Top Ten Things To Send To College With My Daughter

[jenbobblehead]

You know- I hadn't thought of that but maybe one of those keychain models? Never had anything like that myself. If anyone out there who has had it can offer any opinion I'd appreciate it. Ugh.

i also agree on the following:

 

Pepper Spray (you can order it online and i'm not sure i'd get the keychain size--its very small)

Mattress topper

area rug

 

and add if she doesn't have one: a pay as you go cell phone, or one with prepaid minutes. I went to school before the era of cell phones and sometimes it really helped to call some friends and check in at home without having to call collect.

a few travel mugs for coffee

some baggies for hustling drygoods out of the cafe

her own mini fridge

and if she has a roommate: ear plugs and and eye pillow and a white noise generator (or do what i do and put it some on her ipod)

[foolnrain97]

I would recommend NOT taking every book/CD/movie she owns. They can take up a lot of space and chances are they'll sit there on the shelf. So pick a few favorites of each or whatever. The library will have some of those things or she can borrow movies and such from her dorm mates....

 

If she likes tea, but not coffee, then one of those hot water makers might be better than a coffee pot. Small blender for smoothies?

 

The looking for books online thing is a very good idea, amazon and half.com are two other sites that are pretty good for that. I also had the individual detergent packages for laundry, but I don't recommend the ones I had-I think they were the wisk tablets. They never fully dissolved and left white gunk on my darks...it was a mess.

 

Maybe a credit card in your account, but in her name for emergencies only?

A good desk lamp for when the roommate goes to bed and she's still up studying?

 

My first quarter freshman year, my mom would send boxes of home-baked goods and that's how I made friends, no college kid can turn down homemade cookies or brownies or whatever.

 

Hope that helps, if I think of anything else, I'll share it...tell her to have a good time and to take in as much as she can-classes, student activities, local events, whatever....work hard and play hard.

[jesselne]

-A rug from lowes or somewhere like it. Just having carpet will make such a difference, and having a full one is much better than an area rug.

-Tool kit. I can't tell you how many times it came in handy. It's also quite a chick magnet.

-Those hooks that hang on the wall with 3M adhesive.

-Wireless headphones. Those things were so freakin nice for the nights that my roommate had his girlfriend over.

-The biggest Mini fridge you can find. It's always nice to have your "waters" cool.

[street spirit]

-The biggest Mini fridge you can find. It's always nice to have your "waters" cool.

 

definitely... and jokes aside, she'll actually use it for food too.

[jhh4321]

I am entering my third year of college and i can promise you that since i purchased it, nothing has gotten more use than my George Foreman Superchamp Grill, those things are amazing and cost no more than 15 bucks.

[bobbob1313]

I am entering my third year of college and i can promise you that since i purchased it, nothing has gotten more use than my George Foreman Superchamp Grill, those things are amazing and cost no more than 15 bucks.

 

Yep. Thats a necessity. We don't have kitchens in our rooms at my school, so the Foreman is a must. Now if only I could cook something besides burgers and dogs.

 

But that thing is perfect for the dorm. Sit it on the counter and make sure you clean it. This is how I met like everyone in my building. Just start cooking something and leave the door open. People will just stop in.

[foolnrain97]

Add to my list, under the bed storage containers and whatever it takes to make the dorm room feel a little more like home-more pillows on the bed, posters, stuffed animals, christmas lights, whatever. It'll make those first couple of nights/weeks/months a little better.

[mpolak21]

Bunches of live Dead shows! (analog tapes are retro-cool).

In my three years cases of Ramen Noodles have certainly been very beneficial, since they banned George Foreman grills from all of our dorms when some future Republican congressman (in all likelihood) decided it would be funny to cook aluminum foil at three in the morning. Air Fresheners are essential as well particularly if it's co-ed.

 

--Mike

[lovecontagious]

Bunches of live Dead shows! (analog tapes are retro-cool).

 

If she hasn't started collecting them already, she'll start to once she gets there! A fridge and Christmas lights are a must! When I went to college the first time, I had bought a huge piece of carpet that was at the end of the bolt for cheap. Then, I cut to fit the room once I got there. It was plaid lime green, blue, red, and yellow...very "retro-cool".

[trestle]

So many great ideas- I really appreciate the response.

