Our household has sent off two daughters to “sleep away” college in the past 18 months, and it can seem like preparing an army to deploy. It was also unexpectedly expensive, though we tried to be very smart about the budget and we are lucky to have two very non-demanding kids!  We just didn’t realize how much they really needed to be independent of the household.  Of course, a lot of it is stuff we’d have bought over the course of the semester or year anyway, and our expenses were correspondingly less through the year – but it’s still a bit of sticker shock up front.

I’ve created a packing list based on the needs we had, with a few notes about packing and planning in general.  I’m worried I’ve overlooked a few details that may be more specific to sons, but I’ve included some links to offsite packing lists that are more comprehensive.  Our own strategy was to have the girls look at those other packing lists, and create a custom list based on those suggestions.  This is meant to be a distilled list of what we decided to bring, on a budget but with an eye towards allowing the girls to address as many of their own needs as possible.  We tried to think ahead to difficulties they might run into, and proactively put the tools in place for those eventualities – things like minor illness and injury, and little conveniences they were accustomed to at home . . . like a snack or stamp supply!

Don’t forget that whatever you move them in with, must be moved out again in May.  Some locales have convenient summer storage, and some do not.  Let this guide your dorm-room stocking, to a serious extent.

Personal Clothing and Effects

1. Think fewer outfits, coordinating staples.  Exact packing will depend on student’s available space, and climate at college.  My girls both need more serious winter gear at school than at home, but can get by without it for the first couple months, so we send it on later, and then send back warmer-weather items.
2. Encourage wearing jeans, skirts, layered pieces like sweaters, etc. for extra days to lighten laundry.
3. About 30% more underwear and socks than you usually keep on hand, to help stretch out the need to do laundry.
4. Athletic clothing as needed – every student ought to have at least one set of gym clothes, and one swimsuit.
5. Sleepwear (remember, needs to be appropriate for hallway too, unless bathroom is en suite.)
6. Seasonal clothing:  light jacket, fleece vest and/or pullover, wool or down coat, boots appropriate for snow/ice, ice clamps for boots, hats/mittens (extra!!)
7. 2 sets of sheets and pillowcases, so laundry day and fresh sheet day don’t absolutely have to be coordinated.  Especially helpful if the student is ill.  WASH ONCE BEFORE PACKING!  I failed to do this both times
8. Extra comforter or foam pad for mattress – they are notoriously bad at college.
9. Fitted Mattress Pad (even with extra padding, will help keep it from shifting.)
10. Blankets and comforter as climate and student preference dictate.
11. A soft, comfy throw/afghan, for studying on the bed.  Both of my girls like to wrap up and sit in bed to do their reading.
12. Clock radio.  We found a model that has a (proprietary) stand for the brand of MP3 players the girls use, which makes for a perfectly adequate music system for the room (and one less appliance to worry about.)
13. Backpack or messenger bag – something very, very sturdy.  Consider wheeled if the student will have any issues carrying a lot of weight on her back.

Personal Toiletries

1. Shampoo/Conditioner – regular size for dorm use/travel size for gym use
2. Body Wash/Favorite Soap – again, duplicates for dorm use/gym use
3. Scrubbing Pouf/2-3 Washcloths
4. Razor and Blade Refills – duplicate for dorm use/gym use
5. Skin Care:  exfoliant, acne treatment, sunscreen, moisturizer – duplicates are nice for shower/gym
6. Dental Care: toothbrush, dental floss, toothpaste, rinses, cup for a drink (Nice to have a couple extra unopened toothbrushes for a guest or in case the first needs quick replacement.)
7. Contact lens supplies, if needed
8. Shower Tote (at my daughter’s colleges, they were able to safely leave these in a cubbies in the communal bathrooms.)
9. Separate duffel for gym clothes and toiletries if a locker system is unavailable.
10. Hair care:  Brush and comb, hair products, hair ties/scrunchies as needed.  Again, duplicates are nice for shower/gym
11. Tweezers
12. Deodorant (buy a couple extra for the shelf!)
13. Nail file and clippers
14. Fingernail polish remover
15. Cotton pads for makeup and polish remover
16. Cotton swabs
17. Menstrual supplies, according to student’s preference.  (Buy twice as much as you think the student will need, you do NOT want them to run short here!!  It will all get used eventually.)

Health and First Aid – don’t scrimp here, unless the student has access to a drugstore VERY close by; you don’t want the student schlepping out for this stuff when they are sick or injured.  Make sure the student understands how to use everything safely, and when to ask Health Services for additional care.  Major points are not mixing cold medicines containing acetaminophen with additional tablets of the same, and making sure they understand about yeast infections (some young women mistake the signs of an STD.)

