List for College dorm life?

Pam

Sent you a couple links. Hope their helpful.

Lori

Would you mind passing them on to me as well...mine is equally lacking! Thanks.

04 mom's

Here's the 2 links I found just doing a search.

You'll have to sort thru them.

I tell you I didn't know my son would need a tool kit for his truck.... but he now has one, plus he had to use the tools to put his bed together.
Last trip up we took ramps so he could work under his truck.

Good Luck and keep in mind garage sales and yard sales.


http://www.belmont.k12.ma.us/bhs/pto/CollegeSupplies.pdf

http://www.wellingtonsquare.com/CollegeSuppliesChecklist.htm

As teenage boys are rarely organized (or prone to keeping to original organization if you're there to help settle them in), I put all the 'bitty' things into the shoebox sized plastic boxes to be stacked in his closet, and labeled them. This also helps with storage as closet/drawer/shelf space is very limited.

-Desk Supplies
-First Aid
-Repair (sewing kit, scissors, glues, etc)
-Garage (everything he would have gone to the garage for at home: tools, spare ext. cords, etc)

Shelving is important, whatever the housing, so bringing a unit or stacking cubes is always a good idea.

If his accommodation does include a living room and/or a kitchen, ask coach/the school for the name and contact on roommates(s) to divide up the communal stuff. Not only do you not need two or more sets of pots, dishes, etc, but there won't be room to store them.

Many schools ban George Foreman grills because the students don't clean out the grease, and they become fire hazards.

Find out as much as you can about the accommodation, if you haven't been able to see it in advance. It's very easy to send too much off with him, so always think: does he NEED this, and will he take care of it?

---------------------------------
From 'Nice Guys Finish Last' by Leo Durocher:

Baseball lives at the center of a never-flagging whirl of irreconcilable opinions.

As the father of 3 boys ....

If you can't nail it to their bodies, they may not need it, 'cause they sure won't be able to find it.

HiHardHeat:

As the mother of three sons: AGREED

HiHardHeat...

The list just gets longer...now we need to buy a box of NAILS!

We got our youngest, the player, a card saying:

"We still remember the day we brought you home from the hospital ... it was the last time your room was clean."

Along with a multitude of other things, I sent along an address book with names, phone numbers, addresses and e-mail addresses of anyone and everyone he would possibly need to contact. I also mistakenly sent along stamps and envelopes, but I guess "snail mail" isn't used much by these kids anymore....the e-mail addresses are used MUCH more! I also snuck in a framed photo of his family....I was pleasently surprised to see it up in his dorm room when we visited. Who knows...it COULD have come down just as quickly AFTER we left!

This is a great thread, I didn't even think about this.....yes I know, I'm a man. But would someone move this information over to the general topics, I believe many more people would like to see this.

PS: the pink has got me feeling like seeing the movie Beaches tonight!

The Bullwinkle feels in touch with his inner feminine self. Bullwinkle wipes away a tear, sighs, and wonders why .....

Hillary: I don't even remember what it was I was mad about and I don't care. Whatever it was that you did, I forgive you.
C.C.: What I did? You and your lousy letters. Just to get one of them made me special even before I opened it. All your ****** stories, all your big dreams.
Hillary: I didn't know that.
C.C.: Well, what the hell did you know? Did you know how bad things were for me? No, because you wouldn't even open my letters. If you had even answered one, just one! Told me what a jerk I was, anything! But you didn't. You took your friendship away without even discussing it with me. So, thank you very much for forgiving me. But I don't forgive you.

The Bullwinkle is very confused!

Look! Bullwinkle can clap and wink at the same time!

Bullwinkle..I would move it, but I have no idea how to do that..it must take a moderator...calling all moderators....

Pam,
I think the Pooh-bah has to do it. Or you could just start a whole new one.

_______________________
"People ask me what I do in winter when there's no baseball. I'll tell you what I do. I stare out the window and wait for spring." Rogers Hornsby, Hall of Famer

Everyone...
There is an item out on the market and I'm not sure what its called...
It is made to lift the typical dorm bed higher off the floor. It is a set of 4 brackets that allows you to place bigger under-the-bed-storage containers....under the bed.
AParent is so right. There is never enough room to put everything you bring. The shoe box idea is a great suggestion!

______________________________
By the time you learn how to play the game...
You can't play it anymore ~ Frank Howard

I remember this thread so vividly from last year..it seems we have spent a small fortune sending the child 8 hours away...we also send relief packages just about every other week...heres a short list...
Sheets(2 sets), towels, comforter, room vac(small)..laundry products, febreeze, hangers,under bed storage, computer, fridge,hot pot for soups, laundry basket,shoe racks, all kinds of office supplies, clothes up the ying yang, all the baseball paraphenalia, gatorade,gatorade,gatorade...soups,
trail mix, power bars,pretzels, popcorn...did I say gatorade...water, lamp for desk,radio, TV, Cd player, hangers,I also bought a 3 drawer plastic container looks like a bureau...gatorade...we have replenished almost everthing at least once...start now to teach them how to do their own laundry as that is a big issue...and last but not least ....gatorade...if I think of more I will post it

Life is not measured by the number of breaths we take, but by the moments that take our breath away.

