College life

[Ambience Blue]

It appears that as summer is quickly drawing to a close, many members here on the forums are headed out to college. As one of those sad souls departing to a university across the country, I was wondering if any of the more experienced members here had any tips on packing items (e.g. Essential items that we've never thought of as being so, or methods for shipping/ packing). Any comments of suggestions would be greatly appreciated! ^^ Thx!

[Ending]

- Toothbrush
- Microwave
- Bed
- PC and a radio
- Sofa
- Chairs and a table
- Carpets and curtains
- Shaving machine

...And that's all you need -clothing and decoratives are optional.

[ff7799]

Can't help you much, Its my first time as well actually living on campus however since I'am 3 years older than you (and have a little bro thats lived on campus) I can give you some words of wisdoms as I have been in college, and around alot longer.



Priority is to pack what you need and not what you want.
Bring back up toiletries and a Blanket set because if your
anywhere in the U.S. its gonna get really cold.
Like Mentioned above make sure to bring a mircowave,
and a mini-refridgerator, these two are a college kids
best friend. Things like a sofa and exccessive decorations
should be avoided, first off some decorations will violate
that campus policy while others will simply to just cramp the
space, and unless your living by yourself with no roomate
you'll have to learn how to compromise over space and
what goes where. Shaving Cream is always good to have no matter what
kind of dorm your in single\coed , also you can consider bringing
your own computer chair if you like however nothing too fancy,
Since I'am a big computer nerd I like have a comfortable seat
however if you don't care then your pretty much set.

Wow, I only have two days left before I leave NYC and depart for a whole
new world.

[HK anime seeker]

It would be good to have some to have some of the basic medications with you. Such as sore throat, day time and night time cold relief, stomach aches and balms (Well I’m Chinese and it really helps) for example.

Here is a small story of my mishaps during my year of University.

One night I had a sore throat all night and all the shops were closed, I ended up doing not so well for once of my exam the next morning because I could sleep and had a slight cold too Its best to keep some of the medications in your day bag just in case you get hit at a critical moment

[diabolistic]

clothes hangers!
don't forget to bring lots of em :P

[Shousha]

I just rented an apartment for myself and myself only....
funny you bring this topic up; today after i get off work, i plan to start moving things.
so far the most needed things are:

cleaning kit (for appliances and yourself)
bed clothing
computer
dishes and stuff

and any other necessary item you consider utmostly important.

as for me, well i moved my whole room cuz i plan to live there. its not just a dorm or anything... is MY apt.!! ^_^

Ohh I'm so excited I cant wait....

[Sanjuronord]

This is my last semester of college and having survived 3 1/2 hellish years of dorm life I'll tell you what all I've learned in that time.

- Duct Tape (Something will break, or already be broken in your dorm and the grounds workers will be too imcompetent to fix it for you and then it's time to break out the duct tape -- had to fix a hole in my dorm room one semester where a swarm of lady bugs kept getting into my room cause the grounds workers were to incompetent to just plug the damn thing...)

- Wall Putty (to hang stuff on the wall if you got concrete walls)

- Adhesive wall hooks for hanging wallscrolls (they look flimsy but they're actually pretty strong can buy a pack of like 8 of em at walmart for a buck)

- If you're not bunking your beds, grab 4 concrete blocks from a Home Depot and place them under your bed posts to open up some extra storage under your bed.

- Air Freshner (the spray kind) because you will be living next to retards. They will burn popcorn and not throw it in the trash OUTSIDE (I had a roommate that did this), someone will take a crap in the hall, who knows...all you need to know is it's going to stink.

- A rug (even a cheap one will do). You're likely gonna have a lot of cords running all over the place because the guy that designed the place is a retard. Run em all under the rug so you don't trip over em and break something.

- If you're a light sleeper you might want to invest in a curtain because your windows will likely be cheap plastic blinds and they're gonna let light in. If you're real cheap like a friend of mine, you can always buy a cheap bedsheet and just staple that sucker to the wall but it will look very ghetto.

- Medicine. Pepto Bismol for the cafeteria. Aspirin for yourself cause of the retards you're gonna be living next to. Cold/Flu/Alergies for whenever that happens. Caffeine pills for when you put off that homework you really shoulda did last week.

- Possibly a large trash can, the dorm ones are tiny and might be too big a hassle to empty all the time. However, for the cheap people like myself you can use a walmart bag as a trash bag in the small ones and save some money on trash bags, cause you'll likely be going to walmart alot!

- Wait till you get there to buy this but one of those cheap foam bed things. Your mattress is going to suck. It's just going to. I'll leave you to imagine what could have been "going on" on that mattress by the previous owner and his girlfriend "Shamu" to screw it up. These things aren't miracle workers but they sure help. For additional help in this area try and get to your room b4 your roommate and pick the best mattress and lay out your bed spread on it b4 you do anything else. First dibs, it's not fair but it's the law of the land.

