Dorm Room Necessities About This Page:

[heatherwillmom]

I think that most of my ideas have been covered. I like the idea of the hanging storage things. It saves so much room. I will be in this situation next year. DD's BF is going to college this year. I plan on giving him one of the rubbermaid totes with snacks in it when he leaves. I plan on sending him care packages occassionally to replenish it. When one of the girls that used to babysit for us went to college, we sent her care packages. I included things like pencils, hand sanitizer, gum, non-pershiable snacks,etc. She appreciated them. She said sometimes she didn't have a lot of time for WalMart trips.

[KMB733]

Is she planning on bringing anything valuable with her? You might want to consider a small trunk that you can lock.

[Pax]

If your DD is bringing a laptop, I highly recommend something like this:

DormVault DV700 Steel Laptop Safe

Some under-bed storage boxes might also be useful.

If she'll have a closet, then this organiser kit might help.

As for Desk Lamps, if she has an iPod, maybe she'd like this one ...?

And lastly, for shower supplies, this mesh bag should come in handy.

[heatherwillmom]

Originally Posted by Pax

If your DD is bringing a laptop, I highly recommend something like this:

DormVault DV700 Steel Laptop Safe

Some under-bed storage boxes might also be useful.

If she'll have a closet, then this organiser kit might help.

As for Desk Lamps, if she has an iPod, maybe she'd like this one ...?

And lastly, for shower supplies, this mesh bag should come in handy.

These are great suggestions. I'm making my list for next year when I pack up my DD

[Mgmgal]

I second the dry erase board, like Ashli stated, even though there are smartphones and fb etc. it's a lot of fun to come back to your room with a message on your door. My fiance and i met in college and I had a board and he would leave movie quotes on my board for when i got back from visiting home or class.

Also if her room comes with a microwave i recommend some ziploc zip and steam bags for those nights when dorm food just won't cut it. I really didn't care for a lot of dorm food so those saved me many a night when I wasn't feeling it or it was after dining hours.

Someone also mentioned an over the door shoe organizer, I actually found one that you can hang in your closet and had cubbies and i used it for shirts as well because my dorm room came with 3 drawers....

Hope she has a great first year!

Also not really dorm room related just dorm living I recommend she keep her door open whenever possible especiall in those first few weeks lots of folks can then just pop in and say that helped me make friends much faster!

[Huntermom]

I don't know if my kids just went to really honest schools, but all three had laptops and none ever used a lock or safe. Two actually only used laptop sleeves and would pack them in their back pack on the plane.

Leaving doors open when kids are in the room is great, remembering to lock them when they are out is more important.

[Pax]

Well, since not all dorm-rooms are single occupant, and you can't always choose your room-mate ... *shrug*

I guess it's a case of "better safe than sorry".

[dejavu]

I didn't see these mentioned yet, but our S took and used these last year:

a doorstop, for moving in and out, and other occasions when you might want your door to stay open (when you're in the room, of course)

earplugs - these were critical for my S as his room had pipes in the ceiling that made a pinging noise at night. And you never know if you're roommate might snore.

ethernet cable - S took an extra long one since we didn't know how far the wall outlet might be from his laptop on his desk, and also didn't know if his school's wireless connection would be good. He ended up using it all year.

One thing I did ahead was get him a tall plastic container with about 5 drawers, each approx. 3 or 4 inches high, and I filled all the drawers during the summer. The drawers each had different things. One had folders, notebooks, pens, highlighters, flashdrives, post-it notes, etc. Another had first aid stuff. Another had toiletry items - extra toothpaste, floss, deodorant, razors, etc. The bottom one had important papers in a manilla envelope with some other things on top. He needed his birth certificate for his campus job, bank account number, checks, etc. Then I put packing tape down the front from the top to the bottom and moved it in to his room already full. It fit in his closet and he seemed to like it.

The one thing he took too many of was towels. He only needed a few.

[heatherwillmom]

We are at the college right now with DD's BF where she wants to go next year. We brought him for his pre-placement exams & orientation. We saw the dorm that he is staying in for this, but it isn't the dorm he will be staying in when he moves down here. The beds adjust so you could put lots of storage boxes or a trunk under them. There is a nice size closet with some shelves in it as well as a dressar & desk.

[ilovedisney247]

The most important dorm room accessory is the ALARM CLOCK!!! I cannot believe she's not allowed a coffee maker. I would have flunked out with out my coffee maker!

