Packing: The Final Frontier. Five things essential for gradstudent life?

[Ambigiousbuthopeful]

I have started thinking about what I need to pack or buy for grad-school. Admittedly it is a bit early to think about this but as I'm moving countries do indulge me! Apart from clothes, books and a laptop, I'm blanking out. What do I need to plan/budget for? I'm sure there are a hundred everyday things (and a few luxuries!)  I'm forgetting, so help me out. What are five important things (however mundane) you would carry or purchase on arrival to make life easier/ more interesting? What wouldn't you do without? Of course, this would vary person to person, but it would be nice to hear some opinions  

 

Thanks! 

[pears]

it depends on where you're living, but check ahead of time with your housemates-to-be (if you have any!) to see what kind of kitchen gear there is. i had to move to the other side of the world during my undergrad years, and i kept a daily list of what things i used in the kitchen for a couple of weeks, so i'd have a better sense of what my essential cooking items and foods were. ditto house furnishings. 

 

for me, i guess my 5 essentials would include: laptop, regular and work/technical clothes, kitchen stuff, work and outdoor gear (trowels to snowboard), and bedding.

[biscuits]

Aside from laptop/clothes: a towel, a good frying pan - preferably cast iron, and if it's deep enough you can cook most anything in it, a Kindle or other reading device to prevent lugging boatloads of books, at least one set of cutlery so that you can eat without your fingers, and a toothbrush. 

[kingspeech]

If you're renting an off-campus apartment by yourself, don't forget a shower curtain!

[Sparky]

Besides the obvious (laptop, clothes, etc): e-reader, 2 nonleaking coffee tumblers (one for home and one for campus), Gore-Tex outerwear including running shoes, extra laptop power cable for campus, enough emergency money set aside to replace any broken electronics, and a dog.

[TeaGirl]

If I had to pick only five items: Clothes (don't forget shoes, socks, underwear, etc.) Tooth brush. Laptop + accessories. Towel. FOOD!!

 

Seriously. Make sure you pack some sort of emergency non-spoiling packet of food like a bag of cookies or trail mix. I speak from experience here. My first time in Europe for summer training, after traveling all day I arrived to my room after 8:00pm in a small city/town where everything was closed, I had no food, didn't speak the language, and had no clue where a grocery store was even if I wanted to try my luck. Going to bed with hunger pangs is not fun.

 

Other possibilities include a mug, hairbrush, nail clippers, sleep mask, soap/shampoo.

[ak48]

i'm curious about furniture and my car (although the car decision will be easier once i visit the campuses)

 

i'll be moving across country and not sure what to do with my desk and bed. i guess it depends on the furnishings of possible houses

[Biostat_Assistant_Prof]

Aside from the basics and obvious (clothes, computer, flatware, toothbrush, etc.), my top 5 things would be:

- Coffee Maker (for me it's a French press and burr grinder)

- Tablet/E-reader

- High quality speakers/headphones for relaxing to music

- Crockpot (makes cooking good food really easy)

- Eno hammock (find a park, hang it up and enjoy relaxing outdoors!)

[wanderingalbatross]

- Crockpot (makes cooking good food really easy)

I second this! Crockpot is a life saver. When you come home tired and feel too lazy cook anything, and then realize upon walking in the door that your stew/casserole/whatever you want is ready and waiting.

[booksnlooks]

External hard drive to back up all your stuff! Seriously, back up your computer frequently. My laptop died on me last month but I had everything backed up on an external so I survived.

 

Also: heating pad (helps a sore back after a long day of sitting), sturdy bag/backpack, and shelf paper for your kitchen cabinets.

[Ambigiousbuthopeful]

Great suggestions... thanks everyone! ( A dog! that would be fantastic. One can only dream though :-/ ) 

 

This old thread is useful too  threw up some more ideas: 

Corkboards, external hard drives, a good chair (since sitting in it is basically all we are going to do), a sleeping bag (don't know why but sounds useful!) stationary, a convenient bag for everyday use. Hmmm...what else...

[biscuits]

If we want to get super ritzy, get an inflatable mattress. Most grad students will either lack a spare bedroom or will have cannibalized it into an office. Your visiting friends will thank you. Invest in one with an electric pump, if possible. Alternatively, get one of those sleeping pads that people use for camping. All of these options take up less space than a spare bed and/or futon.

[katieliz456]

I second this! Crockpot is a life saver. When you come home tired and feel too lazy cook anything, and then realize upon walking in the door that your stew/casserole/whatever you want is ready and waiting.

Also, think about investing in a set of Tupperware! I'm still in undergrad, but I live a few miles off campus and it is not unusual for me to be on campus for 12+ hours.  I like being able to pack salads, pasta, veggies, etc. rather than being stuck with sandwiches or buying food on campus.  You can also cook larger quantities of food and freeze/store it in your tupperwares for future meals  

[Allouette]

If we want to get super ritzy, get an inflatable mattress. Most grad students will either lack a spare bedroom or will have cannibalized it into an office. Your visiting friends will thank you. Invest in one with an electric pump, if possible. Alternatively, get one of those sleeping pads that people use for camping. All of these options take up less space than a spare bed and/or futon.

