Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. 
Other than the basics, I had no idea what to bring before tonight. Thanks to everyone who responded to my post, especially ArchiveGuy, I now have a list of over 50 things I can’t live without in my dorm room. I’ll keep checking in to see if any new ideas get posted.
Thanx again,
Star Light
Speaking as someone who has lived under the same restrictions for the last three years, you need:
Okay, so sniff around a bit and talk to people first, but such rules aren’t always enforced (heck, my roommate and I each have a toaster.) Certainly none of my RAs have ever cared (and most had such things themselves).
Of course, you could just do what one of my brother’s suitemates did and hide the toaster behind a plant…
And have fun, dammit!
Thanx Philbuck. I had no idea that most RA’s are that laid back. The only experience I have with college dorm rooms is from watching TV. Somehow, they don’t seem to quite compare to my situation.
Hiding a toaster and hot plate is a good plan. I could always stuff it in a dresser drawer when finished.
hehe! Blushing, that’s cute!
Another all important item: a bean-bag.
Sure, they take up a ton of space (relatively), but they are absolutely worth it. Everybody loves them and you’ll often have to try extreme measure to keep your seat if you get up for a moment.
They’re also good with the above mentioned items! :eek:
Haven’t tried that one yet. Sounds like fun. 
Instead of quarters…
The dishonest way of manipulating washers and dryers (or so I’ve heard) is to either a.) get one of those hair picks used by folks with curly hair or b.) use a regular clothes hanger. The prongs of each can be put into the coin slots to trigger the mechanism. This is very illegal, so only do it when no one else is around. Or so I’ve heard. 
As for the hotplate issue, all colleges have regulations against them, but I’ve yet to hear of one that enforces this rule. How could they? Just be careful.
I’ve found a way around the quarters issue at home (I live in an apartment complex). I put in the quarters, then slide them in just enough that the machine registers the quarters as being there, then yank them back out. End result…free wash. Yay!
I’m really hesitant to do this at school, however, for fear of getting caught. Either I’ll be doing a lot of wash at home or just go late enough that no one will be around to catch me.
Forget the hot plate. Get yourself a hot pot. It’s like a teapot with a plug. You can make anything from hot chocolate to ramen soup to macaroni and cheese. Very handy.
Take all the books you can carry. They are your friends.
Don’t forget ear plugs.
Maybe a long distance card, just in case?
Take a whole bunch of pictures of your family and friends and post them above your desk. It’ll cut down on any homesickness.
A nice little floor rug will cut down on the chilly feet.
Tool Kit This will be necessary, and since nobody thinks to bring one, you will be popular. You need nothing fancy: hammer, pliers, phillips scredriver, flathead screwdriver, utility knife. Throw in a roll of duct-tape, a big magic-marker, and one of those little packages of assorted nails and cup-hooks, and you will be all set.
I agree wholeheartedly with what most people have said. ::looks around dorm room:: I’d add
now, random college stuff thoughts:
College dorm supplies…
Dryer sheets
masking tape
The cardboard tube from a paper towel roll.
If you don’t know what that is for you don’t need it.
When you get headphones, try to get the big bulky ones with super long cords. They block out a lot of noise, even when you aren’t listening to tunes. The extra long cord allows you to wander around the room.
Bring the minimum amount of clothes. I found that it’s much easier to keep the room tidy if you don’t have more clothes than dresser space. Plus, students tend to shop when they get bored. You might need rooom to expand.
Remember, that you will somehow have twice as much stuff at the end of the semster. So don’t cram your room full in the beginning.
You might consider a mini tape recorder. You probably won’t need it for most of your classes, but you never know when you’ll get a teacher that tests more from the lectures than the text.
Don’t bring too many hangers because they take up too much room in your luggage. They’re cheap enough to buy when you get there.
I can’t emphasize enough the imporance of milk crates. They’re shelves, they’re chairs, they’re tables, and when you move, you can pack your stuff in them.
You can buy them at your local Corporate Behemoth Mart, but you’ll never match the quality found in those that are used to distribute actual milk. I would never advocate stealing, but I would suggest stealing some of those if possible.
Speaking of stealing, the pinnacle of dorm room decor is the Orange Road Cone.
Does the dorm have hardwood or tile floors? If so, I’d start looking around for a big-ass piece of carpet. Odds are, someone you know has one rolled up in their garage/attic that they’d love to get rid of. Not only can it change the character of the room, it can make hitting the floor first thing in the morning less traumatic.
Don’t skimp on a bathrobe–get a good one. Also, don’t forget to have a few hats, to cover up the bed hair when you inevitably oversleep and wake up six minutes before your 9:00.
Dr. J
I’d recommend a small TV/VCR combo. That way when Buffy, or your soap, (or whatever your favorite show is) is on, you can still go to class and catch it later. It’ll cut down on the need for skipping class.
