Getting your player ready...
Campus checklist: what students really need
Forget about matchy-matchy bed linens, electrical appliances, supplemental furniture and a 10-piece cookset. Your college student’s basic needs are much simpler. Instead, buy renters insurance.
- Bed linens in size twin extra-long (one set is sufficient, but two if your student is laundry-averse; dirty sheets are the main source of that funky dorm odor)
- Pillow
- Towel and washcloth
- Hangers (slim-profile hangers work best; everybody has more clothing than the closet-organizing advertisements show)
- Suitcase or storage bin (to store seasonal clothing, shoes, boots and equipment)
- Surge protector with outlets and USB ports
- Wall art (not actually , but )
- Water bottle, reusable cup, plate, utensil
- Disinfectant wipes
- Spiral notebooks and pens (yes, even in the age of laptops)
- Personal hygiene and care items in a caddy
- Laundry soap
- U-lock and cable for bicycle
- Box fan (white noise to drown out noisy neighbors, relief when the room is overheated — but first, make sure fans are allowed)
What they might want
- Extra bookcase or milk-box-type crates (for storage, depending on floor space)
- Ethernet cable (for dedicated gamers; wireless Internet access is standard in dorm rooms)
- Reusable food-storage containers for leftovers
- TV (although your kid probably watches on the laptop anyway)
- to elevate your bed legs (improves storage capacity)
What they don’t need
- Cleaning equipment (residence halls have shared vacuums, mops, etc.)
- Iron, ironing board (usually supplied in a residence hall)
- Bed-bug barrier/
- Candles (fire hazard, not allowed)
- and window (dorms usually require leaving in place the existing, fire-retardant window coverings)
- Almost anything electrical except for an alarm clock (maybe; your student probably uses his phone for that), a computer and a hair-dryer or curler (space heaters, , halogen lamps and heaters all are considered fire hazards)
- Paint in your favorite color (most on-campus residences allow painting only by maintenance staff via work orders)
- (fire hazard)
- Paper shredder