[JoanneS]

Originally Posted by ilovedisney247

The most important dorm room accessory is the ALARM CLOCK!!! I cannot believe she's not allowed a coffee maker. I would have flunked out with out my coffee maker!

I mentioned the alarm clock to Anastasia and she rolled her eyes at me and said, "Mom, I have an alarm on my cellphone!" Yes, life in the techno age......

[HiddenMickey]

Joanne-
Your daughter should have received information about things that aren't allowed in the dorm room and what is already provided. It may have been listed in the dorm contract as well.

At ECU, each room already has a dorm fridge and small microwave included. They can bring toaster ovens and George Forman grills, but nothing with open coils (like a hot plate). They can only use CFL bulbs in lamps (no Halogen) and need to bring their own lamp because only a florescent overhead is in the room. They can loft the beds and have provided info on where to buy/rent the loft. However, the rooms in my son's dorm have short ceilings so they'll be sticking with twin beds rather than bunk or loft. There are no rugs, so we're getting something for them to cover the linoleum. They can bring TVs and have cable already provided in the room. They need to bring the cable for it and they need to bring cables for their laptop/computer connection to the internet (no wifi in the rooms). No phone is provided, but they can contract to get one.

My son's room has wardrobes rather than closets, so he has no closet doors to hang things on. We're getting some lifts for the bed, to make it higher and offer more room underneath for storage. I'm also planning on buying a shelving unit I saw at BB&B for over the bed to give more shelf space and a couple more hooks.

They can't hang anything on the wall unless they use those 3M hooks/strips that pull off. I plan to get several large bins that fit under the bed for stuff like laundry supplies and extra towels, snacks, and clothing. My parents got him a tool kit and added lots of neat things he may need like duct tape and a couple he can't bring (no hammers or nails are allowed in rooms, for example).

We've bought XL twin sheets and a mattress pad (the mattresses are covered with plastic!) and towels for him. He's got a robe (hall is coed) and flipflops for going down to the shower/bath.

BB&B has a check list you can use to get some ideas of things you want to bring too (don't know if anyone mentioned it), as does PB Dorm (Pottery Barn), and Walmart online.

My son's dorm provides free laundry facilities, so you may not need quarters if her school does too.
I forgot to mention that extension cords are a no-no, but USB/power strips are fine at ECU.

I'm glad you asked this question, as it's interesting to read everyone's answers.

[xrosario]

My room didn't have wireless access so I had to buy an ethernet cable. They had it on campus but I ended up overpaying at the school's store. Plastic (or proper) silverware and paper towels were super useful if I ever brought or ordered takeout.

I'd consider one of those bed trays since most rooms only have a desk or your bed to sit on. My bed became my couch and I'd lounge on it or use my computer while sitting on it all the time, the little bed table/tray was really handy.

It seemed like every room on campus had horrible lighting, some rooms only had a dim overhead so desk lamps and slim floor lamps were helpful.

[Huntermom]

My kids dorms varied in cleanliness on move in day from spotless to filthy. I suspect Vassar will be spotless because it is also my understanding that the dorms are lovely. Don't they have a Steinway piano in every dorm?

In addition to routine cleaning supplies, my kids all requested a broom and dustpan. If your DD will let you and you have room, you can bring a vacuum and mop and bucket for the first day.

DS1 had a rug his first year, but that was the only time. If you kid is a spiller/mess maker, the tile/linoleum is much easier to clean. They did like extra pillows and two of my kids had two down comforters. They did not turn the heat on in the dorm until November and even in Providence it can get cold at night by them.

Although they initially brought plastic silverware/plates/cups, all three found these were easily brought back from the cafeteria and were napkins.

I also sent all three of mine with "medical boxes" with basic first aid supplies and OTC medications. When they had colds, they appreciated not having to walk to the store to pick up a decongestant. The boxes were shoe boxed sized and held everything they needed.

With my DD I always had to do a run to Target to pick up something when she moved in. For some reason, after the first year, my boys had everything they needed.

All three of mine were always in co-ed dorms and I got them each a nice new robe for their freshman year. All three didn't really use them, although they did wear lots of pajama pants, yoga pants and sweat pants around the dorms.

[Carousel96]

On move in day my dad measured my desk, then went to a hardware store and had a piece of thin plexiglass cut that size. I put photos, clipped out comics, etc. under it for a personalized desktop.
My roommate brought a quilt rack which we used for drying towels.