NOT to bring) on the housing website.

And if you're lucky your child won't have to take his ice hockey equipment and golf clubs with him.

One of my kids favorites items was the bed riser. Depending on the style of bed your son has you can purchase these 6 inch risers to go underneath the legs of the bed. That way you get some extra storage beneath the bed.

We had great fun shopping together to select things for their dorm room. It was really a great bonding time.

You might also want to find out if the beds can be raised above a study area -- great for opening up floor space.

When my son went back after Christmas, the two things he wantd were a bean bag chair and an extra bookcase. The bookcase was not so much for books, but for other misc. storage. A lockable footlocker has also been great for him -- he uses his for junk food!

* Good headphones (wireless, if possible) for his tv, etc.
* a cell phone with unlimited texting is an absolute must. Our DS cost us a small fortune with his texting until we upped his plan!
* no more than one extra set of sheets, although most prefer to just have one set that they take off (occasionally) wash and put back on.
* a good laptop computer to take to class
* a collapsible, mesh laundry bag and a couple rolls of quarters.
* a small dorm refrigerator and a couple boxes of ziploc bags. Don't even waste your time thinking your kid will actually wash any Tupperware you might gift him with ;^D
* an under-the-bed storage box on wheels
* a light weight, dark colored, thin, VERY easily washable (if absolutely necessary) comforter for his bed . . . which may be a long single, so check first. One blanket, a pillow and the 1( or 2) sets of sheets I mentioned earlier.
* a strong, lightweight very sturdy backpack
* gazillions of $$ for textbooks, which cost a small fortune, can hardly ever be found used for a good price and, because the professors constantly change the books they require, are bought back at the campus bookstores for pennies on the dollar (or close to it).
* a campus meal card for unlimited food. BTW, DS and all his friends ate so much pizza their first semester in college that they ended up hating it for years after.
* protein and snack bars to tide them over when they sleep late and have to rush to class half dressed and unfed (LOL)
* NOTHING that needs to be ironed or (heaven fobid) dry cleaned!

There's more but dinner will arrive with DH in a few minutes. I'll check back later.
Lynn

Great ideas above. One tip I will share is the purchase of textbooks. DD purchased her Fall semester textbooks on Amazon which had great prices. DM had something called "prime" on her Amazon account and that provided free shipping.

Spring semester books came from Half.com. Excellent prices, opportunity to buy used books in good condition.

Textbooks are extremely expensive. I was fortunate that we knew in advance not to purchase from the school bookstore.

I think I come back in a few days to see if there's anything to add. I sent a DD, Lynn a DS, so I think there may be some differences in what each needs. LOL

The basics like bedding, refrigerator, etc. are needed by all, but bikini razors, etc. and things girls need are different than those of the boys.

Great thread!

Good advice about the sheets. IMO, One set is quite enough, storage being an issue. When my oldest kids went to school equipped with two sets, one set stayed folded neatly on the shelf, the other set stayed on the bed until the kid came home with his/her laundry bundled in the dirty sheets. Even the girls didn't change sheets very often. I don't know why - they changed their sheets when they were home, and they change their sheets now that they're grown ups.

A lot of stuff is unique to the kid. We took basics with us (sheets, comforter, toiletries when the older kids went, plus cell phones and computers for the younger) but I always went shopping with my kids on move-in day to buy the stuff they just had to have.

I agree that two hours is a good distance from home. None of my six went more than four hours away; we were always able to attend every game or concert or play or event they participated in, hauling all the younger kids, and they could come home whenever they wanted. That is very important. When I worked in the HS Library and kids told me they wanted to go to school far away because they didn't want their parents to be able to drop in on them, I always advised them not to worry about that. I suppose some parents might drop in, but most don't, and it's not a very good reason to choose a college.

My daughter researched prices of textbooks online and many times WalMart had the cheapest price. This wasn't just for English Lit novels but also for science textbooks - just make sure he checks the shipping, handling and return policy if he orders anything on line.

Everything but the beer.

Before you send rolls of quarters, you might want to check with the residence hall. My son's dorm laundromats don't take quarters. The university instead has a student i.d. card that swipes to let them into the buildings and also serves as a type of debit card. Parents put money into this account and the student swipes the card at the washing machine or dryer.

I sent a small box of medicines - something for upset stomach, cold/flu medicine, etc. I didn't want my son having to go out in the middle of the night to the pharmacy. I think a lot of kids on his floor wound up using his stash of medicine.

I would say make sure they have a good flash drive and also an external hard drive to back up their laptops.