 

Alternatively (for added super ritzy fanciness) my favourite piece of furniture ever = http://www.ikea.com/us/en/catalog/products/S89840032/ . Takes up less room than a futon, and is more comfortable to sleep on than an air mattress. I mean, in all likelihood you're gonna have an armchair in your place anyway, so a folding chair bed is like, the ultimate multifunctional piece of furniture. 

[Panama Slim]

- Eno hammock (find a park, hang it up and enjoy relaxing outdoors!)

 

Thanks for this suggestion. Already placing my amazon order!

[Andean Pat]

I'm international as well and also started thinking about my essentials since I cannot take my furniture. I have lots of things here and I find them difficult to relinquish... I have been thinking a looooooot about this, and have decided first to take my favourite summer clothes, shoes and books, very basic. My favourite things that I cannot take, like my plants or other books (I have a HUGE library) I leave them in adoption to VERY close friends. I thought of boxing my favourite winter clothes, just in case anyone can mail it to me. Apart from this, my top five things are:

* Mate set (thermos, mate, yerba, and straw)

* Coffee maker + mug

* Sportswear

* Photos and frames

* My grandmother's tablecloths

Once there, I would definitely get: a tennis racket and a hockey stick, a huge mirror, a mobile phone, and a nice plant (can't have a dog in my apartment).

I have two computers: a laptop and a netbook, both Dell and I don't know what to do with them: take both of them and eventually change them? Take only one? Which one (the netbook is 2011 and the laptop is 2008 but both work wonderfully), does Dell have trade-in programs so as to sell them in the US?

Edited March 24, 2013 by Andean Pat

[Ambigiousbuthopeful]

I know, leaving books behind is going to be very hard. I'm going to have to be ruthless when choosing what I take. 

I can't even bring bedspreads from home since bed sizes in the US are so different! Looks like I'm going to purchase 

everything anew over there. Anyway - I'll stop whining now  

 

on a different note - a desk light should be useful. and maybe a printer - depending on your course. 

[Andean Pat]

I liked the hammock idea. 

[SeriousSillyPutty]

The five things I would carry in my carry on bag (besides the obvious passport, laptop, etc.) have less to do with grad school and more to do with the hassles of long-distance travel:

1) PAPER versions paperwork and all information I would need for my first 48 hours in the new place: not just official documents, but also contact information, any must-have transport info, and per-researched map of places with free WiFi. I want to be able to contact anyone I know in my new country without relying on electronics. Campus wireless networks will require a login which you may or may not have, and arranging for internet in an apartment could mean a call to and visit from the cable company. A lot of college towns (in the Midwest, at least) have a Panera, which is like a cross between a Starbucks and a bakery, and they have free WiFi.

2) Food. I second TeaGirl here. When I moved abroad, I brought with me a package of ramen noodles and a large microwavable mug, just in case. I didn't end up needing it, and convenience stores are quite common in US college towns, so these days I think I would just bring several granola bars. A mug from home can be a good comfort object, though.

3. Something to sleep on/in: Before I studied abroad, my mom got me a "dream sack" , which is like a sleeping bag sheet. (See http://www.yaladesigns.com/travel/dreamsacks . I'd be too cheap to get this one myself, but it really is nice to have. There are probably other more affordable brands.) Besides being great for travel and hostels, it is nice to know that, if you can get to some place with a mattress or couch, you at least can sleep with something clean around you. And they pack smaller than a water bottle.

4. Water bottle with lid that will stay closed and sealed, even in a backpack. If you just want to buy a bottle of water at the airport and refill it, that's fine, but I like having a water bottle with me all the time anyway, so I would go ahead and bring a good one. The taste of US tap water varies a lot city to city, but usually tastes fine once you get used to it and is always safe to drink.

5. Clothing and toiletries to get me through 48 hours without my other stuff. For me, this means tooth brush/tooth paste, deodorant, 2 pairs of underwear, and at least one clean shirt & pair of socks. If I'm fly overseas, I'm wearing sweat pants I can sleep in,and a sweater for overly air conditioned airports, but if I weren't I would pack those things, too. If you're going anywhere other than maybe the south western US, you probably will want a jacket on hand, too. (Especially since you won't have back-up clothes to change into if you get caught in the rain!)


Five things to pack in checked or shipped bags:

1) Comfortable, semi-professional shoes are a must for me. In the physics department t-shirts, jeans, and tennis shoes are fine grad student affair, but in our department there is the unspoken rule that you dress business casual or better most of the time. As someone who not only rides my bike to campus but spends a lot of time on my feat between classes, I work my Mary Janes (type of girls' flat dress shoe) to death when the weather is nice, and my low-heal pleather boots when the weather is icky.

2) Hard copy of comfort book. For me it would be my copy of the Bible, but close runner-ups would be the complete works of Shakespeare and the Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy. Yes, these things are all available electronically, but my emotional well being is better off if I have SOMETHING other than textbooks on my shelf.

