College Preparation: Did I miss anything?

[gremcint]

My sister's new computer came with MS works and after about half an hour of using it we switched to office, there were so many cases where the program went out of its way to hinder you that it was honestly just a piece of crap. Either get open office or ms office.

[BookstoreEscapee]

On calendars:

My campus learning center put out a blank weekly schedule with the standard class times blocked out, and you could stop in and pick up copies. Easy enough to do this in Excel or Word if your school doesn't have something like that. It really came in handy, since classes were 50 minutes, or an hour and 15, and you could get a better visual representation of your day. I used clear Contact paper to laminate a copy, then wrote in my schedule each week with overhead projector pens; they wash off with water (don't use dry erase markers on Contact paper). I also went through all my syllabuses (syllabi?) each semester and made a master list of all my major assignments in order of due date, so I could see everything for all my classes at one glance. I kept both posted next to a big wall calendar. Which I decorated with fun stickers.

[Anriana]

A surge protecter.
Non-perishable snack food - dried fruit, energy bars, MREs, whatever.
Glade plug-ins.

[McGoddess09]

D'oh! I meant MS office, not works. I decided to get the Student/Teacher Edition.

I really thought about it and I decided I SHOULD get an electric blanket, since the school is in WI.

Oh definitely with the flipflops. Got myself a nice blue pair for the showers.

My school sent a catalog for sheets and value packs. I didn't get those because I could get it cheaper elsewhere and the beds are XL twin. Walmart has been my friend for back to school.

[thegiraffe]

Good call on not buying the catalog stuff - it's CRAZY expensive!!! I suppose you have snow gear and the like...that would be on my "to-buy" list!

I agree on the surge protector. Extension cords (indoor grounded ones - with the 3-holes) are also not a bad idea because plugs tend to be in idiotic places in dorm rooms. I live in Florida and am a wuss when it comes to cold, but a throw blanket to snuggle up with would definitely be on my list.

Whoever said video games, I second that. We had an N64 in my apartment in college and we would blow off steam by having all-out mario kart wars on it.

Do you have a laptop case? I used to spend the weekends camped out in the starbucks in the library knocking out all my homework. I also liked to take it to class. If you want a good 2-in-1, North Face makes awesome backpacks that have laptop sleeves. They're also load-leveling, so you can haul your books and whatnot around and not wind up hunched over. Mine was like 80 bucks, but they do sell cheaper ones.

[AdminAssistant]

Walmart has been my friend for back to school.

It was always mine! I remember shortly after moving in the same dorm with all of my friends, we went on a massive grocery run at Wal-Mart at something like 1 in the morning. Ah, memories. Y'know, I think they have those jersey sheets in Twin XL, always loved those.

Oh, and whatever you do, don't do what I just did and wait until late July to file your FAFSA. *sigh* Luckily, they've processed it and there shouldn't be a problem, but I was really worried there for a few days.

[Jester]

McG, I had a whole bunch of posts in this thread quoted, and then I said screw it and ditched them all.

There is a lot of good advice offered here. But the problem is, these people are all coming from their own college and dorm experiences, and your college and your dorm may be nothing like theirs. If you were going to my alma mater (GO SUN DEVILS!), I would be able to help you with so many things. But what worked at ASU and in Saguaro Hall may not work so well where you are going.

Whatever you do, do not go out and buy everything suggested here. Some of it you may need, some of it you may not. My suggestion would be to bookmark this thread in your computer, and once you get to your dorm and your school, use it as a reference point. Is your dorm room stuffy? Then go get a fan. If not, it would be a silly purchase. Also remember that your roommate may have things that the room needs only one of, just as you may have stuff for it she doesn't have.

Go in with an open mind, and ready to take notes, physical and mental. (i.e., "Oh, the sun shines really brightly through our window due to our exposure...perhaps my roommate would like to go halfsies on some drapes/curtains/whatever.")

Some suggestions from my experiences in school would include some things that have already been suggested, or that you already have procured. Mini fridge is awesome, and the fact that your dorm has them AND kitchens makes me hate you so very much. (We had to buy our own damn mini-fridges, and kitchens? Please. Not.) Greaseboards are good, not just in your room, but on the outside of your door, for leaving or receiving messages. One minor thing I did was to color code my notebooks, i.e., blue for science, red for math, green for journalism, etc. How do you decide what color is what? Doesn't matter. Just like your speed dials in your phone, within a few days you will know which is for which. Also, since you won't have a car, you might want to look into a bicycle, depending on the size of your campus. (Mine was large.) If you get a bike, get a crappy one with a great lock. No one, after all, is going to go through the effort of getting through a great lock to get an old jalopy of a bike. Also, you may want to look into getting front or rear baskets for said bike, not just for school, but for hauling groceries home from the store. Also perhaps a power strip or two. Between a computer, a cell phone charger, a lamp, an alarm clock, a tv, a radio, etc., etc., etc., you can have a lot to plug in.

But again, don't go buying the farm until you have assessed just exactly what YOU will need in YOUR dorm room at YOUR college. There are some great suggestions here, but not all of them will be necessary for you. Use this is a guide, not as gospel. Listen to your profs for what you will need for their classes, and consider the advice of your RA in your dorm. Most of them are very cool and knowledgable, though just like any other group of people, understand that some of them are complete and total tools.

