The first thing you’ll need to know is what type of dorm room your college Freshman will be living in. Dorm room types include, single room, suite, double room and a three person room. This will indicate what you need to prepare for. In our case, our daughter will be moving into a suite. She will share a bathroom with three other freshmen. We know what the room size is and what types of things she’ll “need”. As she is sharing a bathroom, they are required to clean the bathroom and purchase their own toilet paper. So on the list; we’ll add bathroom cleaner, toilet cleaner & toilet paper. We will also purchase towels, washcloths & hand towels.

If your freshman will be using the “community” bathroom/shower area, their needs will be different. The absolute first purchase should be several pairs of flip flops. The community shower area is full of bacteria and the use of flip flops in the shower greatly decreases the risk for getting a fungus or warts. A plastic or mesh beach bag is also recommended. They can carry their shampoos, conditioners, body wash, scrubbies, etc. in the bag. It allows for easy drying after they have brought it back to their room.

Dorm room beds are generally “long”. You will need to purchase long sheets to fit the beds. The University did send us a dorm bedding order form. If we chose to purchase their inexpensive sheets, the sheets would be in the room upon arrival. I will warn you, these sheets are thin, scratchy and may not last an entire year. I would search for “long sheets” at Bed Bath & Beyond, Kohls, Target, Wal-Mart. Several of these stores only offer long sheets to purchase online. My daughter, having her own income, chose to purchase her sheets and duvet cover from Moxii. Seems she absolutely had to have 400 thread count Egyptian cotton  sheets….her money, well spent, in her opinion!

Many kids prefer to have their beds lofted.  This gives them more floor space in their room.  Colleges will offer to loft the beds for you, in our case the University requires that they loft the beds.  We have to pay an extra $50 by August 14 for the bed to be lofted.  At many other colleges, they will allow you to loft the bed yourself.  Most of these colleges will have lofting kits available to purchase or you may have to build your own loft and loft it yourself on move in day. Interested in building your own loft, check this website out.  How to Construct a Loft Bed.

By now, your freshman should have received an email from the college informing them of who they will be rooming with.  It is important that your freshman begins to communicate with their dorm mate.  This will not only allow them to get to know their dorm mate a bit before moving in, it also allows them to communicate what they want in their room, if they are going to share the costs of items they need, or decide who should bring what!

Our daughter and her dorm mate have communicated. Her dorm mate is bringing a television & DVD player and my daughter is bringing her stereo. Now the big ticket items come in. They both want a mini refrigerator/freezer, microwave and a remnant of plush carpeting. As we live in the same town as the University and the dorm mate lives 1,000 miles away, they have decided that my daughter (meaning the parents) will purchase the above items and split the cost. This is a good time to purchase the refrigerator and microwave. Many stores, including Lowes, Menards, Home Depot, Costco, Sam's Club and Sears are all running sales for these items. You can also look at a Sears Outlet or other appliance stores that sell dent and scratch appliances for considerably less than the advertised sale prices at the big box stores.

Are appliances necessary? Yes and no. Depending on the meal plan that your freshman has signed up for will determine if appliances are necessary. At the University, they only offer a two meal a day meal plan, so the girls need to be able to have food in their room for their third meal.

Other appliance options, Magic Bullet smoothie maker or blender. Check with the college on the policies for appliances. Most do not allow hot plates, coffee makers or toasters.

Ultimately your freshman will need storage space.  Now is a good time to stock up on Rubbermaid bins and Space bags, Tupperware or similar type of kitchen storage containers and Ziploc bags.

 Space bags are incredible, you can pack a good deal of winter clothing and extra bedding in these bags.  Then you use your vacuum to suck the air out, leaving you with a flat bag.  Here is the information on Space Bags

The Rubbermaid bins will be good for boxed food, dirty laundry, and clothing that they can’t quite fit into their dorm closet or dorm dresser.

Kitchen storage containers can be used to store cereal, chips, butter, etc. and keep them fresh.  These storage containers will also help keep insects away!

Ziploc bags will be handy for taking food to class, or as my daughter has stated, quietly filling the bag with cereal from the cafeteria.

As it is back to school time, many of these items are on sale – check out your local ads and shop around.

Our daughter was part of the Post Secondary Education Option last year.  She was able to finish her freshman year of college and her senior year in high school concurrently.  Her books were paid for through this program, but she learned firsthand how expensive the books are, even used.  For the upcoming semester, your freshman’s books should already be listed.  My daughter took the ISBN number for each book and searched Amazon for cheaper books.  She was able to save a good deal of money, as the books listed on Amazon are cheaper than the “used” books at the University.  She has already received the books and they in perfect condition have not been written in and two books look like they have never been opened.  Be sure to read any comments about the seller and reviews that others have made to the seller.  This will hopefully ensure that you are receiving quality books.

A laptop computer and printer are essential.  If you are purchasing a laptop for the first time, many big box stores will throw in a printer.  Check the ads now and research laptop computer!  When shopping for the laptop, make sure it has a good battery life.  The last thing your student needs is to have his/her laptop die in the library and no cord in the backpack to plug it in to continue working.  Supply them with several packages of computer paper; they’ll need more at Christmas.  They should also have a flash drive device and plenty of CDs or DVDs to back their work up on.  If they do not know how to back up their documents – make sure you teach them now!  Also, go over every detail on how to keep their computer safe by using antivirus software.   Yes, I know at this age, they are all computer literate, but are they computer savvy?  The laptop can also be used as a TV.!

Carefully take into consideration where your freshman is living.  What is the climate like?  This is essential for outerwear.  In our case, rain boots, snow boots, rain jacket, winter jacket and windbreaker jacket are necessary.  Sweatshirts, sweat pants, pajamas, a robe and slippers should be on top of the clothing list.

How much clothing should they take?  I think this is where the parent really needs to let them go.  Girls on one hand will want to pack every piece of clothing they own.  Our daughter believes she needs seven pair of new jeans and a complete new fall/winter wardrobe.  She has a job – so she can purchase these items.  In her mind, the more clothing articles she has, the less laundry she’ll have to do (and I giggle to myself).

Have your freshman make a grocery list now.  This will give you a month to start shopping for their groceries that are non perishable.  The day you move your freshman into the dorm, you can shop for perishable items such as milk, juice and fruit.

By now, your lists should be started. Make sure you sit down with your son or daughter and make your lists together so that nothing is missed. Start your shopping and planning now.

Clothing

Outerwear

Toiletries

Bathroom cleaner

Toilet cleaner

Toilet paper

Towels

Washcloths

Hand towels

Desk lamp

Laptop

Printer

Printer paper

Non-perishable food

Storage containers

Space bags

Refrigerator

Microwave

Sheets

Blankets

Robe

Slippers

Flip flops

Beach bag or mesh bag

Ear plugs

Blow drier

Flat iron/curling iron

Shaving kit

Room freshener or deodorizer

Fan

Television

DVD player

Alarm Clock

Paper plates

Plastic bowls

Plastic silverware

Platic cups

Iron

Small ironing board

The information I have in this article has varied sources.  As my daughter was at the University last year, she was able to see firsthand what other girls had in their rooms, so much of the information comes directly from her.  I’ve also talked to other moms whose children have moved into the dorms, along with my own ideas..

Please feel free to add to the list…I’m sure in can never get too long.  Smiles!

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