Freshman Checklist - What You Need to Bring to Babson
It's always tough to make sure you pack everything, especially when you're going off to college for your first year. Which is why we have a list right here telling you what you will need as a freshman at Babson.
Cell phone
Without doubt the most commonly used item at Babson. If you want to fit in and look important, you should have an expensive cell phone and talk on it everytime you walk outside. Don't even bother bringing a landline phone to setup in your room. No one uses them except telemarketers. (Unless you get drunk and lose your phone a lot - then it might be worth $6 for a cheap room phone.)
Alarm clock
As a freshman, chances are you'll have some 8 AM classes. If not, definitely 9:45 classes. That's still early when you're up till 2 AM on an average night, even if you got up at 6:30 everyday during high school. This is different - there are no parents to drag you out of bed. The alarm clock will be the only thing getting your lazy ass out of bed. Make sure it's loud! (Just be careful if the kids next door are big and like to sleep in.)
Desk lamp
It's a safe bet that the lighting in your room will be on the dim side. A desk lamp is great to light your work area and nothing else, especially when your roommate wants to sleep. A big lamp might come in handy too, in case your room's light bulb is really crappy. If anything, get one to improve your mood (dim, eerie light bulbs probably increase feelings of depression.) If you're the interior decorator type, get some fancy colored light bulbs to string along your walls to make the room more inviting.
A laptop backpack
While Babson provides you with an IBM laptop and a Targus messenger bag, you can't always fit your books into a messenger bag. That's where a backpack comes in, but not just any backpack. I suggest a Targus backpack. It looks like a regular bag except it has a padded compartment for your laptop.
Color printer
Babson offers free black & white printing in the library on some nice laser printers, but for color, you're on your own. The other problem is that you never know if the library printer will be jammed or have a line when you need something printed two minutes before class. Having your own printer solves these problems, and they're pretty cheap these days.
Ethernet cables
Babson should give you a short cable for classroom use, but you'll want a longer one for your dorm room. You might need a 15' cable to stretch around your dorm room. And even though most dorms have wireless these days, you can't beat the speed and reliability of a wired connection.
Extension cords & surge protectors
Since outlets are never quite where you want them, and there are never enough outlets for all your stuff. If you have a ton of expensive electronics, a surge protector might come in handy, too.
Thumbdrive
Again, Babson might give you one of these. But chances are it's only like 64 MB. These days you can get a 1 GB thumb drive for $10-20, and they are extremely useful.
Blank Media (CD-Rs and DVD-Rs)
Blank CDs will come in handy for burning data and music CDs. Sometimes you may have to put your homework on a CD to turn in. A great use for them is backing up your important files. If you happen to have a DVD burner, be sure to have blank DVDs.
MP3 Player and Headphones
An MP3 player is great if you like to workout with music. The headphones are essential for working with music, either in the library or while your roommate is studying quietly. Stereos take up valuable space, and these days, your computer will work just fine. (Especially thanks to the Ruckus music download service.)
TV, VCR, and DVD Player
A few important electronics that you won't have time for, but you'll use them anyway. If you don't have room to bring this stuff, try searching the Boston Craigslist.
Digital camera
It's college. You need pictures of everything so you can relive these moments in your golden years. Digital cameras are so cheap these days, you can get a really good one for under $200 and a good one for under $100. I wouldn't spend too much because you never know when you'll drop it or when someone will spill beer on it.
Fan
This is absolutely critical. Freshman dorms usually have heat in the winter but no form of cooling. Have at least one fan to keep the air circulating. Being in New England, you'll have hot weather in the fall then freezing cold in the winter, followed by a whole range of weather in the spring. Your dorm room temp will never be right, but having a fan can help.
Iron
This is one of those things that college students shouldn't need, but at Babson, it's a good idea. It's not vital, but you'll be dressing up quite a bit, so it helps. Be sure to take a small ironing board, too. It's so much easier than ironing on your bed.
Bed Sheets
You'll need some of the XL Twin sheets. Avoid the ones in that brochure from Babson - they suck. Try to find some nice sheets that will impress the ladies.
Mattress Pad
It goes without saying that dorm room mattresses aren't comfortable. If you want to sleep, make sure you have an egg crate or memory foam mattress pad under your sheets.
Pillows
Have a couple pillows.
Blankets
It gets cold here in New England. You need at least one blanket and comforter to stay warm. Also think about having at least one extra blanket for when you're sitting around watching TV or relaxing in the lounge.
Bed risers (Rackraisers)
Lofting your bed is a great way to increase storage space. Try to find Rackraisers or bring cinderblocks to give your bed a boost.
Bath Towels
Bring at least two nice bath towels and a beach towel. Enough said.
