College Packing Checklist

I don’t know what kind of dorm she will be living in...but if she does not have a kitchenette of her own, a refrigerator, microwave, and toaster came in handy for me. Campus cafeterias are not always satisfying and they aren’t always open when you need them to be. It is convenient to have certain food/drink items in your own room. Also a couple bowls, forks, spoons, cups. If she doesn’t have her own bathroom/shower, she should get a shower caddie to carry her shampoos etc in. Dorms do not always provide enough space for necessities either; a small storage unit may be considerable. And for a few other things...a lamp light for the desk (I don’t know if she will be living with a roommate but bedtime schedules are going to be different), a laundry basket, shoe rack (if she has a lot of shoes) and the most convenient kind are the ones that hang behind the door because you don’t want to take up any more floor space that you need to, and, myself, I always have germ-x on my desk and clorox disinfecting spray for the room (people live close to one another within a dorm, when one gets sick, many do).

Hope this helps a little. Good luck to her!

She will be in a two person dorm room and use a "community" bathroom. We have a microwave and a small fridge for her room so far. Her roommate will be bringing a television. Thanks for all of your great ideas.

I bought my daughter a folding shelf from Staples. The shelf base drops

downwards and the side panels fold in when you are ready to move.  She also bought a plastic stackable storage from Target - useful for storing stationeries and such. A laptop may also come in handy, if she does not have one already. It would save her some late night trips to the library or computer lab. to write her assignments.  Open up a joint checking account for her - great for quick and easy money transfers. Add a couple of plates, cups, silverware and water glass.

Good luck!

My daughter said that the feather bed (the type that fits on top of the mattress, under the mattress pad) we bought for her freshman year was a lifesaver!! Those college mattresses are the pits!  I suggest a baffled type. 

Lots of quarters for laundry, we use the M&M mini containers.  We used the snack sized zipper bags to hold a load size of laundry detergent, so she just grabbed and went. 

Lots of multi outlet cords -- the ones with the big slots for the appliance  plugs are the best, for all her electronics.  You will also want extension cords, and possibly the adapters for three prong plugs.

We were advised to buy a 'husband pillow' (the type with a back and arms) and she was sure that she would not use it, but I insisted.  She said she lived sitting on her bed with that pillow behind her!

If you are driving her those space saver bags are great!  They really reduced the space her stuff took up in the vehicle!

Oh and she said that the cubes that you can assemble in a variety of ways were very useful, she still uses them in her apt.