Be sure to check what the school is providing in the dorm rooms. Some have extra-long twin beds (you can find sheets for them at Land's End). Some have dressers and desks, some don't. Check to see if hanging stuff on the walls is allowed and what kind of hangers you can use.

Every kid is different. Every college has a different life style. Some places, everyone studies in their room; other places, everyone studies in the library. Some places, everyone eats in the dining hall; other places, everyone cooks in their room.

A wastepaper basket. A bulletin board. A white board for the outside of the door so people can leave messages. A good desk lamp.

A very small tool kit with a few screwdrivers and a hammer can be very useful.

Some kids like microwaves and popcorn poppers or toaster ovens. A small dorm fridge.

Storage is going to vary. It might be a good idea to hold off on buying storage supplies until he sees what is in his room and what he needs to store.

Extension cords and multi-plug adaptors. A power strip or surge protector. Check the dorm regulations as some places have restrictions on how many power strips or extension cords or multi-plugs you can use. But there are never enough outlets for all the things you need to plug in.

My daughter had tons of art supplies to take, so I got her an Ikea flat-pak storage thing (like a file cabinet on wheels.)
And a small refrigerator.

Her school provides a laptop(we really pay for it, of course, in tuition).

Good headphones, flashlight, extra-long twin sheets (Target has them as well), small rug, etc.

She's in Florida and we're in Los Angeles, and shipping things is just too expensive. I added her to my Target card (and lowered the limit), so she can go crazy with ramen noodles and shampoo shopping sprees.

Great ideas so far! I would never have thought of the tool kit or the OTC meds for some reason. I like the Target card idea, too. I think there is a Target near Amherst. I'm pretty sure one of the current students told me laundry is "free" so we don't need to start collecting our quarters! DS tends to travel light so his biggest needs will be his computer and his cameras, plus iPod/dock and headphones.

sherrmann, funny about parents dropping in. My friend told DS this morning that she and I were going to be coming to visit him and he was like a deer in the headlights. Then she assured him that if we visit, we'll bring food! (He also requested money, LOL, I said there won't be any of that after we pay the tuition!)

Insure anything expensive you send (laptop, iPod, digital camera, etc.) for full replacement. They have a very nasty habit of walking away and you don't want the insurance company saying your kid's $1000 laptop is worth $75 now that three new models have succeeded it. "Laptop leashes" are VERY useful too if your kid lugs around a laptop.

I do have to chuckle at the "buy this, buy that" push from stores... it makes me feel OLD, and I only graduated 15 years ago, but everyone I knew brought along stuff scrounged from family and friends rather buying things from stores. My mini-fridge came out of a wrecked RV, for instance. I still HAVE the hot-pink towels (I use them for dyeing my hair and mopping up dog pee - not simultaneously, of course) my great-grandmother had had stuffed waaaaaaaay in the back of her closet for the last 20-plus years before we dug them out in 1988. So I hated hot pink, big whoop - they dried my hair just as well as the "preferred" lavender ones.

Most colleges' Residence Life (or whatever that school calls it) departments will give you a list of what is provided by the school and what must be brought by the student, and more importantly what is banned. At UMaine, toaster ovens, toasters, hotplates, anything with an exposed heating element was, well, toast :-) and taken away by the Residence Director to be returned at the end of the semester. Electric kettles (with boil-dry and tip-over switches) and microwaves were allowed.

Someone I know just bought one of those digital readers because almost all of her textbooks were going to be available electronically for WAY less than hardcopy. Apparently she was going to make back the cost of the reader in one semester's worth of books, so it might be worth looking into.

Mari, I would love nothing more than to get hand-me-downs or castoffs from family members, but the only grandparent my kids have is my dad, who has no "extras," I have no siblings, and DH's siblings live too far away to make it logical to ship us, say, a used TV or dorm fridge. Fortunately for us, he is not picky about most things, and will be happy to take the old towels from the back of the linen closet or a used fridge.

I don't think I'm going to send him w/ a microwave or toaster oven. Hopefully if he needs one he can borrow someone's. We will send him with boxes of granola bars and other snacks, though! I don't want him racking up a huge bookstore bill because he's buying snacks there every day. We've already had that problem in high school!

Target carries the extra long twin sheets. DD's bed is a regular twin. She took two sets of sheets so that she could change the bedding if something was spilled or whatever without having to wash just the one set and put it back on.