3)A towel. I won't quote the Hitchhiker's Guide, but suffice it to say that towels not only dry your wet body, they can be used as a blanket or pillow in a pinch, and can be great for laying out in the grass so you can feel like a real human being even as you read course work. Worth packing because it's a bit harder to get to stores that sell towels (not too hard; Wal-Mart or Target will have them) and it is something you will want within your first day or two here.

4) Pocket notebook and pen. (Actually, this would probably be good to have in the carry-on, now that I think about it, but too late!) Maybe a two-pocket folder, too. You can buy most of your supplies after you get situated, probably on or very close to campus. Still it's nice to have some means of taking notes during orientation, keeping track of handouts, etc. before doing a big office supply shopping trip.

5) Comfort food from home, preferably shareable. This is tricky because it has to be something packable that can get through customs, so it can't be mom's homemade casserole. Even something like candies typical of your home country can not only let you feel like you're eating a bit of home, but they can be a nice ice-breaker for roommates or office mates. (I think mine would be a small jar of peanut butter. I give Ireland some credit for having peanut butter,and I'm sure it was way healthier than its Yankee counterparts, but it also didn't have the right texture.)

Other thoughts:

I remember last year, a recommended item on the forum was a laser printer. I don't mind reading something on an e-reader if I never have to read it again, but I hate trying to reference or quote articles using the e-reader, so I have found the laser printer essential. BUT: My office gives us access to one, we just have to provide our own paper. So don't bother buying one until you know your setup. Personally, I'm still glad I have an all-in-one scanner ink-jet at home... it has come in handing for writing some math-heaving homework by hand and uploading it right before the midnight deadline, and I can print color graphs or power point handouts, but if I were moving it wouldn't be on my must-buy list.

At the beginning of the year I bought two packs of the lunch-sided screw-top plastic storage containers -- the ones like Ziplock makes, in with the plastic bags at the grocery store. I'm not worried about the lids coming off, so they were easy to throw in my backpack. Now, if I make a big batch of pasta or rice, instead of putting it into a large plastic container, I put it straight into the small ones, so I have lunch all ready to go for the next few days.

Edited March 25, 2013 by SeriousSillyPutty

[wildviolet]

What a fun topic!

 

Now that I've been in grad school for almost 7 months, I can say that, besides the basics, my 5 essential items are:

 

1. Coffee maker (French press) and favorite mug (it just makes me happy to use it)

2. Comfortable new bed

3. Frying pan

4. Printer/copier/scanner

5. Wine bottle opener (no wine glasses needed though, I just use my favorite mug)

[Ambigiousbuthopeful]

I just found this http://www.bedbathandbeyond.com/BTC_checklist.asp?

That's what I call a comprehensive list  

Though of course I probably need about a fifth of all the items listed. 

[msocean]

I figured out that moving cross country is expensive if I take the furniture that my parents have offered.  So for me it has to fit in my SUV...

 

1. Kitchen stuff...pots, pans, utensils, towels, travel mugs/water bottles, my favorite tea/mugs/tea pot, ... getting new dishes when I get there

2.  Bathroom...shower mat, shower curtain, pocket holder for back of door for all the small stuff to keep it off the vanity, towels, extra bottles of my favorite shampoo

3.  Bedroom...favorite comforters (bought vacuum seal, "suck out the air" bags), sheets, night stand, alarm clock/iPod dock, lamp...buying new bed

4.  vacuum cleaner, limited myself to one box of "my favorite things", laptop, bike, lots of sunscreen, first aid essentials packed by my mom (ibuprofen, bandaids, thermometer, instant gatorade and instant soup,)

5.  I'M TAKING MY DOG!!!!!!!  I've been looking at apartments online so far and most of them accept small dogs and cats.

 

My parents have also offered to get me a Costco gift card since I have decided not to break the bank with moving expenses.  That will help get me started with groceries, paper products, dog food.  And I'm hoping that any graduation gifts I get will be in the form of Visa gift cards...would love to buy some household stuff online since there isn't much in the way of shopping where I'm going, and I really dont have room for much more in my car.

 

And it's worthwhile to beg for any Bed, Bath Beyond coupons.  Instead of the usual 20% off entire purchase, they do it off each item in August.  You can order online and pickup in the store nearest to your new location.  But friends have told me it's good to have a coupon for each item if you want to maximize your savings.

[khyleth]

The most important thing to bring is enough cash to get you through several days. When I moved to a foreign country, I ran into serious problems getting a bank account started, and my credit card company rejected all purchases as possibly fraudulent (even though I'd called twice to inform them that I was moving). It took a week to get everything sorted out, but I ran out of money on Day 2. If I hadn't met some very generous new friends within those first few days, I don't know how I'd have made it through.

[Andean Pat]

The most important thing to bring is enough cash to get you through several days. When I moved to a foreign country, I ran into serious problems getting a bank account started, and my credit card company rejected all purchases as possibly fraudulent (even though I'd called twice to inform them that I was moving). It took a week to get everything sorted out, but I ran out of money on Day 2. If I hadn't met some very generous new friends within those first few days, I don't know how I'd have made it through.

 

Great advice!