Packing: here's what to buy, borrow, or steal

BY PATRICIA STRINGEL

As summer rolls to an end, it finally sinks in: you're coming to Yale. College life is just a train, plane, or automobile ride away. First, though, you have to pack. Practically anything you forget can be found in New Haven, but it'll be a little pricey and a bit of a hassle to find.

FILE PHOTO Packing can test your muscles—and your patience.

This guide will help you get exactly what you'll need for freshman year. Hey, just because you got in doesn't mean you can stop overachieving. You've gotta be a packing superstar.

Shipping your stuff

If you live far from New Haven, you may want to ship some of your stuff from home. Just remember to pack your things in medium-sized boxes, in case you're the lucky one on the fifth floor. UPS is the most popular shipping service, so more likely than not you'll have to wait in long lines in the first few weeks of school to claim your goods. U.S. Mail, FedEx, and Air Freight Valet are other options.

It's a good idea to contact your shipping service about size and weight limits at least two weeks in advance. You'll have better things to worry about as Y-day nears, like finding the perfect Nalgene bottle for your FOOT trip.

The dorm room

The bottom line when deciding on dorm furnishings is you that have to use common sense and communication. Don't forget to get in touch with your future suitemates before you buy or pack the stuff you'll all be sharing to make sure you don't end up with four futons and no lamps.

Furniture: Yale provides a bed, dresser, desk, and chair, so you'll need to have your own furniture to lounge on, namely a futon and/or couch. Folding chairs and beanbag chairs are good, too. Steal from home, or check out Salvation Army, garage sales, or Ikea. Once at Yale, you can also get to know upperclassmen and borrow or buy their old furniture. Extra cushions are handy for window seats, the floor, and altercations.

Lux et veritas: Desk lamps, bed lamps (nifty clip-ons are useful), and floor lamps are key, especially if you're living in Lawrence, Welch, Farnam, or Vanderbilt, whose weak overhead lighting gives the undesirable late-night-at-Sigma-Nu-basement effect. If you can get your hands on them, snag some Christmas lights or a neon sign to add some style to your room.

Rugs: Yale's traditional wood floors can be downright painful for bare feet during cold New Haven winters, so you might want a rug. There is always some sort of carpet peddler selling decent rugs just outside the Old Campus post office, so don't worry if you can't find one at home. If you can get something cool like a faux-zebra rug to pimpify your pad, go for it. Another hint: get a small, furry bath mat for beside your bed. It is small but sweet non-skid consolation for dragging yourself out of bed in the morning, and it makes the bedroom a lot cozier.

Posters, posters, posters: You can get a good variety of cool posters at the bookstore in the first few weeks of school—everything from The Breakfast Club to the timeless classic "Beer: helping white men dance since 1857." If you want to skip the lines, though, bring wall hangings from home. To hang the goods, buy wide foam mounting tape or a few rolls of Velcro tape. This stuff really works. Come May, you won't be able to budge that mofo off the wall. This is good. This is what you want. You should also get a cheap, full-length wall mirror, found at the Yale Barnes & Noble Bookstore or at Bed, Bath, and Beyonds around the country.

Your Bed: If you splurge for anything, make it your bed. The few precious hours you will spend there in the next year ought to be comfortable, at least. Get two sets of extra-long sheets, and some comfy pillows and cushions. Egg-crate foam pads and mattress covers are also highly recommended. Don't forget a warm comforter and a blanket, both useful for sitting out on the grass.

The wardrobe

Clothes: New Haven weather is, um, interesting. One minute it will be pouring rain, sleet, and [insert inclement form of precipitation here], and the next minute the sun will be shining and that blonde chick who always sunbathes in a bikini (you'll see) will be working it on Cross Campus. Pack for all conditions—shorts and t-shirts, long underwear, a few wool sweaters, and, yes, your winter coat. Polar fleece is just right. Bring some exercise clothes for the gym and intramurals—don't forget a bathing suit for inner tube water polo and for any sunbathing you may want to join aforementioned blonde chick in. Contrary to rumor, it's not taboo to wear Yale stuff on campus; everybody does it. Also, you should definitely pack a set of going-out clothes, as well as prom dresses, a tux if you have one, suits, and clubbing clothes if you plan to check out the clubs (you do, however, need to be of age). If you have Halloween stuff, grab it.