DD's laundry is billed to the swiped student ID card as are all other purchases she makes on campus. Great idea, but expect to see some mid-term bills for purchases. However, she really needed to put on some weight so I can't complain if she's spending extra money on snacks or shakes in the on-campus store that provides quick snacks and such after the dining hall has closed. Also, there is a "coffee shop" on campus where the kids hang out at so I want her to be able to buy something to drink or eat if she is out socializing. There are times that the dining hall schedule doesn't jive with her class schedules. Also, DD's school offers school sponsored activities on the weekend like ice skating, movies, a trip to the haunted house in the area around Halloween. When she signs up to do the activities, the cost goes onto the mid-term bill.

She definitely uses the microwave, but they do not have a toaster oven.

DD coordinated with her roommates (once assigned) who was going to bring what so that it wasn't just one roommate brining all of the amenities. It isn't really right for one student to bear the cost of things that are shared. We sent a one cup coffee/hot chocolate maker up as a gift and it was the hit on the floor! Now there is a jar and the others contribute toward replenishing the coffee and hot chocolate.

Also, check with the campus housing about the beds. DD raised hers as high as possible for storage. There was no need to buy the risers. She now has a huge amount of space under the bed for storage.

I sent all sorts of handy snacks, paper plates, napkins, cups, plastic forks, knives and spoons as well as a couple of rolls of papertowels.

DD goes to the grocery once a week to stock the fridge with yogurt and other things for breakfast as she doesn't usually have time to go to the dining hall before class.

Does the school have some sort of orientation for incoming freshman? I remember going to one prior to HS graduation and they went over everything with the parents and students. That was a great opportunity to ask questions, etc. If your child's school has one, take a list of your questions so you don't forget anything.

Also, on move in day we were able to take DD out to get last minute things she hadn't thought of, but realized she would need like shelving to store the snacks and things on. DD needed to get her parking pass and things like that on move in day.

Move in day was a very busy day, but was made much easier by the college. They have a good number of upperclassmen volunteer to come back a few days early to help the freshman and parents empty their cars and drag things up to the dorms.

It was really nice. The first weekend once all of the students are back they do the annual "Freshman Walk". It was pretty cool. They do a parade down the main street and all of the residents of the town come out on the porches and greet the incoming students, welcoming them. Very, very special.

I would say that DD's college goes above and beyond keeping the freshman busy before classes actually start in a good attempt to keep them from retreating to their dorm and perhaps dwelling on being homesick or anxious about their new endeavor.

I am so pleased that we chose the smaller private college. When friends blanch at the cost, I tell them, I think I am getting a pretty good deal, just take a look at DD. She's very happy, adjusted well to her new college life, doing well grade-wise and has wonderful access to all of her professors since it is not a huge university where you can become just a number. That would not have worked well for my DD.

Start looking around for some type of locking storage. Been a long time since I've shopped for stuff but someone must make something for college students by now.. There shouldn't be a theft problem but stuff happens. At my son's, someone stole electronics - laptop, ipod; not sure if they ever found out who did it. Start teaching your kid to lock their stuff up so that they are in the habit.

Plugs for the electronics - depending on how your kid is.. you might think to buy double plugs which get bagged & put in the lock box for just in case. Cell phone plugs break, they get lost or borrowed; same with Ipod plug. The last thing you want is for the kid to have to shop for plugs on their own. My son had to drive a camera plug down to his GF last year just so she could do a project it was $50. My daughter has a neat plug for her gameboy; it fits a USB type plug; so if the plug goes into the computer, it will work in the wall outlet plug.

If your child will have a single room you are lucky. My son had a mini apartment; one room held 2 boys while one got their own room. There was a small kitchen, bathroom & living room. Each "bedroom" had a bed & desk plus closet.

What was bad about his room is the roommate took over the whole bedroom; he used to throw his stuff on my son's bed. The room was also packed, he brought a bean bag & huge gorilla. He also was not very considerate; used to blast his music while the other 2 were trying to study. The other thing that caused problems.. they saw how he did dishes; no soap, just rinsed them under water.

I filled a plastic "shoe box" with supplies; post it notes, pens, pencils. A small flashlight would be good.

No friends? No neighbors? No co-workers? No Freecycle (which we didn't have 20 years ago)? Wow. And I thought I lived an insular life.

I was talking about family because you mentioned family. Okay, I look back now and see you did mention friends as well. Not sure why there's a need for extreme sarcasm. Yes, we have friends and neighbors. Thanks for checking.

Lots of great suggestions already posted. Just to add that we made sure that DS's sheets, comforter and towels were a similar, neutral colour so that he could wash them together and not worry about separating loads by colour. This goes against the push to buy bright, fun things for a dorm room, but has meant that he actually washes this stuff! And he came up with the idea not to take any t-shirts or boxers that were red.