 

I've been relaying all of the suggestions you've made. We've compiled quite a list and had some great conversations about her going away.

 

Thanks to each and every post. There's still room in the car and we can always hit some shops once we roll into town, so I'll keep looking for any new posts.

[bobbob1313]

I'm definitely getting a mini-fridge this year, by the way. I got quite sick of my roommates stealing my drinks and food last year.

[trestle]

I'm definitely getting a mini-fridge this year, by the way. I got quite sick of my roommates stealing my drinks and food last year.

 

 

Yeah- for some reason she seems a little hesitant to commit to a fridge- she doesn't know who her room mate will be yet, but I'm trying to convince her that she wants owners rights (within reason).

[EL the Famous]

that mini-fridge will be worth it's weight in gold. i have a college buddy that still has his...now serves as the beer fridge in his garage. the flip-flops for shower time meantioned earlier are also a must.

[radiocure618]

Lots of printer ink.

[quarter23cd]

The only thing I remember using a lot of when I first got to college was money. Lots and lots of money. There will be so many new places to explore...and they all sell beer!!!1!

 

In all seriousness, all the above suggestions are good. A good area rug is a must. Preferably a cheap one that can be thrown out and replaced when it starts to smell funny and people start making fun of it.

[Mrs. Peel]

Adding to Alison's thought that Christmas lights increase the homey feeling, so do a couple of table lamps. Anything you can do to not have to turn on those overhead lights is a huge plus. It makes the room feel more like a home and less like a cell.

[owl]

When I went to college, my uncle sent me a package of rubbers, rolling papers, and aspirin.

[Lammycat]

Set her up with a high quality fake I.D. and she'll love you even more.

[jcroach]

Ear plugs (for snoring room mates)

can opener

local post office box. I moved three times when I was in college. My wife moved 5 times. Between the moving, lazy roommates and thieving fraternity brothers, I wish I had had a consistent mailing address.

[Mr. Kinsley]

We're are waiting to pick one of those up at the student bookstore- Go Hookahs!

 

Fixed it for ya'.

 

In terms of what to bring, I'd travel as light as possible. Half the fun of being in a dorm for me was fixing all the problems and getting it all myself. The earlier comment about a toolkit was spot on. They called it a chick magnet, which (probably) isn't really why your daughter will want it, but when word gets around that the girl in Room #___ has a hammer and screwdriver, she'll make instant friends. Or instant moochers.

 

Also, in terms of lighting, you can pull back the cover on flourescent ceiling lights, twist one tube so that the prongs out of the socket a bit but not so that it comes all the way out, then put the cover back. You cut your lighting in half that way.

[bobbob1313]

I'm going to highly suggest a first aid kit of some sort. If her first year is anyting like mine, her roommate is going to get ridiculously drunk and step on a shot glass, thus leaving blood everywhere.

 

Probably a big bottle of aspirin or tylenol will be good, and definitely a jumbo thing of bandages. I know my 3 roommates and I ended up using a ton of bandaids and I'm not sure why or how.

 

And I'll second the "money" part of it. I spent way too much money my first year of college, and now I'm wishing I hadn't. But I think it's inevitable. First time away from parents you don't really know what you need to buy, so you end up spending a lot of money on crap you don't need. Oh yeah, and alcohol. You spend a lot of money on alcohol.

 

The best advice I can give is just let her do what she's going to do once she gets there. There is nothing worse than an overprotective parent once you've moved in at school. And the biggest advice: When she comes back for breaks, you have to give her freedom. It's extremely tough to have total freedom and then come back and have all of those rules. I had to sit my mom down the first few weeks of summer and tell her that she was being overbearing. She let up and things have been much smoother.

 

Basically, just trust that she's smart enough to not be stupid, I guess.

[Papillon Parade]

Financial skills. Seriously, make sure she's good with money honey. I learned my lesson the hard way and only just this past year got my credit rating back to normal.

[sharkycharming]

Send her mail (and get her friends and the rest of the family to send things, too) once she's gone. Although I had a great time being away from home that first year and really enjoyed my freedom, nothing made me as happy as having something in my campus mailbox. I swear I checked the mail four times a day. It's so much more exciting than email, too.

[a.miller]

Financial skills. Seriously, make sure she's good with money honey. I learned my lesson the hard way and only just this past year got my credit rating back to normal.

I'll swear by this also.