Thanks for the early warning all - I'm going to start my dorm shopping list now. Maybe I'll even find a few Christmas presents while I'm at it! Seriously, good stuff - I really appreciate it. So, it's all about gatorade, I'm figuring...

Bullwinkle - glad to see you're getting in touch with your feminine side. No need to watch Beaches, though - don't forget that you are in the LL of the HSBBWeb. 'For the Love of the Game' or 'Bull Durham' will do just fine. Just be sure you tear up at the appropriate moments and wince every time the 'f' word is used. BTW, not to offend, but with that schnozz, you might need a couple of extra boxes of kleenex.

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Pay attention to the feedback that takes you where you want to go!

A couple of my biggest surprises about moving him into the dorm room were:

1. There was no trashcan, the students needed to supply this.

2. There was no telephone, the students needed to supply this.

Thanks so much for starting this thread. I am sending my first one off to college in august and I have found all this very helpful. There is so much we hadn't thought of. Please keep the infomation coming. My son will be staying with 3 others, they each have a bedroom, two bathrooms a kithchen and living room area to share. I wonder how soon we will know who the other boys are. I would love to talk with their parents so we can see who will bring what.

baseballdownsouth...

One thing I know that I plan to do is the gatorade thing...we already buy it by the case and he's just in high school...


I guess we'll need to go straight to the warehouse for shipping...

Texas2004,
I understand what you mean. Mine it is bottled water, He has had minor kidney trouble for a couple of years so he stays away from all types of soft-drinks. He drinks bottled water at an unbelieved rate. That and he has a serious love of doritos.

Girls,
During the middle of the summer you will obtain the name or names of the prospective roomates...my son has 1 roomate and his Mom and I conversed a few times prior to school on who would bring what...we also exchanged phone numbers in case there was an emergency...thankfully that has not been needed..I have stressed to my son that they should each know where the other is...the baseball players are all in a block in the dorms at his school...and have each other for roomates

Life is not measured by the number of breaths we take, but by the moments that take our breath away.

baseballdownsouth, if the purification level would be adequate, you might want to look into one of the Brita-type pitchers (Pur makes a big one designed for the fridge)for your son's water --- cheaper, less to store, no trips to the shops for water. My son uses one quite happily.

If your son will have a kitchen, you have additional lessons to teach, beyond budgeting, bank account handling, and Laundry 101. Start now with lessons on Grocery Shopping And The Value of Those Flyers By the Door, Food Handling, and Cooking: Basic and Adventurous. Don't assume he knows anything...and cover hand washing a lot. It's great fun to cook with your son, in any case.

I made up a personalized cook book for him, with the recipes for his favorites, some easy recipes, and some reminders about safe food handling and the value of noticing Use By dates. He now has the rep of making the best spaghetti sauce in the baseball ghetto....even though it means he now knows that's where I hide the vegetables!

Encourage him to approach the food situation with his roomies early. Are they sharing or does everybody have their own.

FYI, I'm finding that, with groceries and gas (obviously entertainment and misc are there for all of them), my son spends $50-$75 a week.

---------------------------------
From 'Nice Guys Finish Last' by Leo Durocher:

Baseball lives at the center of a never-flagging whirl of irreconcilable opinions.

Orlando,
Thanks for your input. We have started doing a few things getting him ready. I have shown him how to separate his laundry, he is going to ULL colors or red and black. I told him if he didn't separate his whites from everything else he would end up with pink underwear. That got his attention. We need to work on the grocery shoping thing for sure. As for as money management he is really good about that, we have taught him how to budget himself by giving him a monthly allowance for awhile now.

When we did the dorm thing, we forgot the following: power strips! extension cords, a window covering (this wasn't supplied) quarters for the washer and dryer, a flashlight (they had a black out, and a dorm is really pitch black!) paper towels.

"There's no crying in baseball!"

There is this same discussion going on at collegeconfidential.com, with lots of suggestions. Go to collegeconfidential.com, to the Parents Forum on the discussion boards, and find the "What to take to college: checklists/suggestions" thread.

The best comprehensive list, from one of the posters there, is at collegeboard.com (search for "off-to-college"). Also bedbathandbeyond.com has an extensive section on lists, college dorm rooms, etc.

The universal advice seems to be not to buy the big stuff until you've seen the room (dimensions, built-ins, etc) and coordinated with the roommate....

Tide makes a tablet that they just drop in the washer...no measuring. works perfect

http://www.tide.com/products/tide.jhtml?productId=87

As far as the kitchen goes a few hints:
Plastic Plates, bowls, glasses are their favorite (Dollar Store)

Toaster Oven used more than any other appliance

Large non-stick skillet, the ones that come in sets are either to small or cheap and burned up food quickly. I got mine at Sams Club.

Light Bulbs, dish drainer, and plenty of dish towels b/c nobody seems to remember that these need washing (kinda like their sheets)

one last item that was a must....PLUNGER!