- If you plan to make a trip home round mid semester and want to go lighter on the packing. Pack your short sleeve clothes for the first half of the semester and phase em out with the winter clothes when you make the trip home.

- Desk/Chair, if you really feel the need to bring one of your own just remember you'll likely be stuck with the one you're replacing as well since the dorms tend to not let students make use of the storage areas in the dorms so be ready to find a place to tuck that unwanted chair. Oh and don't just throw it out or break it, I've seen retards do that before only to learn that wobbly/pos chair ended up costing em 150 bucks. That said if anything breaks in your dorm room, report it otherwise you'll have to pay for it at the end of the year.

- An umbrella, bring your own or buy one later but if it rains as much where you're going as it does at my college you're gonna need it.

- A long Cat5 network cable, if that's how you'll be connecting to the internet (because once again the dorm was designed by a retard), best to get one in advance because the stuff they'll sell in town/campus will be overpriced because they'll know you're gonna need it.

- Buy your supplies when you get there so you have to pack less. (Toothbrush, laundry detergent, food, cheapo broom/mop, toiletries, and whatever else you need but can buy after you've moved in)

That's bout it for supplies but you might want to start making plans for what to do if you don't like your roommate. Hard to manage to get rid of em during your first semester but you can always move to another room. However once you get a good foothold in a room it's easy to get rid of annoying roommates. My old dorm room was a suite type room (2 rooms adjoined by a bathroom) and I'd just have one of my friends next door be prepared to pester the hell out of my roommate if I didn't like him. Kramer's funny on TV but not when he really lives next door. Had my friend swipe his food out of the fridge, pop in and never leave the room all the time, and "accidently" drop my roommate's stuff in the shower. Course that's not for everybody.

The ultimate plan however is to get out of that dorm room. Get an apartment/commute whatever it takes. I commute from home (hour and a half drive) every tuesday and thursday(little harder to get your classes to fit a schedule like this but it can be done if you're careful and plan it out) to go to college and haven't regretted it a bit. That's about 30 trips a semester, at 10 bucks gas a trip (well if the gas prices go back down) so 300 bucks a semester versus 1,500 for a dorm room. Knowing me, I'll probably skip half my classes and not even drive there that much if I can get away with it again.

More short term plan, but it requires you to be very observant of your money is to save money and ditch the meal plan (typically can't do this as a freshman though). You'll save a bundle of money doing that. We did the math at my college and realized we'd save a couple hundred bucks just buying the meals one at a time rather than buying the full plan. Course than we realized we'd save more by going out and eating or buying food at walmart.

That's bout all I can think of; but best of luck to you. Oh, yes, and college isn't the best four years of your life, it's just another four years of high school.

[hooliganj]

If you're from up north and are attending in the south, please take sun protection into account. UT brings another 6-10 thousand people into Austin for the first time every year, and the medical center is always swamped with people who don't understand that standing outside can make you feel really sick after a while.

Sunscreen and a hat with a brim are the basic package, but mostly be prepared to buy lots and lots of water. Soda just doesn't cut it when the goal is to replace lost body fluids. You might also be surprised how well light but covering clothes help in the long run.

I'm sure a yankee can post tips for anyone headed north on their trip.

Note: this assumes you live/study in the US. Otherwise, substitute 'colder climate' and 'warmer climate' where appropriate.

[Jaz]

Originally Posted by Sanjuronord

Aspirin for yourself.

And lots of it... Unless you don't drink. Man, I hate hangovers, but man, I love booze.

Originally Posted by Sanjuronord

Caffeine pills for when you put off that homework you really shoulda did last week.

Or last month, or for that matter last year. But then you'll fail and I can't recommend that.

[Ending]

- Air Freshner (the spray kind) because you will be living next to retards. They will burn popcorn and not throw it in the trash OUTSIDE (I had a roommate that did this), someone will take a crap in the hall, who knows...all you need to know is it's going to stink.

Forgot to mention the most important:

Your very own, 32 m*m apartment. Seriously; otherwise, and with the typical luck, you will end up to be the rommate of the most retarded stinker in the world.

[Shousha]

Originally Posted by hooliganj

Note: this assumes you live/study in the US. Otherwise, substitute 'colder climate' and 'warmer climate' where appropriate.

I do live in a very hot island... and besides sunscreen, i reccomend "OFF" or any other mosquito/bug deflector. You white boys seem to be sugar-packets for mosquitos and other bugs.

Also, a little tan isn't that bad for you guys. But even if you bring the sunscreen, please... pretty-f*cking-please, bring lots of deodorant too. I almost had seizures the other day, sitting by an exchange student in class.

