When Nicole Lee-Jenkins left home to go to the University atBuffalo, she didn't know what to bring. Now a more experiencedsenior, she knows what it takes to survive at college.
"You definitely need an alarm clock," said the history andwomen's studies major. "Some people continue to think their motheris going to wake them up in the morning."
She strongly advocates flip-flops for the bathroom, which, whenused by an entire dorm or apartment, can be less than sanitary."You don't want to have any bodily contact with the bottom of theshowers," she said.
College students at a recent orientation activity at UB offeredthese suggestions for what basics to bring:
For the room: a fan, posters, refrigerator/freezer, microwave,laundry basket, reading lamp, vacuum, alarm clock and an answeringmachine.
For the student: a phone card (preferably paid for by parents),food, pepper spray, shower basket and a day planner.
Students should know that some colleges don't allow pepperspray, refrigerators or microwaves on campus.
When shopping for back to school supplies, many items costunder $20 and can be found at local stores. Others carry a heftierprice tag -- especially anything electronic.
At Circuit City, prices for a combination TV-VCR start at $279and increase depending on the size of the TV, said spokesman MorganStewart.
"For students who have their TVs already, you can get a VCR foras low as $99," he said.
For the college student who wants to surf the Internet and usee-mail, but who can't afford a computer (they run about $1,000 ormore), Web TV may be the answer. At Circuit City, the going priceis $249, which does not include the $19-per-month fee to connect tothe Internet.
Other major appliances, such as a refrigerator, freezer andmicrowave set, run about $249, Stewart said. A small, uprightvacuum cleaner is another $99.
If there's any money left after purchasing those items, thecutting edge student will soon be buying mini-discs for about $299.The mini-disc is smaller than a CD and can be recorded upon --something not currently possible with standard CDs.
"The great thing about it is, with the mini-disc, there's noskipping," Stewart said.
An even pricer item is the mini-notebook from Toshiba. With aPentium chip and Windows 95, the portable PC weights under 2 poundsbut costs $1,999.
But not everything a college student needs will leave parentspenniless. Some fun-filled items are cheaper than the latest intechnology.
Magnetic poetry is becoming a common sight on students'refrigerators. Students arrange words on magnetic tiles to formsentences and poems. A 250-tile set sells for $11.95 atLearningsmith in the Walden Galleria mall. "Roommates like to leavemessages for each other," said Anne Dettman-Broad. There are alsomagnetic poetry sets with law-, science-, computer-, golf- and evenchocolate-related words.
For shoppers on a tight budget, the Roomarang at theLearningsmith may be the ticket. The toy, which costs $2.95, ismade of soft foam so it won't hurt furniture or people. Whenthrown, the boomerang returns to the owner.
On a more practical note, just about every student needs abackpack. Jansport's latest model has some advantages over the oldknapsack. The bottom is made of thick rubber to keep out mud andwater and allow the bag to stand upright. The back is padded toprevent books from jabbing, said Alan Kruzicki, an employee atBrookstone in the Galleria Mall, where the bag retails for $60.
If a student takes a lot of notes, parents may want to buy theSensa pen with a gel grip for $50. "If you write a lot, your handcramps and you get calluses," Kruzicki said. "This eliminatesthat."
Another device to make college life easier is a reading light.While one roommate sleeps, the other can study. One popular lampthat sells for $30 at Brookstone clips onto books and runs eitheron electricity or batteries.
One final tip for going back to school is to check whatroommates are bringing. In a closet-sized dorm room or apartment,the last thing students need is two of everything. A phone call cancut down on the cost and clutter.
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