StG
I’ll add my two cents.
Make sure you bring something warm that can be put on quickly. My sister currently has the problem of fire drills at 3 a.m. at least twice a week and it’s very cold.
Do you have any idea which way your room faces? If it’ll get sun shine in the morning I highly recommend getting an emergency/space blanket. They’re really cheap and do a good job of blocking out the sun. You can also use aluminum foil if you wish.
I also recommend getting a hot pot instead of a hot plate. That way you don’t have to worry about what you are going to cook your food in such as pots, pans, melted plastic, etc… I also recommend a toaster oven over a regular toaster. That way you can make small pizzas and such along with normal toast.
A lot of people have been telling me to bring toasters, hot pots, etc., which my dorm doesn’t allow. I probably will bring them anyway and just hide them when I’m finished using them.
Has anyone ever gotten caught doing this? I’m curious to know what happened.
In regards to the hot pot/toaster/microwave dilemma. I was an RA my senior year. My dorm’s top 2 floors burned down some 15 years ago, which makes the rector (Catholic school) a bit nervous about these contraband. However, I had two freshmen who had a microwave. Of course I didn’t know they had a microwave, but I would occassionally come in with an unpopped thing of microwave popcorn leave, and 3 minutes later, they would return to my room with popped popcorn. It was magic…
Other things you need:
a good pillow
another good pillow
good sheets (and a set of flannel ones if you live in a cold climate)
posters
humongo sized tupperware (winter clothes, etc.)
bins (stackable, drawers, milk crates, they all work) - your closet space WILL be limited. You need to maximize it.
Flip flops that you like (spend that extra $3)
duct tape, duct tape, duct tape
mugs (plastic)
a FULL pharmacy
did I mention a good pillow?
camera
nice clothes (we had a lot of dances)
white t-shirts (for when you and your friends need to create uniforms for that Cups tournament)
a durable liver
Good luck!
an open mind. If you’re a traditional freshman, 18 years old+/- a year, first time out away from home, you’ll see a lot of stuff you maybe haven’t seen before. Enjoy it, learn from it, realize that there’s more than one way to peel an orange.
I 2nd the hot-pot. My roommate had one, and we used it a lot. I learned about ramen noodles this way.
I 2nd the dorm-sized fridge also. Because we could keep food in the room, I learned about poaching an egg in with my ramen noodles. Yumm! (Hint: you can put a pitcher of cold water in the fridge for that time that your roommate is in the shower, too. Dumping cold water over the curtain is a sure-fire way to break the ice with a new roomie. Trust me on this…)
Leave the super-hi-tech sound system at home. Bring a portable boombox, especially one that can use batteries. You score bonus points if it charges the batteries when it’s plugged into the wall. You can have a portable party if needed. Besides, you’ll need that shelf space for books and the plant to hide the hotpot.
Posters to decorate with are nice, but you should be able to find them in most any college town. We have a company that comes through here a couple times a year, selling posters of all kinds - movies, bands, people, places, anything you can print.
You didn’t say where you live, but good rugged boots for trekking through snow to winter classes is good. I favor waffle-stomper-type hiking boots, but anything is better than your basic tennies in winter. Well, maybe not the flipflops you have for the showers…
Clothes that you can coordinate, and mix and match. It’s easier than hauling something for every possible situation.
Misc stuff - duc-tape, a roll of toilet paper in case the school doesn’t supply it, a roll of paper towels, a box of assorted plastic silverware, a couple of cups.
When I was in school, the dry-erase marker boards to post on the outside of your dorm room door were popular. You can leave a note to your roomie to get lost for an hour if you’re trying out the beanbag and condoms, for example.
Going in as a freshman, I had:
A loft, matress, and bedding;
A portable refrigerator;
A laundry basket and four weeks worth of clothing;
A stereo;
A television;
Dishes, glasses, and hotplate;
A BB gun, squirt gun, beer bong, 24" tokemaster, pocket blowtorch, and a six-pack of Heineken;
A significant proportion of the world’s knowledge carefully filed away in a sharp mind.
Four and a half years later, I left with:
A sleeping bag;
A duffel bag and backpack, with ten day’s worth of ripped, unwashed clothing;
A 1/2 gallon plastic cup;
A wooden bowl, a box of matches, and a keg of Milwaukee’s Best, with a tap;
Something that vaguely resembled an education, on a piece of paper.
I don’t think anyone has mentioned:
[ul]
[li]A camera and a load of film[/li][li]Framed pictures of your friends/family[/li][li]Board games/cards[/li][li]Your favorite CDs and blank tapes for making mixes[/li][/ul]
[aside]Hey Connor, did you go to PC?[/aside]