Whatever you or your kid does, don't wait until you get there to buy some basics. My kid and I flew to school and waited to buy a comforter, hangers, pillows, etc. We were lucky to find any pillows at all at IKEA or Target, they were mostly sold out. Ditto for desk lamps, organizers, etc. Probably best to have it all shipped to school if you're not driving up.

Anonymous wrote:Your kid should be finding this stuff out.

This PP must have a girl.

Boys can barely find their clothes in the room they have lived in their whole lives.

OP my suggestion, buy minimal and don't ask for his input. He will have no thoughts or idea about any of it. Mine are 8 and 12 hrs (driving away). I ordered on Bed Bath & Beyond for pickup at the one closest to campus. Only thing we brought with us besides clothes are sheets and comforter since I wanted to wash those before we arrived. Neither of my boys noticed they had been washed.

In case any of this helps anyone. We shipped all of DD's things. UPS picked up at our house, boxes arrived and were held at a UPS store near the college. Family took the train. This was from the DC area to a far NE college. Rented a car when we got there. An unexpected plus - DD had to be organized ahead of time. We controlled the volume of stuff. Not so much what was packed but the number of boxes.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Yes, they do communicate ahead around items like fridges. TV is not common or a good idea in my experience (there is one in the lounge typically).

Does your child have a roommate yet? Normally there is a matching survey (which tends to work well) or kids find a roommate through the Facebook page for the incoming class. Then conversations follow.

I have not heard of "portable drawers. My kid kept two large storage bins under her bed, with the help of risers (what elevate the bed, to create more storage underneath). Congratulations.

Are kids really not putting tvs in their rooms?

My DD is at UVA and I don't think anyone in their dorm has one. They have ipads and the like for TV but they spend more time drinking and partying than TV watching. I mean, they are 18, not 48.

My son definitely wants to bring some sort of tv/screen to game on. I suspect there is more than 1 boy (and girl) at UVA who has a screen they can game on.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Yes, they do communicate ahead around items like fridges. TV is not common or a good idea in my experience (there is one in the lounge typically).

Does your child have a roommate yet? Normally there is a matching survey (which tends to work well) or kids find a roommate through the Facebook page for the incoming class. Then conversations follow.

I have not heard of "portable drawers. My kid kept two large storage bins under her bed, with the help of risers (what elevate the bed, to create more storage underneath). Congratulations.

Are kids really not putting tvs in their rooms?

My DD is at UVA and I don't think anyone in their dorm has one. They have ipads and the like for TV but they spend more time drinking and partying than TV watching. I mean, they are 18, not 48.

Anonymous wrote:The ability to easily ship things after arrival has really changed college shopping. I recommend only getting the essentials and then shipping anything else after the fact. It may never be needed even if the list makers swear it is.

I agree with this. Bring the minimum and just let your kid order what they need from Amazon. I went to school over 1500 miles away and in a large city (so I didn't have a car). There was a lot of coordination with my roommate (who also was not local), and we drove out with a car packed full of stuff. I'll have my kid bring toiletries, bedding, and clothing. They can order anything else they want/need.

Anonymous wrote:Your kid should be finding this stuff out.

Yeah, your kid finds themselves a roommate and works all this out and tells you if they want a fridge or whatever. There's nothing for you to do here except provide a credit card number or help with specific tasks if asked.

Anonymous wrote:My freshman DD is a 9hr drive away. She figured it all out herself. The school communicated everything thru email to her. I just shopped sales for her bedding/linens, storage stuff, etc. and then schlepped it out in August.
My hs senior DD has chosen a school 1500 miles away. This will take more logistical planning but again all the emails go directly to her. So if she misses a deadline or follow-up, it’s on her to fix it.

Not really. Away is away unless you like driving 9 hrs. We've always flown our kids to/from their schools. Sent everything to the college, most large ones hold items for student pick up. Your DD's probably will too.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Yes, they do communicate ahead around items like fridges. TV is not common or a good idea in my experience (there is one in the lounge typically).

Does your child have a roommate yet? Normally there is a matching survey (which tends to work well) or kids find a roommate through the Facebook page for the incoming class. Then conversations follow.

I have not heard of "portable drawers. My kid kept two large storage bins under her bed, with the help of risers (what elevate the bed, to create more storage underneath). Congratulations.

Are kids really not putting tvs in their rooms?

As soon as I hit enter I realized that with the ability to stream tvs aren't necessary for movies, etc. but my DS likes to play games to relax and I suspect he's going to want a tv for that reason.

Anonymous wrote:Yes, they do communicate ahead around items like fridges. TV is not common or a good idea in my experience (there is one in the lounge typically).

Does your child have a roommate yet? Normally there is a matching survey (which tends to work well) or kids find a roommate through the Facebook page for the incoming class. Then conversations follow.

I have not heard of "portable drawers. My kid kept two large storage bins under her bed, with the help of risers (what elevate the bed, to create more storage underneath). Congratulations.

Are kids really not putting tvs in their rooms?

Get what you think you need then cut it in half and do the same with clothes.

then cut that half of the stuff you still think you need and cut that in 1/3.

The ability to easily ship things after arrival has really changed college shopping. I recommend only getting the essentials and then shipping anything else after the fact. It may never be needed even if the list makers swear it is.

Your kid doesn't need a TV in his dorm room. Don't let him bring one and hope the roommate doesn't either.

Dorm fridge, he can always figure that out once he gets there. He and his roommates are guys and can always carry one up themselves.

My advice is to not fall too hard for the college good industrial complex. I brought WAY to much stuff to college and then had to store or move it every year. Then I studied abroad and realized...I really didn't need all that stuff. Less is more, especially in a cramped dorm room.

My freshman DD is a 9hr drive away. She figured it all out herself. The school communicated everything thru email to her. I just shopped sales for her bedding/linens, storage stuff, etc. and then schlepped it out in August.
My hs senior DD has chosen a school 1500 miles away. This will take more logistical planning but again all the emails go directly to her. So if she misses a deadline or follow-up, it’s on her to fix it.

You should also be able to find firm and room tours on YouTube.