Also, one of his favourite dorm items is a bed rest pillow. His dorm bed does not have a headboard and he only has a desk chair in his room. This bed rest pillow provides a comfortable place to read or work in bed or just lounge around. Google "bed rest pillow", they are easily available at Target, ect.

Don't forget to send a container of laundry detergent. Thankfully, DD hasn't brought any of her dirty laundry when she comes home. So far she's done it all before leaving campus. I was expecting laundry to be done on visits home?

sueB20, did your son get into Hampshire?

If so, my big one would be CAR. Hampshire is in the middle of nowhere and the buses don't run that frequently. I missed out on a lot of opportunities due to lack of transportation.

Concerning laundry, I would look for some of the new all-in-one detergent/softener sheets, like the Purex 3-in-1 sheets. I've not tried it, but if your boy isn't in the habit of doing laundry, he won't have to figure out how much liquid or powder is too much!

I think colleges usually bring in rental vendors for fridges during move-in week. That'd save you the schlepping, but those are way more expensive than just finding a good used one that will serve him well for several years at least.

I second the advice about getting insurance for the valuables and getting him in the habit now of locking things up (including when he gets there and is "just" going down the hall to chat with a friend, so he thinks he doesn't need to lock his door).

Concerning storage: I think colleges still scrimp on drawer space and just have a single closet with rod. Most kids don't have hangeable stuff. You might try looking for those canvas or plastic shelves that hang off the closet rod, for all his Ts, sweaters, folded jeans.

Jane, yes, he is going to Hampshire. Did you go to Hampshire, or one of the other colleges in the consortium?

I can assure you that a car would be useless -- because he doesn't drive! That's a topic for another day, but he's just not interested... not yet, anyway. He hasn't even taken driver's ed or even sat behind the wheel at all. When we have visited the school, they've certainly made it sound like the bus runs frequently, but maybe he will befriend a few kids who do have cars. He's also planning to bring his bike -- he bikes a lot!

Even if he did have his license, though, we wouldn't be buying him a car to take to school. He's lucky we're paying the tuition!

Pammy -- when he was away for 5 weeks last summer, we sent him with those Purex sheets and they worked out well. We actually started making him do his own laundry at home a few months ago, so he'll have plenty of experience by September.

I wonder if anyone can tell me (if it's even possible to generalize) what a reasonable "budget" is (for cash) for a college student. If you have a student in your family, how much does s/he spend per month? Not including books.

Ear plugs! My daughter's first year roommate would leave the TV on until late and set her loud alarm early then hit the snooze button multiple times in the morning.

Depends on what your DS does socially off campus.

The on campus charges for school sponsored "field "trips" and the like, are billed to me directly and are approximately $200 to date for this school year. I am sure I'll see another bill at the close of the semester.

Also, DD took/takes spending money back with her when she's come home. She needs money for groceries, tolietries, and the like.

Silly me, I thought once I paid the ridiculously high tuition I was done. Not so. Huge layout of money on the things she needed for dorm & such to get her ready to go away together with money for activites at school, groceries, etc.

College is not an inexpensive endeavor.

What I would also send would be my store discount cards such as CVS. With the amount of prescriptions I get at CVS; I'm always getting coupons to save $5 with next purchase. They have a new machine in store where you scan your card & it gives coupons. If your kid would use the machine, sending the card might be helpful.

You could also find out what food store and what big store (Target/Walmart) is close; then if relatives ask what the kid wants/needs for birthday/holiday gifts; they can get gift cards to those stores..

My advice is not to send too much stuff with him at first. Let him live there a while and see what he really needs. I would also suggest that you set up his bank account at home so you can make deposits or transfers as needed, and he can buy essentials with a debit card at school.

Hi Sue,
I will warn you that the Hampshire dorms are a bit run-down and skimpy in terms of amenities! There are lots of big stores nearby--CVS, Target, Staples, Trader Joe's, etc.--the buses to the commercial area are not wildly convenient (but the buses that connect the 5 schools are pretty good). A bike is a very good thing to have. Our daughter does have her own car.

I would get as many of the things you know you need in advance--bed linens (we got a special cover for the mattress, ,too), pillow, shower stuff, etc. Plan on making a trip for last-minute supplies to round things out if you need to, but many things were sold out (in one store after another!) because students from all 5 of the schools go to the same stores! We wanted to get computer paper, and it seemed like no one had any (I think that was what we were looking for!).

Congratulations to your son; I hope he will be very happy at Hampshire!

Kkay, yes, LOL, we refer to his future living quarters as his "jail cell" since that's the only think I could think of when we saw the freshman dorms!

