Still so many questions about college...

I think all4fun meant that whatever/however they studied etc would probably carry over. I don't think the supplies are night and day at all. I used to take my nieces back to college school supply shopping and they bought many of the same items they used in HS. 

LOL  Well I am in an arguing mood today!!  Besides...supplies are supplies are supplies. 

Books are expensive. As a social work professorI consciously try to choose the most economical text that is also accessible, effective and well-structured, although I know not all faculty pay attention to retail book costs. I also try to put copies on reserve or make copies of readings for students if we won't be using the whole book, to save them from having to purchase a book for a couple chapters. I also strongly encourage using your university's interlibrary loan program. Some won't request textbooks used for a current class, but many will, especially supplemental texts. I choose carefully because I wouldn't appreciate spending money unnecessarily. I know there are exceptions and some faculty don't make the same considerations that I do. However it does irritate me when students say "we never used the book" when the point is they were expected to read it. I often don't lecture from the textbook. I cover theory and concepts in the context of discussion, seminar, small group activities and practice. I choose to use the class time together doing things one cannot do on their own. Reading the text is expected, and is a solitary activity. It's part of preparation and it both supports and extends student learning. So when students gripe about not using the book because I don't lecture or test on that specific content it frustrates me because it's not that I or We didn't use the book. It's that the student didn't use it, as assigned.

Forgive the hijack...it's an issue I feel strongly about. I can understand not being particularly interested in reading in some classes, but this is for their major. It's important information they will need when they have the responsibility of helping vulnerable people in what is sometimes the lowest point of their lives. I don't understand not wanting to absorb all I could.

Also, please know I'm not suggesting your (Wingnut) child is slacking about reading. I have no idea what her circumstances are. And I agree some books are fine e to sell or pass on, but others may be important additions as she builds her professional library.

I'm glad you heard me say I wasn't suggesting she didn't read if required. But I do hear it from my students sometimes. I pick their brains for ideas to promote reading other than pop quizzes and preparation papers. I just don't understand when students aren't fired up like your daughter, about content in their major. I really don't think it's that they aren't a good fit for social work. I would never just write it off as lazy...I'm sure there are some, but I really have great, dedicated, passionate students. Why won't they read??

It does indeed take all kinds. When I hear issues students have both here and at achool, I'm shocked...no syllabus?? No rubric or grading criteria? No grading scale or policies? I've been at this a while (15yrs), and there was a learning curve in the beginning, but that doesn't excuse the unacceptable behaviors I've heard about. We are here to support a student's success...not to trip them up or frustrate them needlessly.

The one he will USE is the best. If he is not accustomed to using a paper planner it probably won't be used.  What does he use now for high school?  (I have no advice on a good app)

My DS did this as well. We live in Virginia, but he goes to school in Minnesota.  

Your DS will need a decent rain jacket with a hood, as well as a small lightweight umbrella to keep in his backpack.  In colder climates, it's makes a really long class period if he's wet and it's cold.  If it's really raining, he can keep his backpack dry with the umbrella.  I'll admit, I was surprised when DS asked for his rain jacket, as he's normally of the opinion that you won't melt.  But when it's 40 degrees and raining for a week straight, I guess it matters.

In addition to a decent winter jacket and gloves, we got DS both some good (Merrell) waterproof shoes and waterproof hiking boots.  He goes between the north and south campuses and they are a few blocks apart.  But water proof shoes help in the rain or light snow, and the boots really came in handy on the days when it was actually snowing or he was walking around town.  The boots are good for another season, but he actually wore out his shoes with all the walking he did.  As of yet, he hasn't done anything to replace supplies before he goes back, but he's had those new shoes for a few weeks now.

He also had one of those hooks that normally goes over a door to hang jackets or towels from.  He hung it over the end of his (lofted) bed and it worked well to dry out his jacket, rather than putting it in the closet and getting the other clothes wet.

Other than that, we set him up with pretty much everything he needed to get him through to Christmas.  And Amazon is wonderful--you can even set them up with an Amazon Allowance directly through your Amazon account, although we just transferred money directly into his checking account.  That way, he had a semester to figure out how and where to buy things and how to get it back to his dorm.  He doesn't have a car at school and the university is in a neighborhood with very little shopping nearby.  But by Christmas, he had learned the bus that goes to Target and to buy a few things at a time so that he wasn't lugging home a boatload of stuff in one trip.

DS has his own CC, but the ability for us to transfer money immediately and directly into his bank accounts was really good and we did that several times.  He bought the winter jacket in January on clearance, but didn't have enough money in his checking account.  He called me from the store and I transferred the money right then.  We also did that with the pharmacy when he was sick, although I ended up needing to call the pharm about insurance info, so I paid for it when I called, as I added some things like kleenex and cough drops to the list.  

Which reminds me, find out about medical care and transportation.  That was a big one for us, as we have family in MN, but they were all in Florida on vacation when DS was sick and then started coughing up blood.  The clinic on campus was great--found him a pharmacy that delivers, gave his a card with the best ER and the numbers for both a taxi service and Uber.  I'd thought to have things set up with the clinic before hand, but didn't even think of pharms that delivers or how he would get to the ER if needed. 

I would tell you to go drink an adult beverage and let your now young adult student handle making all these decisions. None of them are irrevocable. If one choice turns out not to be the right one, then go to plan B. These are all pretty low stakes and seem to be taking up way more of your mental energy that they are worth. Now decorating the dorm room, that's worth stressing over, for me!