Don't forget to take "handyman" tools and cleaning supplies when you help your son move in. Desks and end tables need to be assembled. The showers always need a little more scrubbing. Pictures need to be hung and a sometimes a shelf here or there would really be nice. Space is always limited so organizers for closets and under-bed storage are always needed. I had to hang a Venetian blind the first year because the morning sun came in on the bed. It’s tough for a student to sleep ‘till noon with the sun in his eyes.
You can plan on running down to the local Wal-Mart and picking up some of those items but let me warn you, college towns run out of certain things on “move in” weekend. Electric fans, small student desk, shower curtains, shower shoes, and such seem to be big sellers.
Good luck!
Fungo

I sent along one of those plastic shoe-box size containers with basic tools, extra multiplugs, extention cord, etc as repairs and changes will also come up during the year.

Some accommodations don't allow nails in the walls, so sticky tack or those pull-off hooks and picture hangars are helpful to bring along.

You might also want to put together a container of meds --- including cough/cold tablets. The plastic shoe boxes can just be stacked up on their closet shelf for all that 'just in case'. My sister started this with her son when she sent him off to college.....7 years after graduation, he still uses the boxes in his apartment.

I would also suggest that returning sophs take a heck of a lot less stuff than freshmen do. Rooms are small. Boys aren't organized. Or tidy.

and quarters....for laundry...

my son has one roommate, another ball player...and they have a private bath...

one thing I did is make a card (size of credit card)....telling son sorting/water temps/and tidbits on washing...

it's in his wallet...that's one area that isn't quite perfected yet...

one thing I did with eldest son and plan on doing with youngest is send towlette type cleaners - nearly every cleaning product comes in some kind of pop up towlette. Eldest son liked them - easy and convenient and didn't have to have a cleaning cloth or sponge laying around...and he did use them!

That's one nice thing my son's school has done. He doesn't need change for laundry, snack machines, etc. They can put money on their ID card and just swipe it at the washers/driers snack machines and pay for it that way.

Ok, so how many clothes are TOO many.
He's packed everything but clothes, and there's NO WAY he can take everything. Take some, send more if needs/has room? What did you experienced folk do?

Our son took a lot of clothes because he was going 400 miles away and would be flying home for Holidays. If closer maybe he could take less and then pick up more over Thanksgiving Holiday. I would recommend a suit, tie, dress shirt and pants and shoes. Our son needed them because the banquet is held in the fall.

Concur with Orlando on the returning sophmores. mine said he didnt need half of the "stuff" his mom sent/ he took with him last year One thing for certain , since having him home since may it wont be quite as difficult taking him back and letting go this time. Good luck to you frosh parents- turning him loose was real tuff for us for the first couple of weeks last year, but after a while the "quiet" kinda grows on you and then everything is "all right".
Go UMW Eagles!

Just got mine moved in yesterday. The dorm he is in while it is a good size room, they are OLD and they haven't remodeled the insides of the rooms in 20 years. (I know, I lived in the building next door which was identical for women). Also even though they have added cable and high speed internet access, they havn't modified the built-in desks for cable management. Also, they have added the extra long twin beds which create less room in the room from front to back, but anyway, I digress. I'm going to be spending some time this week building a hutch to go on his desk to put the CPU and printer above his monitor so the monitor cable doesn't have to come around from the back of the monitor to the floor in front of the desk.

I also noticed a lot of the guys on his floor opted to pay for private rooms (they had name tags on the doors and most of them only had one name). It's about $300 more.

His roomate hasn't shown up yet, so havn't met him. Hopefully they'll decide to bunk their beds. That will give them lots more wall space which they need.

Whoever mentioned that fridgies, etc. would run out is right. Although the local Super Wal-Mart was prepared with huge displays near the front of the store with lots of dorm stuff, the fridge supply was pretty low. The school was actually having local orientation bus tours around town with Wal-Mart being one of their stops.

Also power strips are a Must. Each side of the room had a total of TWO duplex plugs. It took sixplex adapters for each plug and three power strips for computer, fridgie, microwave, stereo, tv, etc.

I miss him already :-)