I hope we can be efficient enough to do our shopping at home and avoid the mad rush in Amherst.

And if he needs a ride to Target, now I know who he can ask... LOL.

Through the magic of Facebook, he has already "met" so many kids who are going to Hampshire next year. He is really excited.

Sue-I'm so glad he's excited! My daughter is taking a lot of classes at U Mass, Smith, and Amherst because their science offerings are strong than Hampshire's. She should have her car next year!

Do try to anticipate as much as possible--that commercial stretch can be a zoo. I thought of something else--get those sticky mounts for posters, etc. for the walls. My daughter wanted a mirror, too, which was something we hadn't been prepared for--and couldn't find one anywhere!

You've gotten lots of great advice! One thing I remember having during my stay in the dorms was a swing arm lamp that clamped onto the desk. It was a great desk-top space saver. It also had the advantage of not being easily knocked off the desk like a regular lamp. When I wanted just a little light (midnight trip to the bathroom), I'd just turn on my lamp and push it down close to the desk's surface. Voila--instant night-light :)

Here's a link to one at Amazon. I'm sure you could find it at a BB&B or Target or Walmart too.

*Don't forget the "bucket" for the shower/bathroom supplies if the bathrooms are down the hall. (Can you tell I was an RA??)

Here is a link that might be useful: Swing arm desk lamp

A jug of Febreeze.

I'm quite sure the guys in my son's dorm never did laundry the way you and I think of laundry...they Febreezed--EVERYTHING--shirts, jeans, sheets, towels, probably their armpits...lol

I second the OTC med/first aid kit. Send the minimum until you know the kiddoes your son will be rooming with. Things like Sudafed can be abused. Still...I wish we'd done this. There was one very miserable night when my son (no longer in the dorm) called to tell me he was sick. Based on past experience, I knew immediately he had strep...probably 103 fever, raging sore throat, chills, in short he was alone, several miles from a store and miserable. I can guarantee you I spent a miserable night as well. While he was at the pharmacy the next day, I made him stock up on Tylenol and such.

Extention cords and power strips. My son's dorm room had two outlets.

Boys seem to need their electronics...Xbox, DVD players, Speakers system. Hopefully you can coordinate with the roomie so they don't overlap too much. Personally, I'd love to see game systems banned for dorms, but I'm sure schools fear no young men would come to school. lol

Remember, you can't prepare for every instance. What you hope to see when your son or daughter goes away to school is some of the resourcefulness you've taught over the years. Do they know how to find information? Do they seek out the best way to do things? Can they face a challenge and deal with it? (Like getting a ride to the store when they don't drive. It's perfectly do-able.)

Have fun and remember to enjoy these next few months.

OMG, I would never have thought of Febreeze! Too funny. Unfortunately, I suspect DS does not care how he smells but maybe someday he will.

Yes, unfortunately he will be packing the X-Box... I too would be happy if they banned the games, but I suppose they would just play computer games then. No avoiding it, I think.

I just wanted to say a big THANKS for all the good advice. I have a long, useful list now!

I have quite a list at home, stuff you never would even think about. Can I send it to you in an email? My 3rd is heading off next fall, so it's time to break it out again!

Sorry to weigh in late...

I wouldn't really buy all that much stuff ahead of time. I saw a lot of first-years come in decked out in all kinds of alternative finery. By the last year, everyone (male and female) was wearing sweat pants and work boots. Plus, extra stuff was just so much clutter to store or take home over the summer.

* Two pairs of winter boots. One to wear, one to dry out. Hampshire's campus is not plowed and salted very well.

* Futon mattress (no frame). Hampshire's rooms are really small. Being able to roll up your mattress does a lot to make a room bigger.

* Mosquito repellent. They are vicious for the first few weeks of the fall.

* Good area map.

* Good travel guide for the area with hiking/biking maps if possible.

* Warm, water-resistant socks. Cotton is fine for spring and fall, but for winter you really need wool (thick and thin socks). Get the superwash wool so they can go through the washing machine.

* Long underwear. Cotton is fine, but the newer miracle fabrics are better

* Gloves/mittens/hat. Be prepared to resupply at winter/spring breaks. Again, heat-retaining fabrics like wool.

* Warm winter coat

* Computer, printer, and supplies, down to paper, CDs, thumb drives etc. The on-campus bookstore prices are extortionate. However, if he doesn't have a computer, you can actually get very good deals through the on-campus computer center.

Floor space is limited so we expanded our kids' dorm rooms with vertical, stackable storage bins. We even were able to hang those netlike slings that are used for infant/toddler toys...up in the corners of the room they were out of the way and sure held quite a few items.