Back to School: A List of Must Haves For Those Entering College
Posted: Monday, July 24, 2006
by Laura Trahan
The summer is quickly fading away once again and our thoughts are beginning to turn back to fall and the start of school. No matter what age kids you have, it is always an expensive time of the year. However, if your children who will be attending college for the first time this fall-brace yourself!!!!
I remember my freshman year and the scramble to buy endless items. Lets face it-kids need a whole lot more in this day and age. The reality is you need to buy them a home away from home. Honestly, you want them to spend time on campus. You don’t want them coming home every second or weekend, despite how hard it is to let them go. The more time on campus, the more involved your child will be in studying, extra-curricular activities, learning life lessons, and preparing for their future.
Bathroom
I am sure you already got the list from the college, but here is some things to make sure your child deosn’t end up as the smelly kid in class. At least seven towels, washcloths and hand towels need to be packed. This will allow them to make it at least a week before having to do laundry. Toiletries such as shampoo, conditioner, soap, razors, toothpaste, floss, brushes, everything your child uses at home must be sent.
Cleaning supplies are also a must, along with a lecture on how there is no maid nor is your roommate going to appreciate a big mess. I would pack the Clorox wipes, Lysol antibacterial spray, some sort of toilet cleaning product as well as a shower cleaner if your child has their own bathroom. If your child does not have their own bathroom or shares it with a few people, I suggest water shoes or flip-flops. This protects them from any feet fungus they might pick up. Also, a robe and some sort of lanyard to hold their room keys would be great as well as a bag to carry toiletries down the hall. I can’t tell you how many times, my husband was locked out of his dorm because his keys were in the room. At least spare your child the embarrassment of just having a towel wrapped around. Robes are nice.
Kitchen
Seldom do dorms have kitchens in rooms, but there are some inexpensive appliances that are allowed and in the long run will save you money. Mini-refrigerators are a great investment. If your child has a roommate, they can go in together on the cost or in our case we just had two in our room. Dorms sometimes offer these for rent as well. This allows your child to have milk, soda etc and not have to buy individual drinks at $1.25 out of the vending machine. One word of caution, though, broccoli goes bad even in the fridge and stinks when it does. Trust me on that. Snacks are also a great purchase to save money. I remember my freshman year, my father shopped at Sam’s in bulk. This really cut down on the money and meal plan cost. He just got stuff like peanut butter, crackers and cheese, pretzels, etc.
My husband’s dorm allowed a hot pot. This allowed him to cook soups, ramen noodles, macaroni, etc. A great buy at only $10 usually can provide so many meals. Honestly, kids have a hard time making it to the cafeteria for three meals a day and, a lot of times, it is wasteful to pay for all three meals. Also, some dorms allow microwaves. These too can be found pretty cheap. Just don’t forget the popcorn for movie nights!
Closet
Your child will have to most likely stuff a whole lot of clothes in a small amount of space. My suggestion, don’t let them bring all of their clothes. For now, just pack the fall and winter clothes. Save summer and spring clothes until later. Also, buy some mothballs because some of those dorms can be ancient and a closet air freshener so that your clothes don’t smell stale. A chest of drawers is needed. Check out your space, however so that you don’t bring one two sizes to big. The Container Store is a great place to check out before leaving. They can help you figure how to best accommodate your stuff based on space. Don’t forget the hamper. I would get one with three separate areas. Teach your child how to separate whites, colors and towels. Also, don’t forget the laundry detergent, dryer sheets and quarters.
Bedroom
Sheets obviously are needed. This is the part of the room in which your child will spend the majority of their time while at school, so making it feel like home will ensure your child some success. My roommate and I color coordinated our room and bought comforter sets. Obviously, this is not something all people will like. I would make it as comfortable as possible and always have extra sheets and blankets in case it is cold or a set is in the laundry.
Target and Wal-Mart both have some cute ways to personalize college bound students space. Buy lots of pillows to make it comfy. Buy frames to add some spark and personality to your room. Don’t forget the lamp or light for that late night studying!
Also, again don’t forget the cleaning supplies. Maybe a cheap carpet sweeper or small dust buster would be perfect just so they can pick up any crumbs.
The important thing is to bring things from home as well that will allow them to feel comforted. Maybe it is a picture of the family, or their TV or radio. Don’t forget the computer and cell phone so your child can keep in touch. Also, as sad as it is to mention. label everything. My husband’s roommate took my husband’s boombox (yes, I am dating myself) home with him the first weekend he was on campus. There are some great websites that offer customized labels, vinyl and iron/sew on. One is www.labels4kids.com.
This is a big transition in your child’s life. Make sure you equip them to be successful. Trust me, you don’t want them moving back in with you.
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Top-level comments on this article: (2 total)question....why do i need 7 towels for a week? i can get by with just one at home...well besides the hand towel and washcloth? well i was just wondering because it seems strange!Anonymous, If you can get by on one-that is great! Just be careful where you hang it to dry each day. Dorms sometimes can be old and not airy-be careful of mold. The only reason why I suggested more is to prolong laundry. You will not be able to do laundry as much as you would at home just because of time constraints and finding a machine that isn't being used. Best of luck to you! These are just suggestions. Everyone is different! Thanks for commenting!
Laura, thanks for the list. My son and I are in the process of getting all his stuff together and I went looking for a list. I think 7 towels is a lot but the caution on mold is right on. Daughter has over door hooks and one year had a shower bar in front of a window for air-drying. We also forgot the quarters. Would have liked a summary list at bottom to check against. rfl
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