Forget all those glossy magazines with their fabulous dorm layouts, complete with comfy couches, quirky floor lamps and framed prints on the walls. Your teen's home away from home will likely be a shared 10x10 cube crammed with two extra-long twin size beds, two chests of drawers, a pair of desks and basic built-in closets. Tight quarters indeed, but serviceable. So here's what you bring:
- Comfy Bedding: X-L twin sheets, pillows and a cozy duvet or blankets. 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.
- Bathroom Needs: Several bath towels, flip flops for the shower, plus soap, shampoo, toiletries and a basket to tote it all, unless this dorm's bathrooms have individual cupboards or lockers.
- Laundry: Detergent, fabric softener, a laundry hamper and a jar of quarters, unless the school uses debit cards in the laundromat. Plus, a rudimentary understanding of what happens when red T-shirts are washed with white underwear. (Although Shout Color Catchers actually work. Mostly.)
- School Tools: A desk lamp, school supplies, extension cords and power strips with surge protectors, a laptop and thumb drive. (Your freshman may not need a printer. Some schools want papers turned in electronically, others offer printing privileges at the library. Wi-Fi hookups vary by school.)
- Storage and Supplies: Hangers, a hanging divider for shoes, storage bins for under the bed, a trash bin, paper towels, tissues, a first aid kit, snacks, a cereal bowl, spoon and mug.
- Decor: Posters, family photos and a teddy bear.
- Lovely to Have: A soft, colorful area rug, mini-fridge, collapsible seating or floor pillows for guests, and noise-cancelling headphones are non-essentials but lovely to have.
