peppermintpatty
Pearl Clutcher
Refupea #1345
Posts: 3,969 
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Post by peppermintpatty on May 11, 2021 15:49:42 GMT
I asked my dd what was REALLY helpful that I provided.
1. medicine/first aid kit. I put in all the usual stuff plus cold meds/thermometer/airborne/vitamin c/pepto/nyquil
2. a laundry basket WITH wheels on it.
Be aware that schools don't want you bringing extension cords. They are a fire hazard. Bring surge protectors.
If the dorms have cinderblock walls (as most do), command strips DON'T stick to them. My dd did eventually get them to stick but when it was hot out, they just fell off the wall. She had to let them sit for 4 or 5 days to make sure they were really stuck on.
Also, schools do not want you to bring any type of hot plate. The common areas have places to prepare food.
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Post by Darcy Collins on May 11, 2021 18:21:57 GMT
Amazon or Walmart delivery are your friends. Remember that whatever you buy now has to come home next May. Most kids just store stuff over the summer. There are services that come to their dorm and pickup boxes and deliver them to their new dorm in the fall. I know some of the kids with cars went in together to rent storage units for the summer. |
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pridemom
Pearl Clutcher
Posts: 2,843
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Post by pridemom on May 13, 2021 13:13:52 GMT
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Post by Darcy Collins on May 13, 2021 13:20:20 GMT
I'm sure it varies depending on how many students are within driving distance. Most of the students at my daughter's school fly back and forth, so bringing everything home at the end of the term isn't an option. |
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Post by auntkelly on May 13, 2021 15:05:47 GMT
I sent both of my kids off to school w/ way too much stuff. My advice would be to send her up w/ the essentials she needs for the first five weeks she is living in her summer dorm. By the time Fall rolls around, she'll know exactly what she needs. She'll have probably already gotten most of it from Amazon or Walmart anyway.
My son went to school in South Bend, Indiana. We were living in Houston, TX at the time. My husband and I planned to drive him to school in an SUV loaded w/ all the essentials I had bought for his dorm room. A few days before we left, we realized there was not enough room in the SUV for three people because we had so much stuff. I bought a plane ticket at the last minute to Chicago and then took the bus from Chicago to South Bend.
When we arrived on campus, we discovered they had set up a huge tent and Target, BB&B, the Container Store and other vendors had set up pop up stores in the tent w/ everything anyone could possibly need to completely outfit their dorm rooms. I felt so silly for having schlepped all that stuff from Houston to South Bend. I'm sure they sent out a memo about the tent, but I somehow missed it.
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Post by craftedbys on May 13, 2021 16:36:06 GMT
You have so many great suggestions /advice for what is needed in a dorm room.
My advice/suggestion is not an obvious one, but has proved invaluable over the years.
Go to Walmart and purchase a sterlite trunk with the hinged lid and wheels on one end. Runs around 20 bucks. Best 20 bucks spent ever.
We got one for each of our kids for scout camp because they were water and bug proof and made for great storage. Both kids took them when they moved into the dorms as well.
First off, they are great because you can pack a great deal of stuff in them, and you can add the odd shaped shower caddy or shoes and pack small things around them.
Once in the dorm they can be put in the bottom of the closet or under a bed for extra storage and add a combination lock and you have secure storage.
We bought our kids' trunks about eight summers ago. They have gone to camp several times and DD has taken hers to the dorms for seven years (2 in high school, 5 in college) DS for four (2 high school, 2 college).
Before they used it I painted their names on it and they have decorated them with stickers from different travels, interests, etc.
Of all the things I have bought for dorms, this has to be the one that has been the most useful.
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The Birdhouse Lady
Drama Llama
Moose. It's what's for dinner.
Posts: 7,379
Location: Alaska -The Last Frontier
Jun 30, 2014 17:15:19 GMT
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Post by The Birdhouse Lady on May 13, 2021 18:28:50 GMT
Fan
Lamp
Extension Cords with surge protector
Mini Fridge
Twin XL sheets
Medicine for headaches/tummy aches/cough drops
Rolling Cart (the kind they have at Michael's all the stuff girls use!)
Personal stuff (photos/special blanket/etc)
extra long charging cord
Quarters for laundry and vending machines
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Post by Skellinton on May 13, 2021 18:45:26 GMT
Everything has already been listed that I can think of, but don’t underestimate the power of shelf stable food items that can be microwaved if they can have a microwave. If I were to go live in a dorm now I would make darn sure I had 2 cases of those Mac and cheese cups and some of the Kodak muffins. In my day we did cup noodles, but there are better options now. There are times you are just a bit hungry but are busy doing homework or laundry and just don’t want to wander over to the food hall and Uber eats and all those options get expensive.
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