Checking with the school or the major department (to see if there is a specific reason for or against a particular choice) is a good idea. My own family's experiences, which includes a total of 6 undergrad and grad program starts, was that 1) Not surprisingly, all schools and programs could accommodate and provide tech support for both Mac and Windows machines. All 6 could provide software either for free or with heavy discounts and left the choice of flavor up to the student with no specific recommendation, and 2) While all schools offered "special pricing" for purchases from the school/student store, none required it. None of the school "deals" we encountered were ever particularly competitive, I was always able to get more value for money from normal sources. I wouldn't be surprised if there were some photo/graphics or art programs that may be Mac only. You'll learn if one of those special situations applies by asking.

A jug of Febreeze. I'm quite sure the guys in my son's dorm never did laundry the way you and I think of laundry...they Febreezed--EVERYTHING--shirts, jeans, sheets, towels, probably their armpits...lol I second the OTC med/first aid kit. Send the minimum until you know the kiddoes your son will be rooming with. Things like Sudafed can be abused. Still...I wish we'd done this. There was one very miserable night when my son (no longer in the dorm) called to tell me he was sick. Based on past experience, I knew immediately he had strep...probably 103 fever, raging sore throat, chills, in short he was alone, several miles from a store and miserable. I can guarantee you I spent a miserable night as well. While he was at the pharmacy the next day, I made him stock up on Tylenol and such. Extention cords and power strips. My son's dorm room had two outlets. Boys seem to need their electronics...Xbox, DVD players, Speakers system. Hopefully you can coordinate with the roomie so they don't overlap too much. Personally, I'd love to see game systems banned for dorms, but I'm sure schools fear no young men would come to school. lol Remember, you can't prepare for every instance. What you hope to see when your son or daughter goes away to school is some of the resourcefulness you've taught over the years. Do they know how to find information? Do they seek out the best way to do things? Can they face a challenge and deal with it? (Like getting a ride to the store when they don't drive. It's perfectly do-able.) Have fun and remember to enjoy these next few months.

Thanks everyone for all of the suggestions and feedback. It sounds like either the egg crate or memory foam would work, then a mattress pad goes on top of both and then the sheets. Cia1953: Good idea about the rental of the fridge+micro. As next year, most likely he’ll go in the apartment style housing I think he’ll need them only for one year. I’ve heard about the BB&B service which is really a great option for kids who fly in. As we live in Nor Cal. we plan to drive down for move-in day. Arcy: DS and I attended orientation last month and it seemed pretty much routine that everyone got the refrigerator and micro; though most likely I think he would purchase then in San Diego��"or rent like cia suggested. I’m not quite sure what you think is a luxury item, though. Certainly not the bedding? I got the impression from most kids we spoke with that the ref+micro was in lieu of a more expensive meal plan (which is how I see it for my DS too). Pudgeder: DS went to private high school so we’ve been using Amazon for years for textbooks, though the university was promoting their service where we pre-order books from them and they will deliver in a box to their dorm. I’m just wondering if his debit card works with Amazon or he should get his own credit card? Usually, he puts everything in the shopping cart, then I enter my CC and place the order, but I think he needs to have his own card to order books and stuff. Deborahnj: ha!ha! on the bed. I can totally see myself doing that too, making up his bed. We had a tour last month at orientation and DS spent a night in the dorms. The triple, like Ann mentioned, is really a double sized room, they added another bed to squeeze in more kids. So one side is bunk beds and the other a loft bed with desk below. Really no space at all. But they do have the common room that the 6 rooms in the suite all share. So, DS requested a single as he will still have lots of social opportunities since it’s a suite, but I’m not too optimistic he will get it. Betsy: Totally agree about the dark sheets and towels! Chefmom: Thanks for the list. I’ll check it out. Marie_cate: That’s exactly what the triples are like. One of the recommendations we’d heard, esp. if he is in a triple, is that they get one printer and share the cost of the ink. That is so inconsiderate, though, to use someone’s printer all year long without offering to share ink/paper costs, but I’m sure it happens all the time. Alku: I’ve seen the bed blocks at BB&B and great idea to store things below, but won’t work if he has a triple with the bunk and loft bed. I guess they have to bring a storage bin and store in the closet (which looked about 18” wide). Juliekmco: I saw the egg crate toppers at Target, good to hear your DDs liked them. I didn’t see the XL size, but I’ll check another location. Yikes, I guess I better decide soon before all the XL stuff is sold out. Lindac & Bestyears: Great list of repair/first aid. Definitely I’ll add that to the list. Divastyle: I’m sure your niece was thrilled with her dorm package. I’ve heard about the frequency of thefts so will talk with DS about some way to secure his valuables. I have some notes from orientation when campus police spoke to us….need to refer back to that. It was definitely a case of information overload. Annkathryn: Yes, that is what they have at UCSD. The triples were all originally doubles, so very tight quarters. When I was at BB&B they were also selling this room deodorizer; as my good friend whose DS goes there said the whole suite smells like a locker room! Guess most recommend a body pillow over the armchair type pillow? So far I bought him a comforter set with sheets, an extra set of sheets, 2 towels, 2 washcloths, 1 face towel. He’s telling me “Mom I won’t have a lot of space” But I figure you need one to use, one to wash.

Can I scare you some more? Tee hee! Since working in public social housing, I have started being a big advocate of innoculations for TB, Hepatitis, as well as for meningitis. He should also make sure he is up to date on ALL boosters....in Canada a few have been deemed not to be as effective as once thought and they are updating those. So check and make sure he doesn't need an unexpected update. He should also get a flu shot when available, and the pneumonia shot if it is available over there. Why? Communal living increases risk of ALL communicable diseases. You don't have to be in a tropical country to get hepatitis....it is spread through body fluids like urine. Any idea how much PEE is on that bathroom floor? Ick. Daycare workers who change diapers get the shots here, to give you an idea of how easy it would be to contract it. Better to be safe than sorry, get the shots then walk around in a towel. And flip flops ROFL!