This is a series of posts on the skills that college students need in college and beyond.

If your child is in high school now is the perfect time to work with them on their cleaning skills (heck, if they are walking it’s a good time to work on their cleaning skills!).

There are a lot of different methods to cleaning. What works for you will probably not work for your child (just accept it – they won’t do things like you do them because you are … you.). The key is to communicate and work with them to find something that can work for them. If they learn to clean their room, they will be able to take care of their dorm room (at least their side of it!).

One thing I tried with my daughter was zones. We got the idea of zones from FlyLady (she divides the house into zones and you clean one zone per week). We tried to divide her room into zones: bedroom zone, living/study zone, bathroom zone and kitchen zone (the kitchen area didn’t really happen until she was in her dorm room). She tried it for a while in college.

We (me) also had several books that we (she) read to try to organize and clean her room. She had Organizing from the Inside Out for Teens. She got some great ideas from it.

In the end your children have to find what works for them. And they will…thankfully in their own house!

Do you have any tips to share with your children?

This is the 2nd in a series of posts on roommates.

At the beginning of your school year is the perfect time to talk to your roommate about your study habits (you don’t want to do it the night before a big paper is due and you need to pull an all nighter and your roommate wants to sleep before her big test!)

Here are some questions to ask yourself and your roommate:

Do you like to study with music? Discuss the type of music (some might enjoy fast music, while another student would study better to classical music or no noise.)

Can you study with the TV on? Some students say they can ignore it, but some students will admit that they pictures are distracting!)

Do you wait until the last minute to study for a test (thus needing to stay up all night vs. someone who want to be rested before their exams?)

Do you need low lights to study by or full bright lights?

Do you like to eat while studying? (To some munching popcorn or chips can be distracting and annoying!)

What do you like to do for study breaks? How often do you want to schedule a study break? Do you take study breaks? Some students want to plow through their work just to get it done! Other students need a break after an hour or two. Maybe a simple computer game is enough or maybe a run around the dorm will recharge their creative juices for that paper that is due tomorrow!

What did I forget? What question do you want to ask your new roommate about their study habits?

This is the last of a 4 part series on what things you need to take to college. This week: Kitchen/Cleaning Supplies.

If you are living in one room, your kitchen needs are not very big. You are probably on the campus meal plan, so cooking big meals isn’t needed. But occasionally you will be staying up late and need some food to wake you up! You also need a few cleaning supplies to keep your space – livable! Talk with your roommate and you can split the cleaning supplies between you. (You don’t need 2 brooms!)

Need

• cup, bowl, plate, silverware (enough for 1 serving)
• can/bottle opener (to open cans of soup – for when you need chicken soup!)
• water bottle (hydrate!)
• broom/dust pan (keep your room neat!)
• cleaning supplies (window cleaner, wipes to clean sink, etc.)

Maybe

• Microwave (you may not need this during the first year, or you could wait until after Christmas to see what kind of space you have)
• Refrigerator (talk to your roommate, you don’t need 2 of these and if you get this you will need to make sure it is big enough for both of you to have space to put everything)
• Coffee Maker (this may be a necessary thing for some students!)
• Fan (if your roommate likes the room warmer that you like it, a fan can help you sleep)
• Vacuum (if you have a rug, you will need some kind of small vacuum to keep it clean – you may need to rethink that rug!)
• Water Pitcher (for extra water)

NO (these are not needed during your first year)

• Toaster over (banned totally at some schools)
• Air purifier (this maybe necessary for those that have allergies)
• Humidifier (you won’t have room for this appliance)
• Room fragrances (candles are banned at some schools)
• Cookware (only if you have a full kitchen)

Is there anything I have left off the list that you feel you really NEED? Let me know!

To see the other parts of the series, start at the beginning: Bedroom

Sharing a small space with a stranger can make your college life challenging. Sleeping habits can seem like a minor thing, but it can make a big difference. Here are some areas to discuss with your new roommate.

Music/Sound Machine: some people like to listen to music while they are falling asleep. Talk to your roommate about the kind of music they like to play when falling asleep. Or maybe you roommate enjoys falling asleep to the sounds of a babbling brook (but that just makes you need to go to the bathroom). Talk to your roommate about how loud it is and if the music/sound machine can be put on a sleep timer (turn off after 30 minutes).

