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What do I need for college dorm life?

Timepass said:
but that also requires you putting money on them. We have something like that at Texas Tech and a lot of us dont bother using it and just use quarters. Not enough place take Tech express and the only place where I would use it that dont take another form of plastic is laundry. So I just use quarters for that. I would say use quarters and just make sure you have some form of plastic to cover everything else (that plasitic can be a check card or a creited card)
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True. I am the kinda person that does not like to carry change around so i always just use a debit card when i can. Dont really anymore carry much cash on me.

To get around the living on campus first year i spent my first year (not quite) at the mansfield branch and lived with myu grandma. That way when i went down to main campus i had the credits to move off campus. unfortunantly, there was some other restriction that kinda forced me back onto campus for spring quarter so that is were i will be.

Come fall quarter next year i am out of the dorms and never looking back.
 
Although it's nothing to bring, one suggestion, get involved in a student club of interest to you, it is THE best way to meet people who are similar to you. But yeah, seriously getting an apartment is cheaper and much more sanitary. I had a choice between rez and an apartment and me and one of my boyz got an apartment and now all my friends in rez wish they did the same
 
dferrara said:
One word: minimalism.
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absolutely.

1 knife/1 fork/ 1 spoon/1 bowl (you can even ditch this if you have a college mealplan)

A pillow, a library card, a job and a used iBook

Thats all you'll need. Keep it as minimal as possible. You will have a much better college experience when you can keep it simple. Less rommate stress, less trouble when you move or go on roadtrips. The college experience is about learning as much as possible and getting the best job you can in the workforce - Its not about who had the best DVD collection and skylight :)

The idiot kids who had all the "cool crap" in college stuill has all that crap - but now lives in their parents basement :) Concentrate on school, mon frere.
 
The nice thing is that most likely you can buy whatever you do actually need once you get there. Think to get the basics now and get the rest when you get there. That will help you to keep from overpacking originally.
 
I will sort of have to disagree with the condoms. Yes they are useful even if you aren't sexually active yet (never know when a hall-mate or buddy will be in an "emergency" situation) but many universities give them to their students free. Mine gives us 20 every 14 days if we want to take the time to go pick them up. So when you get there, then get some free one, don't bother paying.
 
Dear Lord, remember the flip-flops. I know it's been said before but I'll say it again. Especially if you're a guy...those showers are nasty. Once I dropped by bar of soap, picked it up, and there was definitely some semen on it. Yea...you need flip-flops...
 
yippy said:
I will sort of have to disagree with the condoms. Yes they are useful even if you aren't sexually active yet (never know when a hall-mate or buddy will be in an "emergency" situation) but many universities give them to their students free. Mine gives us 20 every 14 days if we want to take the time to go pick them up. So when you get there, then get some free one, don't bother paying.
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I think you want some for that first week maybe. (no time for mckinley yet? or not knowing where mckinley is ...)

I'm gonna be honest ... The first night of college was probably in my top 5 of college nights, simply because it was brand new and it kicked ass. New people, new booze, new places, new everything, it was great.
 
plastic cups, ping-pong balls, condoms, advil and a funnel.

have fun, and don't fail out. feel free to do other stupid things, but don't fail out!
 
Dynamyk said:
Although it's nothing to bring, one suggestion, get involved in a student club of interest to you, it is THE best way to meet people who are similar to you. But yeah, seriously getting an apartment is cheaper and much more sanitary. I had a choice between rez and an apartment and me and one of my boyz got an apartment and now all my friends in rez wish they did the same
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Im joining soccer club.

D0ct0rteeth said:
absolutely.

1 knife/1 fork/ 1 spoon/1 bowl (you can even ditch this if you have a college mealplan)

A pillow, a library card, a job and a used iBook

Thats all you'll need. Keep it as minimal as possible. You will have a much better college experience when you can keep it simple. Less rommate stress, less trouble when you move or go on roadtrips. The college experience is about learning as much as possible and getting the best job you can in the workforce - Its not about who had the best DVD collection and skylight :)

The idiot kids who had all the "cool crap" in college stuill has all that crap - but now lives in their parents basement :) Concentrate on school, mon frere.
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Would a MBPro be too maximalist? Im not taking a TV or video came game console or anything else though. Im going to sell it all and use the cash to pay for book, clothes etc.
 
m-dogg said:
plastic cups, ping-pong balls, condoms, advil and a funnel.

have fun, and don't fail out. feel free to do other stupid things, but don't fail out!
Click to expand...

Im aiming for all A's this time around and ditching my "just enough to get by" highschool attitude that left me with a shoddy 3.2 GPA.
 
I'm certainly not the minimalist here at college.

I brought a PowerMac, PowerBook, PC (need it for a couple programs :() TV, Xbox, PS2, a ton of DVDs. Plus the usual stuff you'd expect. Although I have more room than others as I'm in a suite...if you're sharing a room smaller than a jail cell, then you may want to cut back a bit.
 
A lot of good things have been mentioned so far, but one very crucial detail has been missed.

You need a plan to backup your data.

Get a good external hard drive (or two!) and back up your data REGULARLY. If you can do full bootable backups on a regular basis, that's even better. Unplug it (data AND power) when not in use and keep it somewhere safe (desk drawer, etc). You may never need this, but you never know.

You might consider using the 2nd external drive to rip a bunch of movies and stuff to. There will be plenty of downtime in school, but you don't want to clutter your room with dozens of DVD or CD cases. If you can ditigize your music and movies, do so.

Invest in a solid pair of headphones. I have a pair of Sennheiser HD-280s ($99) and they're stellar. You may prefer something open (rather than closed), but a good pair of comfortable headphones is a must for late-night music/movies/gaming/whatever.

Take a CD wallet/binder with your OS and software install discs and serial numbers. Leave all the jewel cases at home. Buy a spindle of CD-Rs and a pack of paper disc sleeves. Don't forget the Sharpie.

A small bookshelf (for all your books and notebooks) would be a great idea ... esp if the school doesn't provide one.

The all-in-one print/scan/copy device is a great idea, as is the Palm/PDA. Use a cheap PDA (the low-end Zire line is great) and a good printer. Buy a pack or two (~1000 sheets) of good printer paper and bring extra printer cartridges with you.

Get rechargeable batteries (two sets + charger) for your digital camera. You don't want to be burning money on AA batteries every week. If you drink or smoke, now's a good time to stop. Those are expensive distractions.

I'm sure I'll think of more, but this is a good start.
 
Um, oh yeah, and save your work. I had a take home test/paper that was 8 pages long. I clicked print, I just quit word (I was in a rush) and I didn't save because I would never need it again.

Wrong. The printer messed up, didn't get the test, and I had to do the WHOLE THING OVER. Luckily the teacher was cool about it but still. SAVE YOUR WORK.

You'd be surprised how it actually can come in handy 2 or 3 years later.

Sometimes you take the same teacher more than once...
make sure you get on their good side, and stay there. When it comes to giving you a grade and your on the borderline, you'll surely be remembered :cool: sage advice
 
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