Always use protection...from the elements, you pervert: You need rain gear. Hiking boots or those embarrassing duck boots for puddle dodging, a folding umbrella to grab when sketchy clouds lurk, and a hooded rain jacket are essential. For winter, bring gloves or mittens, a hat, a scarf, and a fleece headband. When it comes to warm clothing at Yale, the rule of thumb is simple: the more the merrier.

Unmentionables: Bring tons of underwear: you will probably not do laundry until you are forced to go commando more times than you might like. On that note, don't forget detergent, a laundry basket or bag, and dryer sheets (though you can always "borrow" those from people who leave them in the laundry room). You don't need quarters; machines in the laundry rooms transfer cash onto your Yale ID. The machines, by the way, are really easy to use, so signing up for laundry service is just an added luxury for the extremely lazy or the extremely helpless.

Random, but essential

Toiletries: All this stuff is available at local stores, but it's much cheaper to get it at home. You'll want to spend your pocket money on more important things than face wash. You'll need a shower basket, shower sandals, and a soap dish. An extra toothbrush almost always comes in handy, too. Don't forget Kleenex, razors, shaving cream, a nail clipper, and Q-tips—eyelash curlers are, of course, optional.

School Supplies: You can never have too many. Get notebooks, pens, pencils, markers, folders, white-out, scissors, paper clips, a calendar, and a stapler. Pick up a dry-erase message board or two for your doors, as well as a wastebasket.

Computer: Yale has computer clusters all over campus, including two on Old Campus, but it is still highly recommended to bring your own computer. PCs are more popular than Macs, and laptops are ideal. Do not, under any circumstance, forget to bring floppy discs for making back-up copies of your files. Watching that 15-page final paper disappear at 5 a.m. the day it's due is not an enjoyable experience. A printer is convenient, though you can print from the clusters for a 10-cent-per-page fee. If you bring a printer, bring plenty of paper with it. If you are able to get some speakers for your computer, it will make MP3 listening (the audio format of choice) much more enjoyable.

Stereos, TVs, and other electronics: Make sure someone in your suite has a stereo—music is key. Bring plenty of CDs and some blank tapes. You also need a phone, preferably cordless. Also, if you can escape your house with a TV, VCR, video gaming system, microwave, blender, vacuum cleaner, or coffee maker, do. Note that some of these items are prohibited by the fire marshal, but as long as you hide them under a sheet during vacation when they inspect rooms, you'll have no problem.

Mo' Money, No Problems: You will need plenty of cash for random stuff like textbooks, coffee, Yale gear, hamburgers, etc. There are ATMs around campus.

Essential household items: Alarm clock, extension cords, a hammer and nails, Lysol, Band-Aids, paper towels, tape (masking, scotch, and duct), plastic garbage bags, mugs or cups, a bowl and some Tupperware to steal stuff from the dining hall, and some cutlery. If you don't bring these yourself, you'll be borrowing them from your neighbors for the next few months.

Random: A football or frisbee will definitely get use on nicer days. Bring your tennis racket for IMs, too. Get some snacks, like crackers or cookies, a Brita pitcher for the slightly shady tap water, and some bottled soda or water. Shelving or crates are useful for storing books, food, etc. A bike is helpful, especially for science majors who will be journeying up the hill.

When packing, keep in mind that you are going to be living in a relatively small space, likely with at least three other people. If you have an item you're considering bringing but don't think that you'll ever really need it or use it, save yourself some trouble (and more importantly, some space) and leave it at home. Mommy will probably ship it to you if you discover later that you need it. Lastly, don't give in to the temptation to bring your high school yearbook—it's dead weight. You're at Yale now. It's finally time to move on.

Do, however, bring photos from home to stick on your walls or in an album, and don't forget a camera and film (disposables are the best) to immortalize the moments at Yale that will put your political career in jeopardy and remind you just how precious these four years really are.

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