1. Personal prescription items, with refills and a plan for obtaining the refills.  If any of the medications are controlled substances, consider investing in a locked “firesafe” type box that the student can use to protect the supply.  The boxes store unobtrusively on a high shelf or under a drawer.  For their own safety, students should be discreet if they have a supply of medications that might have street value.
2. Weekly pill sorter for organization (”Did I take my medicine  yet??”) and to keep a minimal supply available to sticky fingers.  Even so, keep it out of sight in a drawer or in the backpack.
3. Extra pair of glasses!!  (Or a pair, period, for the contact lens wearing student.)  This is a small expense to undertake, to prevent a situation where the student is on her own and cannot see.
4. Over the Counter Medications:  daily vitamin(s), a comprehensive cough/cold remedy, nighttime cold medicine (Nyquil), sore throat drops (with numbing action), cough drops, acetaminophen, ibuprofen, diarrhea medicine (loperimide), antacid, allergy tablets (diphenhydramine), antibiotic ointment, hydrocortisone cream, topical Diphenhydramine “itch stick”, athlete’s foot cream, OTC one-dose yeast-infection medication (women)
5. Alternative health aids, according to the student’s needs/wishes:  neti pot & saline packets, herbal medications, healing teas, aromatherapy supplies
6. First Aid gear:  assorted adhesive bandages, gauze pads and wraps (or Coban), 2-3 Ace bandages (especially if the student is athletic), bag for ice, a microwave “rice bag” for heat,

Dorm Items

1. Risers for bed
2. Dust ruffle to hide underbed storage
3. Plastic Storage Bins – underbed storage
4. Small shelf bins for the bookcase, upper shelves in closet.  These bring order to the chaos of scattered misc. personal items, and are really quite useful.
5. Kleenex – in mini backpack size and tabletop.  Buy extra.
6. Snacks:  energy bars, fruit leather, a favorite cereal or two, microwave popcorn, instant cocoa, tea bags, honey, a few favorite treats (my girls load up on Trader Joe’s chocolate section, and then advertise that they always have chocolate – they’ve made several friends this way!!)  These items can be expensive to buy on campus, and the selection is often limited.  It’s comforting and homey for the student to have a few favorites handy.
7. Small supply of dishes: 2 plates, 2 cereal bowls, 2 large drinking cups,  a couple pieces of flatware (you can buy open stock flatware at stores like Target and Wal-Mart, or else at a thrift shop.)
8. Small sharp paring knife and small cutting board, mainly for fresh fruit.
9. A couple “disposable” containers (ie, Ziploc or Glad)  for leftovers are nice too, for takeout and larger open snacks that have leftovers.  They are nice for organizing small items in the room, too.
10. Insulated mug for hot drinks on the go; reusable water bottle that fits in backpack.
11. Small plastic tub for dirty dishes
12. Dishwashing “wand” – soap in the handle, scrubber on the tip
13. Dishsoap, small container (buy a good brand, Dawn or similar.)
14. 2 Dishcloth towels
15. Small broom and dustpan
16. Garbage can liners, plus a couple giant (leaf/lawn) bags tucked away.  Good for moving out, sorting clothing seasonally.
17. Pop up cleaning wipes – antimicrobial sort, windex sort, and general dusting sort
18. Laundry supplies:  Oversized laundry basket (sturdy!!), smallish size detergent, rub-on stain treatment stick.  I encourage the student to just keep the soap in the basket, and pile dirty laundry on top until laundry day.  No hunting for supplies this way.
19. A plant, if the student is so inclined.
20. Framed photograph of family, parents, or home, if student is so inclined.  (A nice gift might be a digital photo frame, loaded with many photo favorites for the student.  It’s a good way to display lots of photos in a limited space!)
21. Replacement batteries in assorted sizes (according to what they have, that needs batteries in the first place.)
22. Charging cables for all devices: MP3 player, cel phone, laptop, camera, etc.

School Supplies

1. Desk supplies:  Stapler, Tape Dispenser, Sticky Note Holder (I like the pop-up kind), binder clips, glue stick, generously sized pen/pencil holder – tall enough for scissors and ruler too.  Buy some refills/replacements for everything, and stash it in a drawer.  They may think this is silly, until they run short and find out what the stuff costs at the campus bookstore!!  I bought full size, real office staplers/dispensers – cheap ones are flaky and frustrating, and I expect the student will use them for years to come as part of her home office.
2. Mailing supplies:  simple stationery, book of “forever” stamps (so they won’t expire!!), business size envelopes, a couple larger mailing envelopes, box tape.
3. Study supplies:  three ring binders, lined filler paper, spiral notebooks, pencil pouches, highlighters in many colors, sticky “flags”, corrector pens, boxes of extra pens and pencils (or lead refills for mechanical pencils.)
4. Computer supplies:  Ethernet (CAT5) cable, blank CD-ROM disks, USB memory stick (get one that can be hung with keys!), wireless mouse (and/or keyboard, depending on laptop vs. desktop.)  The latter is expensive, but worth it as desk space is always tight in a dorm.  We found printers were unnecessary; professors like things submitted electronically when possible these days, and when printing was necessary the USB drive was pressed into use for the short walk to one of the ubiquitous printers around the dorms and campus.
5. Data backup/storage system – for personal documents (papers, letters, etc.) the USB drive is probably perfectly adequate.  It won’t be enough to store a serious collection of music or media files, and you may want to consider an external harddrive with a LOT of capacity.
6. Software:  Office software (MS Office, Open Office, etc.), Personal finance software (Quicken, etc.), photo organizing software (Picasa, etc.)
7. Personal lableler, like the Brother PT-80 P-Touch.  It will see enough use on unpacking day to justify the cost, and will continue to see use all year.  It’s a good organizing tool for a young adult just starting out.
8. Wall Calendar – both of my girls found they relied on this.  They liked the dry-erase sort, and would re-do it every few weeks.

