I'm also looking for a manual defrost freezer. I'm having trouble deciding between chest and upright. I know that both GE and Frigidare models exist in several sizes of uprights as well as chest units. "Freezer burn is not a problem if things are wrapped well and even if they are not the difference in freezer burn between the two types is minimal." I not convinced this is necessarily accurate and would point out the following: The more fluctuation in temperature, (particularly above 23 degrees [I think but am not positive]), the greater the likeliness of loss in food quality - particularly over time. I'm quite sure you can have significant loss of quality without necessarily being able see significant freezer burn (particularly noticeable in dairy and dessert items I have found). But I don't know how to quantify how much of a difference there will be - I do know that over the short term (a few months) it shouldn't be that noticeable, but over longer term (like a year) it will be much more noticeable. I'm sure some people may notice it more than others. Also an important factor not mentioned is how cold the freezer gets. A "deep freeze" freezer (usually below zero degrees F) will keep things (particularly meats) better longer. I haven't yet found out if any uprights will keep foods at "deep freeze" temperatures. Maybe if they do frost free vs. manual becomes less of an issue. Any experts out there who can fill in more blanks would be most appreciated. Lastly, I may be seduced by the following frost free upright unit because the smaller top part of it can be either a freezer or a fridge. I'm going to post separately about it. Here is a link that might be useful: Gladiator Garageworks Freezerator w/Convertible Upper Refrigerator/Freezer

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.

Keep in mind the high theft rate in colleges so don't plan on having anything there that's sentimentally valuable. Assume it will be stolen. Especially that laptop so remind her about continual backups. An 8gb USB drive with a lanyard can go around the neck and backup continually and lots of room for the work on there. If she lost her work, it would set her back a lot. And I haven't seen it mentioned about security. Call me sexist is you will but I'm more concerned about females than males in dorms in this respect. I would equip them with a pepper spray and possibly a whistle, yes even in the dorm. We've all heard about the recent crime sprees and a little precaution could be very valuable. A short self-defense course ahead of time would be valuable too. Not to scare her, but give her confidence and help her understand when to be cautious and how to be alert. Some of this is basic but we all tend to get lax in personal security. I'd even go for one more and that's a door "club" I think it's called. Essentially a stick against the doorknob. They are surprisingly effective. The camera idea is good, but be sure to photograph the room BEFORE anyone moves in, just in case there's damage allegations. I had that problem come up with my first apartment. Back to furnishings, I agree that it's hard to be sure until you know who else is there. But to have an idea list is important. Go with the basics first, the bedding, personal care items and clothes, then on the furnishings see what happens. I am sold on the plastic shelving. SO lightweight! And you can take two of them and keep adding shelves so you can go to the ceiling if you want. Floor space of course will be at a premium and often the above floor space gets wasted. So even adding a shelf or two will make a significant difference. And remember analog TV is being shut off next February so if they don't have cable, it'll affect the type of tv then. I was going to suggest a lockbox or something that could be chained to something solid to hold some of the backups, valuables when they're gone and the like. Like a safe, it won't STOP theft, but could slow it down and could help dissuade the semi-honest thieves from impulse shopping.. Oh and I think it was said, but an outlet strip with good surge control and a circuit breaker for computer at least. Count the number of outlets you'll need to get an idea if you need more than one. You probably will. Keep thinking multi-task, multi-function, multi-use and concentrated and repeat it over and over. Make it your mantra. Very few things should be brought that are only one use. Keep asking what else will work? For instance, even sneaking in a toaster.. why not use a George Foreman grill? I'd definitely see if they can have one You certainly can toast on that and cook something on it other than pop tarts. People even make pancakes on it! How about combination body and hair wash instead of one of each? Less to carry. Dish soap will work fine as a hand soap, and is an effective pre-treater for laundry so you don't need all kinds of cleaners. Find a laundry detergent they like and try not to have to have a bottle of detergent, another bottle of fabric softener and softener sheets on top of it. How about just a detergent with a softener if they must have softener, one that they like in as concentrated formula as possible, again, keeping size as small as possible. Also think concentrated. Two rolls of Scott 1000 sheet bath tissue will outlast 9-10 rolls of most other brands. Easier to store one (extra) roll or a 9 pack? And really, it'll work for facial tissue too so you could eliminate a box there. Again, multi-task, multi-function, multi-use and concentrated. Another idea, a couple microfiber cloths can be used for cleaning, if they clean and clean glasses if needed. And a bottle of multipurpose cleaner. You don't need 25 cleaners. Something like a small convection oven will act as an oven to bake potatoes, works great for pizza rolls, bagel bites, etc. Might be too big though so it's only an idea. How about a small supply of trash bags? How many will think of it? And to have them up front wouldn't take much room. One other think that I find convenient is a heavy duty TV tray like the Tablemate that folds up flat and takes very little room. Can be used as a table, a shelf or whatever else. I use one for my laptop computer next to my recliner and in the motel room when I travel. Guess there were more things than I thought I could suggest, but that's about all I can think of offhand. Good luck to her! Hope it's a safe, happy and rewarding experience!