Shower Bucket
Leaving your bathroom supplies in the shower doesn't work when you have communal bathrooms. Get one of these to carry your stuff (soap, shampoo, toothbrush, etc.) between your room and the bathroom each trip. Be sure it has holes for water to drain out.
Sandals or Flip-Flops
You won't want to walk down the hall and through the bathroom in bare feet. That is simply disgusting. You don't want to know what is lurking on college dormitory bathroom floors!
Storage containers
Some sort of plastic containers will come in handy for stacking your stuff and keeping it organized.
Clothes hangers
Your room will have some sort of closet space with a spot for clothes hangers, so make sure you have them. If you don't feel like packing them, get a couple packs at the store for $1 each. Be sure to get the plastic ones, they don't bend or rust.
Posters
Staring at white or gray cinderblock walls doesn't make you feel more at home. Bring some pictures and posters to spruce things up and keep you sane. A perennial Babson favorite is the "Justification for Higher Education" poster.
Laundry Basket and/or Bag
If your laundry machines are on the other end of the hall, you're a lucky one. Sometimes you'll have to go up or down the stairs or to a different building to do laundry. Either way, having some sort of basket is vital to getting all your dirty clothes out and back safely.
Laundry Detergent & Dryer Sheets
Face it, you're doing your own laundry these days. Liquid detergent will be easiest to work with. Look at the All Small & Mighty detergent - a little goes a long way, and it saves on storage space. Dryer sheets keep static at bay and leave your clothes smelling fresh.
Garbage bags
Your room should be complete with one or two trash bins, but you never know if they'll give you a supply of trash bags. Keep some on hand so you never have to put disgusting stuff straight into the bin.
Can Opener
If you'll be doing any of your own cooking, you'll need a few things. I'd get a can opener, bottle opener, corkscrew, and some paper plates. You can swipe spoons and forks from the dining hall. (And if you are a risk taker, you could swipe bowls, plates, and glasses too.) Just return everything at the end of the year so you can swipe it again next year.
Nalgene bottle
Another must-have for college students is the Nalgene bottle. This is an indestructible water bottle that you can carry everywhere. It's great for water, soda, and vodka, but not so great for milk.
Brita pitcher
Since you'll be getting tap water out of the bathroom sink or water fountain, this comes in handy. You could also stock up on bottled water at Costco or BJs.
Mini fridge
An appliance you can't live without.
Microwave
Almost as important as the fridge, this really comes in handy for heating food and making popcorn.
Clothing
Bring plenty of jeans and t-shirts, some dress shirts, and a suit and tie. And don't forget the dress shoes. Also bring as many pairs of socks and underwear as you can fit, so you can go as long as possible between wash loads. Don't forget about the cold winter either. You'll want a warm jacket as well as some warm PJs and/or a sweatsuit, and make sure they're nice enough that you can venture to class without changing. (Great when you wake up at 7:55 for class at 8.)
Along with winter clothing, be sure to have rain gear. It's inevitable that you'll be out in the rain every so often, and quite possibly on a day you wear a suit.
Medicine
Make sure to have any specific meds you need, along with pain killers and cough drops. Pepto Bismol and Tums are a great idea too. (Once you eat in Trim, you'll understand.)
A first aid kit wouldn't hurt either.
Condoms
It wouldn't be college if you didn't have a jumbo box of Trojans in your room. Health Services has a basket of free condoms outside the door, but I don't see it filled up every day. It's probably a good idea to stock these "supplies" on your own.
Clorox wipes
These are great cleaning supplies for college students. The power of bleach mixed with the ease of baby wipes. Think about Febreze too, to keep things smelling fresh.
Air freshener
To keep the whole room smelling clean, get something from Yankee Candle. A Yankee Candle diffuser will overpower most any nasty scent. Try the "clean cotton" one, it will make your room smell nice without being too overpowering.
Desk calendar (or PDA)
The typical Babson student is super busy with classes, group meetings, and other appointments. You can keep track of everything with a simple desk calendar or go all out and get a PDA.
Dry erase board
Having one of these on your door is great for allowing your friends to leave funny comments and naughty drawings when you're not around. Make sure you have a set of markers to replace all the ones stolen by drunk kids.
Office supplies
Stock up on 3-ring binders, paper, pencils, pens, and get a couple highlighters. Then be sure to have a stapler, 3-hole punch, tape, graphing calculator, and a financial calculator. You'll need a graphing calculator ($90) for QTM and a financial calculator ($18) for finance classes.
Ear plugs
These are great if you have a loud roommate or when there's a party next door and you have to get up for work at 6 AM tomorrow.
3M Command Adhesive hooks
These are great for hanging light jackets and hats on your wall. Best of all, they don't leave any holes that you'll get charged $50 for.
Swiss Army knife
This has tools such as a screwdriver and bottle opener, which seem to come in handy.
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