Dorm Room Shopping 3!

You will need several bath towels and flip flops for the shower, plus soap, shampoo
and toiletries. It's nice to have a large plastic basket to tote it all, but check the
bathroom storage situation first. Some dorm bathrooms have individual cubbies or
lockers, and the size can range from exceptionally narrow to spacious. Check out
the storage situation when you go to orientation and ask if all the dorms have the
same style restroom. Or wait till move-in day and add an appropriate-sized tote
to your inevitable Target/Longs/Big Box Store run. In any case, buy duplicate
toiletries so your teen has extra toothpaste, etc. You may also want to buy
an over-the-door hook for hanging damp towels to dry.





Dorms have extra-long twin beds, so you'll need extra-long twin sheets, pillows,
a cozy duvet or blankets, and a foam pad to add softness to the industrial-strength
mattress. It's mainly the fitted sheet that needs to be extra-long. The top sheet
can be regular length, and you may not even need one if your child uses a duvet
with machine-washable cover. Save a few dollars by using a regular length foam
or egg crate pad - it will be a few inches short, but once the sheets are on,
your kid won't even notice. In our wildest parental fantasies, children do laundry.
In the real world, they'll change the sheets at least once if you include a second set.
And if your child is headed to icy climes, one of those sets could be cozy flannel.





You will need detergent, fabric softener, a laundry bag or hamper, and a jar of
quarters, unless his college uses debit cards in the laundromat plus, a rudimentary
understanding of how a washing machine works and what happens when red T-shirts
are washed with white underwear. (Although Shout Color Catchers actually work.
Mostly. Compare prices on Color Catchers here.) Sending your child off with the
same brand of laundry detergent you use at home will make his sheets, towels and
clothes smell comfortingly familiar.




You will need a desk lamp and bulbs, school supplies (notebooks,
pencils, pens), a graphing calculator, extension cords and a power strip with a surge
protector, a laptop and flash drive. What he probably won't need is a printer. Some
schools want papers turned in electronically, typically through web sites such
as Turnitin.com, which check for plagiarism. Every school offers printing privileges
through the library.




A mini-fridge, microwave (if allowed), electric fan (for dorms without air
conditioning), television and DVD player are considered dorm room essentials. Not
essential: landline and answering machine. But make sure your child checks the dorm
rules first. Some older dorms don't allow microwaves, for example. Urge him to
discuss who’s bringing what with his roommate, and seriously consider renting, rather
than buying the mini-fridge. Summer storage is a major problem, and chances are your
student will have traded up to a real apartment with a real refrigerator
by junior year.