As I remember things I'll post them.

Lori

BaseballDownSouth --

Just wanted to relay about the problem my husband recently had with bottled water. Over one summer he started to drink tons of bottled water exclusively, instead of other drinks. In the fall he came up with horrible kidney stones. He quit the bottled water is excess and for the past 2 years has been kidney stone trouble free.

The most common form of kidney stones very likely isn't caused by excess bottled water. Uping fluids can actually reduce the risk for stones by diluting the urine. More common causes are: increased calcium in the blood, increased salt, and vitamin overload (especially vitamin D) Also high protein intake has been listed. (that may be on the rise with the high protein diets ) Now, there are many other reasons of course. But we should remember when choosing bottled over tap especially for children, is that there is no flouride in most brands. Just thought I'd share.

"There's no crying in baseball!"

I just want to emphasize the need for power strips and extension cords that was previously mentioned. We were GREATLY surprised at the limited "electrical" resources of the dorm rooms!

my mother...BK's grandmother told me I should mark all of his clothing with a permanent black marker....putting BK on all of his tags - on undies, t-shirts, etc...

I told her, "Mom this isn't church camp...and he's not 6 years old."

Granny said, "But I'm worried they take all of his clothes...you've seen all those movies with all those college kids hanging out together..they will take his stuff.."

I died laughing...I told her if they want his underclothes...well, they can have them...

Pam

Matt actually did mark all his under armour, baseball sweats and other items that everyone has alike on the team b/c they have no numbers on them.

But undies..... I'm like you "go for it".

Lori

Lori..that's a good idea about their gear...

hmmm...maybe I'll buy permanent markers after all..

Wow, this is really great, I am glad that I am not the only one starting to have anxiety about it.
Thanks for the tips, keep them coming. My son will be living with 4 in a dorm apartment. The coaches feel that it gives them a bit more room,though I understand they are not there that much. I also understand that I can order just about anything he needs on the school website and have it delivered, sheets, towels, pots, pans, may be worth not schlepping there!
I didn't know where to start, this helps. Worst part is we live in warm climate and he is going further north, means whole new wardrobe!

How far north is he going?

My best advice ...keep it simple. The less college boys have to keep up with, the better.

1. Pack only what they will need to get through the first semester. Resist the urge to buy too much ahead of time ...much of it will come back having never been used...if it comes back at all. Most college towns have a Wal-Mart or Target if you forget something.

2. Buy white towels and sheets. Boys need visual reminders that their stuff is dirty. If they don't see it, it doesn't exist. Also, whites can be bleached at Christmas.

3. Most important kitchen item: Large, plastic garbage bags. They will not buy these on their own.

4. Most important bathroom item: Toilet paper. They will not buy this on their own.

5. Invest in plastic, stacking storage drawers...great for closets and easy to move.

6. Best decorating tip: Buy motivational and baseball posters ahead of time before they are left to "decorate" on their own.

luvbb,
From sunny south Florida to South Carolina where it snows!

One thing we bought was a small locking safe that fits under his bed. He can lock his laptop, wallet, and a few other items inside, especially when he's gone on road trip.

In addition to gatorade, we also sent a case of sunflower seeds and protein bars. Vitamins (especially "C") were a must. We also sent some kleenex, chap stick, and sunscreen. We also send quarters regularly.

On a humorous note, he came home after 7 weeks away with his sheets -- that hadn't been washed. Can you say STIFF? We went out and bought another set (to make 3 sets) and mentioned that he should change and wash the sheets at least once a month. He laughed when I told him once a week, even every other week seemed silly to him.

So we agreed that the first of every month, whether they need it or not -- NEW sheets on the bed.

Say Hey!

TxMom -

"6. Best decorating tip: Buy motivational and baseball posters ahead of time before they are left to "decorate" on their own."

ROFL - Have you been looking in my son's room? Absolutely the right idea - and he's not even in college yet....!

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Pay attention to the feedback that takes you where you want to go!

I'm reading through these lists to make sure I didn't forget anything!

My son's school will not release roommate names until we arrive though. So I bought everything even the common items such as phone, network hub, fridge, microwave, splitter for the cable, just so we wouldn't have to hunting for that stuff that day. I would rather drag it back home and return it than spend the day at the store.

Cant I just give him some money and let him go buy his stuff.
heck if he does not get the right stuff I will still have lots of room at my house since he is moved out. JK
My wife is buying every thing the poor thing needs to start his own house hold. I just keep my mouth shut, for some reason she is a little touchy about her baby and what he will need while he is away at the dark and dangerous college. I said that I was not sure he would need a full size Frig. and WACK my head was removed and handed to me to hold. so I returned to the faithful "yes dear".
I do have to say that she moderated on the fridge she went to Home depot and bought a 4cf fridge /freezer. I am hopeing to get it as a hand me down {that is how I get all my clothes now} it is really cool, same size as the little fridges you see but stand about 4 feet high and has a freezer on top. I bet it would hold 3, maybe 4 cases.