Thanks everyone for all of the suggestions and feedback. It sounds like either the egg crate or memory foam would work, then a mattress pad goes on top of both and then the sheets. Cia1953: Good idea about the rental of the fridge+micro. As next year, most likely he’ll go in the apartment style housing I think he’ll need them only for one year. I’ve heard about the BB&B service which is really a great option for kids who fly in. As we live in Nor Cal. we plan to drive down for move-in day. Arcy: DS and I attended orientation last month and it seemed pretty much routine that everyone got the refrigerator and micro; though most likely I think he would purchase then in San Diego��"or rent like cia suggested. I’m not quite sure what you think is a luxury item, though. Certainly not the bedding? I got the impression from most kids we spoke with that the ref+micro was in lieu of a more expensive meal plan (which is how I see it for my DS too). Pudgeder: DS went to private high school so we’ve been using Amazon for years for textbooks, though the university was promoting their service where we pre-order books from them and they will deliver in a box to their dorm. I’m just wondering if his debit card works with Amazon or he should get his own credit card? Usually, he puts everything in the shopping cart, then I enter my CC and place the order, but I think he needs to have his own card to order books and stuff. Deborahnj: ha!ha! on the bed. I can totally see myself doing that too, making up his bed. We had a tour last month at orientation and DS spent a night in the dorms. The triple, like Ann mentioned, is really a double sized room, they added another bed to squeeze in more kids. So one side is bunk beds and the other a loft bed with desk below. Really no space at all. But they do have the common room that the 6 rooms in the suite all share. So, DS requested a single as he will still have lots of social opportunities since it’s a suite, but I’m not too optimistic he will get it. Betsy: Totally agree about the dark sheets and towels! Chefmom: Thanks for the list. I’ll check it out. Marie_cate: That’s exactly what the triples are like. One of the recommendations we’d heard, esp. if he is in a triple, is that they get one printer and share the cost of the ink. That is so inconsiderate, though, to use someone’s printer all year long without offering to share ink/paper costs, but I’m sure it happens all the time. Alku: I’ve seen the bed blocks at BB&B and great idea to store things below, but won’t work if he has a triple with the bunk and loft bed. I guess they have to bring a storage bin and store in the closet (which looked about 18” wide). Juliekmco: I saw the egg crate toppers at Target, good to hear your DDs liked them. I didn’t see the XL size, but I’ll check another location. Yikes, I guess I better decide soon before all the XL stuff is sold out. Lindac & Bestyears: Great list of repair/first aid. Definitely I’ll add that to the list. Divastyle: I’m sure your niece was thrilled with her dorm package. I’ve heard about the frequency of thefts so will talk with DS about some way to secure his valuables. I have some notes from orientation when campus police spoke to us….need to refer back to that. It was definitely a case of information overload. Annkathryn: Yes, that is what they have at UCSD. The triples were all originally doubles, so very tight quarters. When I was at BB&B they were also selling this room deodorizer; as my good friend whose DS goes there said the whole suite smells like a locker room! Guess most recommend a body pillow over the armchair type pillow? So far I bought him a comforter set with sheets, an extra set of sheets, 2 towels, 2 washcloths, 1 face towel. He’s telling me “Mom I won’t have a lot of space” But I figure you need one to use, one to wash.