Leader Of The Pack: You received your acceptance letters and sent your deposit. Now all you have to do is enjoy your summer and take it easy, right? Nope. You've got some packing to do.
When to start: Start your list early in the summer, as opposed to waiting until the day before you leave for orientation. Here are some quick tips:
Before you get that answering machine, check to see if you're set up with voice mail at school. Most schools provide voice mail if you're living on campus, and the answering machine is no longer useful.
Check the size of your sheets. Some college dorm beds are "long" and require a special size sheet.
Take inventory in your bathroom for personal items (razors, shaving cream, soap, shampoo, etc.) and get a shower caddy to put your things in so you can carry it from your room to the bathroom. Don't forget the towels and washcloths.
Before you run off and get a new computer, check with your school and see what kind of requirements they need to support a computer. Most schools will tell you specifically what components you need (such as memory, storage, and RAM) to be supported on the school's network. Check also to see if deals are offered through the campus bookstore or tech department.
Schools are very specific about what kind of appliances they allow in a dorm room. It's also good to find out whom your roommate is going to be, and split things up. You don't want to show up the first day with a fridge, microwave, television, and stereo and find out your roommate already supplied these things for the room. And no, you don't need two of each. The rooms are smaller than you think.
Don't forget the basics
small sewing kit
small tool kit (hammer, screwdriver) and tape
emergency medical kit
laundry basket (or bag)
alarm clock
rolls of quarters for laundry and vending machines

Remember, you can get most things once you're on campus. Also, if parents or friends visit, they're always willing to bring something from home. And when you go home for a break, you can get anything you couldn't fit in the car trunk.