Temperature/Windows: So your roommate likes to sleep in a deep freeze (AC turned to 55°) or in a heat wave (heat set to 85°) or sleep with the windows wide open. This is where some compromising can begin – set the thermostat at 72°. If that’s too warm for you – get a fan. If that’s too cold for you – get a blanket. And if the wind is blowing in too much – shut it halfway.

Light: Pitch black darkness is the only way for some to sleep, others need a “little light” (some wold call it a night light). One compromise would be for the one that likes darkness is to wear a sleeping mask to bed. There are some really cool ones.

Fans can also help create some “white noise” to drown out music or noise from other rooms also.

Do you have any tips for working out different sleeping habits?

This is the 3 in a 4 part series on dorm needs. This posts focuses on the bathroom/laundry. In previous posts I have covered the bedroom space and living room/study space.

In most dorms, the college student will have communal bathrooms. Laundry facilities will also be on another floor or in another space. Most of the needs for this space are necessary.

Necessary Needs:

• Towels – great time for the new student to make their own statement with new towels (or save some money and borrow mom’s!)
• Robe – Since you’ll be going from your room to the bathroom, you’ll need something to cover up during the journey.
• Flip-flops – Protect your feet from fungus!
• Shower Caddy/Tote – something to carry all your stuff to the bathroom
• Soap holder/toothbrush holder – get some of the travel holders to keep them dry and contained.
• Over the door towel rack – This can help your towel dry out between showers.
• Hamper/Laundry basket – A hamper can hold all your dirty clothes, the laundry basket will hold all the clean, folded clothes to take back to your dorm room.

No (you really don’t need to bring this item):

• Scale – wait until you go home to weigh yourself or go to the gym at the school.

Did I forget anything? What do you think is necessary for the bathroom or laundry area?

Next: the Kitchen/Cleaning Supplies!

Photo by: Tostie14

This is the 2 in a 4 part series on dorm needs. This posts focuses on the living space/study zones. In previous posts I have covered the bedroom space.

The dorm room – probably the smallest space your will ever share with one person! It becomes your bedroom, kitchen and living room. In a previous post I mentioned the things you need for your bedroom “area”. Today I am going to tackle the things that you will need for your living room/study space. Remember this space is small so the list is not going to be big.

Necessary Needs:

• Desk Lamp – Helps you focus when you’re studying at your desk.
• Surge Protector – Save that expensive laptop (and TV/fridge!).
• External Hard Drive or an online back up service – Professors won’t care that your computer crashed – they want the paper when it’s due! Protect yourself!  (And your grade!)
• Charging Station – A one-stop place to charge your phone, ipod/mP3 player, bluetooth, etc.
• Cooling Station for Laptop – Don’t let your laptop suffer heatstroke!
• Laptop Lock – Don’t let your laptop run away from you!
• USB Flash Drive – A quicky way to protect your files. Also useful to grab a file and take it to print at another location!
• 3M Command Strips – These are awesome! They keep things on the walls and when the year is over, they come down quick and easy and leave nothing behind (or take anything with them – plaster, paint, etc).

Maybe You’ll Need These (provided you have the space!) – These can wait until you move in or talk with you roommate:

• Lounge Chair – A fold up chair is great – you can store it away when you don’t need it and when you have “guests” you have a place for them to sit!
• Window panels/tension rods – Dress up your room!
• Wall Art – Dress up your walls! (Use the 3M Command Strips to make things easy!)
• Area Rug – Add some color to your floor (and some warmth in the winter!)
• Floor Lamp – Add some light to your room (put different color bulbs in to create some fun!)
• Laptop Desk – When your study area moves to your bed, you need a way to continue to work!
• Locking Safe – This can be useful to store you iPod/mP3 player and other valuables while you are in class (in case you have a roommate that is forgetful about locking the door!)
• Storage Carts – Provided storage is limited in the dorms. You might need to bring additional storage.
• Underbed Storage – A great place to find extra storage!
• Step Stool – A fold up step stool is great for those that are “height” challenged!
• Waste basket – An extra basket never hurt anyone!

I don’t really have any things that you shouldn’t think to bring to your dorm room (ok you really don’t have room for a sofa/futon but that’s common sense, right?).

Do you have any suggestions of things I missed? What do you NEED for your study zone? What is a MUST for your living space?

Next week: The Bathroom Area!