[Ambience Blue]

Wow! I'd like to thank everyone who posted here for their comments (-- there's a lot of stuff I never would have thought. (Almost forgot the all-important umbrella >.< -- Here in Vegas, we only see those things in movies and commercials). An extra-big thx to Sanjuronord for the complete college packing list-- you're my hero! If it helps, I'll be a freshman next year, moving from Vegas to Connecticut, so I guess I'll be preparing for the icy weather soon.

Originally Posted by hooliganj

If you're from up north and are attending in the south, please take sun protection into account. UT brings another 6-10 thousand people into Austin for the first time every year, and the medical center is always swamped with people who don't understand that standing outside can make you feel really sick after a while.
Sunscreen and a hat with a brim are the basic package, but mostly be prepared to buy lots and lots of water. Soda just doesn't cut it when the goal is to replace lost body fluids. You might also be surprised how well light but covering clothes help in the long run.

Haha, I know what you mean. I've lived all over the west all my life (Pheonix, Honolulu, Nevada) and I've seen more than my fair share of unfortunate heat incidents.

[Kimura-sensei]

#1 item to bring.... Swiss Army knife

You'll need it. Damn useful in college.


And I second that... move out of your dorms ASAP, and go into an apartment or house. You get more space and also... When summer break comes, you must move your stuff out of your dorm room and put it into storage or bring it back home with you. It's a pain in the ass.

[Yamano667]

When you are in college use a laptop for all your electronic needs

[Guts]

Bring food. A microwave, p.c if you got one. Summer and winter cloths, I find the dorms to have shitty heating and a.c. Posters, so you don't have to buy them on campus, your own hygiene surplus. Lots of pillows, sheets, covers.

[boneyjellyfish]

I think the most essential thing for you would be a bread maker. Either that or a rice cooker.

[Imazul]

Dont forget your smile to make alot of new friends....


Cant believe I said that...........

[Muir Woods]

Sanjuronord, you're scaring me . Are there that many retards in college? I thought college was a suppose to be a place of intellectuals and hard workers... . I'm also going off to college very soon this september, well not exactly college, an university. UBC to be exact. Wall putty eh...you don't say...well thanks for the tips.

[Kimura-sensei]

Originally Posted by Muir Woods

I thought college was a suppose to be a place of intellectuals and hard workers... . I'm also going off to college very soon this september, well not exactly college, an university. UBC to be exact. Wall putty eh...you don't say...well thanks for the tips.

Heh... yeah right. Most are slackers... even graduate students. And... college, univeristy... doesn't mean squat. Uni means it offers both undergrad and grad degrees. College is either undergrad or grad, not both. Uni's doesn't necessary have to be big schools either... U. of Bridgeport suprised me... tiny school and it's a uni.

[Sanjuronord]

Originally Posted by Muir Woods

Sanjuronord, you're scaring me . Are there that many retards in college? I thought college was a suppose to be a place of intellectuals and hard workers... . I'm also going off to college very soon this september, well not exactly college, an university. UBC to be exact. Wall putty eh...you don't say...well thanks for the tips.

It'll depend on the college/University really, the ones that are harder to get in will yield you a better percentage. I went to a public university though so quite the opposite. Basically since college has become more of a requirement in employment, colleges have "lowerd the bar" to enroll more people *(ie make more money). Unfortunately this applies to the quality of the education as well as it has gotten to the point where the requirements to get ahead have been drastically lowered to allow more people to pass. When I started my CSC major in college, it was required to take a physics class, 2 semesters of calculus and a matrix theory class, over the course of four years they've dropped all of that and split some other 1 semester classes into 2 semester classes. It just serves to cheapen the whole experience to me though, makes me think less of the degree overall. But, I'm something of a pessimist so don't take my word for it. Might be totally different where you're going or for your major.

more to toss on the list too:
- An "assload" of quarters for those damn laundry machines which will cost an arm and a leg and barely wash anything. Save every quarter you find for laundry, you'll need em. Or you can just drive home and do it at home if you're close enough. I actually could save money driving home for a weekend vs just doing the laundry at college, it's pitiful really. This a pretty important one for me cause it tended to be the most annoying when i would forget it. Something so unusually difficult about acquiring quarters for laundry at college....
- Jaz already mentioned the booze, so you might want the "unmarked container" or whatever that silly rule is. (Important point, just cause you're drinking out of the "unmarked container" don't leave the original bottle lying in plain site...some retards next door to me got busted 3 am one morning for that. Pitiful trying to hear them drunkingly explain that the RA couldn't prove there had ever been tequila in that tequila bottle or whatever they were drinking)
- A spare blanket, same concept as the last one but there was some rule at my university about during breaks when they check rooms they couldn't look under anything covered with a blanket. Good for hiding anything in your room that you're not allowed to have *b4 thanksgiving, xmas, spring break). You're bound to have something.