Good luck, and check back here so we know how it is going with you!

[MaggieTheCat]

If you get a bike, get a crappy one with a great lock. No one, after all, is going to go through the effort of getting through a great lock to get an old jalopy of a bike.

Not entirely true, unfortunately. When my boyfriend was a senior in college, someone stole his bike. His bike, that he always had TWO chains and TWO locks on; his bike, which he had owned since high school, so it wasn't exactly new. He was a very sad panda.

...since the school is in WI.

I am so sorry for you. I can only hope you're going to some place like Madison that's at least in the southern part of the state. The further north you go, the worse it gets in the winter, and yes, even a couple hundred miles makes a HUGE difference. Madison, for example, is relatively mild; sure, they still get snow and their fair share of cold temperatures. But where I'm from (about 3-4 hours north of Madison) it easily gets to be -65 degrees with windchill and a constant sheet of ice on the road 'cuz the sun is only ever out long enough to start to melt it, and then it all re-freezes. This happened to use for a good two weeks last winter. I'm not sure how cold Madison got at that time, but they're on average a bit warmer.

Anyway, winter gear will be essential. Keep in mind that if and when it does get blisteringly cold like that, you won't want to be outside for long. You can get frostbite in like 10 minutes when it's that cold. Basically you'll want to get to your classes and get back to your dorm as fast as possible. Don't even think about going biking anywhere like the store if it gets that cold.

[Jester]

His bike, that he always had TWO chains and TWO locks on...

There is a good part of the problem. Chains are garbage. I could get through a good chain in under 30 seconds, and I am not even a professional. The only good bike lock is a U-lock or similar type lock. Chains and cables are jokes. And I know, U-locks are not guarantees, and they can be defeated....but the effort to defeat them is high, and generally the cost to effect ratio is too high for a bike thief to get through them to get at a POS bike.

it easily gets to be -65 degrees with windchill...

You can get frostbite in like 10 minutes when it's that cold. Basically you'll want to get to your classes and get back to your dorm as fast as possible. Don't even think about going biking anywhere like the store if it gets that cold.

I do not envy y'all, and it's times like this that I am glad I attend Arizona State University, and not Midwest Frozen Tundra State University!

[Irving Patrick Freleigh]

I am so sorry for you.

Knowing where she's going, I feel even sorrier.

I could tell a few stories.

[BookstoreEscapee]

Jester makes a good point. I was going to say, as far as bedding and wintery stuff, unless you won't have any opportunity to go home before the cold weather hits, don't bother bringing too many extra blankets and stuff like that. I started out with 2 sets of sheets and a bedspread, and a little throw blanket that I could wrap around me and drag around the dorm to my friends' rooms. When I went home for fall break in the beginning of October, I brought back an extra blanket for my bed and more of my winter clothes, and left some of my summer stuff at home. No point in taking up space for months with out-of-season stuff if you don't have to.

Also, to make laundry slightly easier...I pretty much only used one set of sheets. I'd wash 'em, dry 'em, and put 'em right back on my bed (hell, I still do that). The second set came in handy when my roommate's friend spilled a half-can of beer on my bed, though (which was a different incident than the Great Beer Flood of October Somethingth...and you wonder why my first roomie and I didn't last...).

[Greenday]

Just did three years in dorms. Now I'm going to be in an apartment thank God.

Flip flops are a must. If you are in your room, going barefoot is fine. But TWICE, I made the mistake of leaving my room without flipflops and I got a fungal infection. Tis gross.

Something to carry laundry in is a must.

Something to carry stuff to the shower, like shampoo, conditioner, body wash, etc. Makes carrying it all much easier.

Not going to repeat everyone else. But the two major ones I WILL repeat are surge protectors with multiple outlets and a small tool kit. My pocket knife (which in retrospect wasn't really allowed) was huge. That screwdriver on it got a lot of use.

Other than that, just pick stuff up as you need. Honestly, I'll give you the BARE essentials: bed sheets, pillow, clothes, laptop/computer. Everything after that isn't a MUST, unless they don't give you a fridge and/or microwave.

[Der Cute]

The practical part of me says "INVENTORY".

Create a spreadsheet with serial numbers, model, name, etc on it, and $$ price.
Record your laptop's sn on that spreadsheet. Along with radio and other stuff above $50.

Print it out and leave copy at home? Keep copy in filing cabinet in your dorm room. If some schmuck takes your lappy, you can file report with cops & RA asap.

So far, so good...

Cutenoob

[BookstoreEscapee]

The practical part of me says "INVENTORY".

Create a spreadsheet with serial numbers, model, name, etc on it, and $$ price.
Record your laptop's sn on that spreadsheet. Along with radio and other stuff above $50.

Print it out and leave copy at home? Keep copy in filing cabinet in your dorm room. If some schmuck takes your lappy, you can file report with cops & RA asap.

So far, so good...

Cutenoob

I kept a list like that; one copy at home but I also had one of those small fireproof lockboxes that I kept stashed in the back of my closet shelf with all my important stuff in it.

[gremcint]

keep your receipts for all of your items with a warranty, it may suck having to be without them when they break but it will suck even more having to pay for a replacement. Most important don't be afraid to tell people no, or to get out, you are there for your education not theirs and people will try to take advantage of you.