For the Latecomer: What You Need to Set Up Your College Dorm
Perhaps it's because I don't have any children, but the college school season seems to always catch me of guard. Most times I don't even notice it until I go to my favorite home decor store only to find that the shelves have been wiped clean!
First confusion sets in..."Hmm, is the store closing?", then there's optimism "Maybe they just had a big sale or something?" Then suddenly it hits me: "Awww man, it's college season!"
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Are You Prepared for the College Season?
And boy was the city of Chicago bustling with activity this past weekend! There were students literally flooding into the streets, stores and cafés from every direction! It was as if every parent in America said au revior to their young adults and shipped them all ....here.
But if you, or one of your kids is college bound and you've found yourself running around like a chicken with your head cut off because you waited until the very last minute to prepare... take a deep breath. I'm here to help.
Here's a quick dorm room plan that I drew up. It demonstrates, at a glance some of the larger ticket items you MIGHT need to purchase.
Tools to Make it All Happen Quickly
WHAT TO KNOW BEFORE YOU BUY
- The size of the dorm room
- The dimensions of the bed
- The dimensions of the space under the bed. If it is a raised or a bunk bed, you will not need bed risers.
- What items, besides the bed, are ALREADY included in the dorm room.
DID YOU KNOW: Amazon Offers Student Prime?
What's that you ask? As of the date of this post, students currently enrolled in a college or university who have a valid .edu e-mail address can join Prime Student and receive a 6-month trial that includes FREE Two-Day Shipping on eligible purchases. After the 6-month trial ends, student members are eligible to receive 50% off Amazon Prime, including all Prime benefits, for four years or until they graduate, whichever comes first. Cool huh? To get signed up, click on the banner below.
If you will be traveling by airplane and have no time to ship toiletries beforehand, Target has a great service. Now available in select areas of Minneapolis, St. Paul, Chicago, San Francisco and San Jose is Target | Instacart. Just place your Target order online through the Instacart mobile app, and a personal shopper will bring it right to your home (or dorm)— in 2 hours or less. Products are limited to groceries, daily essentials and health and beauty items.
PRINT THE CHECKLIST
If you're anything like me, doing things at the last minute means that you will inevitably forget something important. To help you out with that, I've created a downloadable checklist of the items you, or your student will most likely need. While a college student cannot expect to have ALL of the creature comforts of home, there are some items that will make living in a tiny box for 2-3 months at a time more bearable. Click on the image below to download the checklist.
I hope that in some small way this post helps a student or a parent during this critical transition. If this information does not apply to you directly, please kindly pass it on to someone who needs it.
Tell me, do you think this post is helpful for college bound students and their parents? Please let me know in the comments below. As always, thank you for reading.
One more favor may I ask of you?
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Merci Beaucoup!