Misc., but helpful

1. We purchased retractable name-badge (”zip chain”) holders at the office supply store.  Both girls’ campuses use security cards for everything – on campus purchasing (cash cards), entrance to particular secured buildings, signing into the dining hall, library checkout – everything!  They hang the holder from their pocket or waistband every morning, and it’s always at hand.
2. Hobby supplies, within reason.  Both of our girls like to knit and do fiber arts, and so have a tub under the bed with supplies for these crafts.  Space is at a premium, so they have to be serious about not overdoing the hobby supplies – but it’s good to have some non-academic diversion at hand for relaxation.
3. Little plastic containers for desk and dresser drawers – assorted sizes.  Helps the student keep things in order.
4. Filing box, portable.  I helped the student set up color coded files before school started, for the inevitable onslaught of paperwork college life brings with it.  I also gave them copies of all their personal documents: birth certificates, Social Security card, recent eyeglass prescription, etc.  They had original documents (birth cert, passport, SS Card) in the aforementioned safe.  They had files for Personal Documents, Financial Aid, Course Information, College Handouts (maps, etc.), and so on.
5. Low-limit credit card, of course with appropriate discussion about the nature of responsible credit usage.  This was helpful for acquiring books at the outset of classes (as we had already departed by the time they had their booklists) and also for unexpected gear or needs during the semester.  We liked the flexibility of having a bit of time to help the student address the charge, and we liked that they were beginning to build positive credit early.  We also liked that they could order needed items online and save money, when possible.  We did keep a close eye on their usage, but both were completely responsible with the spending, since we laid out expectations ahead of time.  If you don’t wish to get the student a credit card, you’ll need to plan a similar system so they can make larger purchases on their own, possibly without easy access to cash.  There are always additional expenses through the semester!

Strictly Optional

1. Television/DVD player – most students watch TV in the common rooms, or on their computers.  An additional screen in the room takes up valuable real estate, and is expensive item if stolen/damaged.  Think carefully before sending one of these.
2. Camera – just a small pocket camera, so they can record this exciting time in their lives.  These are easily lost/stolen, so don’t go overboard with costs, if you decide to get one.
3. Refrigerator/Microwave – many colleges restrict the sizes, and insist on Energy Star rated appliances.  It can be difficult to find a small fridge that has a freezer, and is energy star rated . . . which is too bad, because the single thing the girls wish they had in their rooms is ice cream!!  Some older dorms with fire hazard issues do not allow microwaves at all, so check before buying.  Nearly all have communal microwaves available in the building.  Be sure to check with the roommate too, and coordinate purchasing.  No need to double up!
4. Decorative runner for the bookshelf top or dresser top – we had fun picking one out with each girl at the import store, it was sort of their first “first home” purchase, as they’ll have it for years to come, unlike a fair amount of the dorm gear.  It really added a homey touch to the room, but again is totally optional/extra.
5. Bike – this may be a necessity if the student lives off campus, or the campus is particularly large.  However, they are easily stolen and highly targeted.  Storage can be a problem at the dorm, too.
6. Favorite posters from home – be sure to check policies on nails and thumbtacks . . . you’ll likely need poster putty.
7. Curtains.  Most dorms supply basic shades, but they tend not to be adequately light-blocking, and leave a lot to be desired for style.  If you sew, consider inexpensive curtains with light-blocking fabric sewn in as a liner.
8. Rug.  A throw rug is nice if the floor is cold, but it’s a large item to transport and it may be a pain to borrow a vacuum for the room.  Find out about vacuum availability before committing to a rug.  One of our students goes without, and the other one has a large area rug she got in the “As Is” section of Ikea for a song . . . either way is fine, but we have a large car for moving them back and forth.
9. Personal books and media . . . Iwish both of my kids would tote a bit less of this to school, but they are serious bookworms and cannot bear to be separated from their favorites.  I prefer that they take homemade duplicates of our owned DVD’s to school, rather than the originals, if they must share.  Ripping movies to their hard drives is another option.