Besides clothes, bedding, and a toothbrush, there are some things that you can't leave for college without taking with you or throwing away:

1. Absolutely any kind of sexual paraphernalia. a. The one issue of playgirl/playboy that you got your 19 year old foreign exchange student friend to buy you just because she/he could and you couldn't. b. Naked picture of an ex. Doesn't everybody have one of those? c. Condoms that you got free from the last concert you went to. Your parents do not know that you could be sexually active, and wouldn't that be a weird way for them to find out? d. Vibrator. If you don't find someone cool at college for within the first month or so, you might need it.

2. If you're that kind of person, illegal substances. a. Throw away the beer bottles. Your parents also do not know that you drink. b. Extra cigarettes shouldn't be wasted by throwing them away. Just kidding, you should really quit anyway. c. If you happen to have any drugs laying around in obvious places, you've probably been doing them too long. Don't continue in college.

3. Anything cool a. No one in your family deserves your tv, stereo, VCR, DVD player, car or monkey anyway.

I'm leaving for college in a couple of days. I hope this helps anyone who is too.

Also, an ashtray, especially if Mom made it in a crafts class, or is otherwise interesting (even if you don't smoke, it's handy to have), a small rag rug (dorm room floors are cold, and mine was liberally dusted with rat poison from a previous occupant), and a hot pot (even if they're supposed to be banned). Kudos for having a tummy TV as well....back at NYU, anyone with all four was considered really living.
You'll probably want to pack (or aquire) some kind of beverage containers in various sizes: I once attended a BYOB party where the only container available for my sherry was a small handle-less tea cup (part of a "scholar cup" set from Ten Ren). A curious Asian student, latching onto this oddment, sipped the contents, and declared "That's the worst sake I ever had!"

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