This is the 1  in a 4 part series on dorm needs. This posts focuses on the bedroom.

Last week I wrote a post about all the “stuff” my daughter felt she needed her first year (and how most of it is now in my house!). This week (and for the next couple of weeks) I’m going to break the dorm room into “zones” and create lists of what a new student “needs”, “might need” and defiantly ”does not need”. The zones are bedroom, living space/study zone, bathroom/laundry and kitchen. This week I will start with the bedroom area since it is the biggest area to deal with!

Necessary Needs:

• Sheets – check with your college – some colleges have XL mattresses. The XL mattresses are designed for the athletes that attend the colleges. My daughter’s college has regular mattresses. My daughter bought the “T-shirt” sheets. They are warm in the winter and fairly cool in the fall and spring semesters.
• Blanket – Depending on the area of the country determines the weight of the blanket.
• Comforter – This makes a statement to everyone who enters your child’s room. Let them choose something they will be happy with for four years! (Some of the bath and bed stores have a “package” that include most of these things – great cost savings if you have find the right package.)
• Mattress Pad and Topper – The topper can add an extra comfort level to the mattress. The mattress pad is necessary. The mattresses in these dorms have been there a very long time! Protect your child from bringing bed bug pests home!
• Alarm Clock – Most kids (even I do it!) use their cell phone as their alarm clock. A cheap back up alarm clock is not a bad idea in case their cell doesn’t have great service in their room (my daughter didn’t have great service in her room – something about the thickness of the walls!) If they don’t want the back up, splurge and get the alarm clock that can also double as an charger for their iPod/Phone.
• Hangers – More is better – especially if your college student is a girl!

Maybe’s (these are dependent if there is space in the dorm room – wait to purchase until you get to college or buy but keep receipts):

• Body pillow – this can be used to decorate the bed.
• Extra pillows/floor pillows – used to support student while studying (on floor or bed).
• Back rest – used on bed for studying (watching TV) in bed.
• Bedside caddy – Wait until you get to school to see if one of these will actually work.
• Bed lifts – Can be helpful to get more “space” under the bed for storage, etc.

No (you really don’t need these items! – really!)

• Iron/Ironing Board – Even if they have clothes that “should” be ironed, they won’t have time to iron. Don’t send the clothes that need to be ironed, save them for at home or when they have a bigger place.
• Drying Rack – Same as above. They won’t have room to store, let alone use it!

So what do you think of my list? Is there something I missed? What do you think is a necessary need in the bedroom zone of your dorm room? Leave me a comment and let me know!

Next week…the Living Space/Study Zone!

The summer before my daughter started college every day was spent at every bath and linen type store in town. (I still get nervous when I go by them!) My daughter felt that she needed EVERYTHING brand NEW for college. Those sheets she had been using – out. Must have NEW towels, cups, etc. We tried to tell her to contact her roommate and see what they could share (fridge, plates, cups, microwave, etc.). We tried to reason with her that she didn’t need to have everything on the first day. There were stores in the city that she was moving to and she could get things she was missing as the year went along. We reminded her that we were only 30 miles away and we could bring things to her. We had better luck telling the brick wall not to take so much to college.

Results are not Typical! (PS. This was NOT my daughter's room!)

In the end both girls “stuffed” their room with all their stuff. By the end of the year there was one microwave, two fridges and a computer screen that doubled as a TV. Plus numerous 3-drawer cabinets, etc.

When she moved into college for her second year, she changed type of housing – an apartment. Each roommate had their own bedroom and shared a living room and kitchen – a full kitchen that came with a full size fridge, oven and microwave (now we have a microwave and small fridge to deal with). Plus in their bedrooms they now have a full size bed – more new sheets/bed spread.

With the full size kitchen came new challenges – cooking supplies. This time she did serious talking to her roommate and listened! There was no doubling of supplies!

So she did learn an important lesson – communicate, plan and patience. It’s nice to have everything in the beginning, but not always necessary. My telling her didn’t make her learn that lesson – she had to experience it for herself. There’s a lesson for me – trying to let my children learn their own lessons.

PS. I have heard that boys are the complete opposite when it comes to getting ready for college. They believe they need nothing but their computer, TV and video gaming system.

Update: I have created a list items you need to have in your room the first year. I have broken the dorm room into zones: bedroom, bathroom, kitchen and living space/study zone.