Getting organized before heading off for college

By Noelle Chun
Advertiser Staff Writer

Photos by Deborah Booker • The Honolulu Advertiser Slippers Keep it local and avoid athlete's foot at the same time: Wear your slippers in the shower. Camera E-mail home photos of you and your friends or share them online. Computer If you get a laptop, make sure you also get a lock so it's more difficult to steal. Shampoo Plan on dandruff shampoo to combat those dry, cold Mainland winters. Omiyage Don't forget to take something along for dorm buddies to snack on. Water bottle Get used to carrying a water bottle with you. Once you get there, look for one with your school logo. Resources for getting ready On the Web: collegeboard.com Books: "Survival Guide for Parents of College-Bound Students," and "Survival Guide for College Bound Students," by Ruth S. Wong; Organization Plus, $5.99 (the books are sold together as a package) Counselors: Schools' college counseling offices

Students cheer! Parents bawl!

It's time to go to college.

But before that, here's what you need to survive.

Computers

Check in with your school to see if it has guidelines for computer purchases. Most schools support both PC and Apple platforms and have no preference between laptops and desktops. It comes down to personal needs: cost, space, portability, familiarity and durability.

Desktops are generally less expensive than laptops and offer more features for your buck. They fit the basic needs of a college student and are harder to steal. "You could probably see someone coming out of your room with your desktop," said Carlita Miyashiro, who took her daughter, Malia, to Harvey Mudd College in Claremont, Calif., three years ago.

However, some students like the mobility laptops offer, allowing them to ditch the dorm when it gets too noisy or take notes on the computer during class. Many colleges offer wireless Internet access, so students can take advantage of good weather and write their papers outside, avoiding some of that bookworm pastiness. Laptops also save a lot of space on the desk and in storage at the end of the year.

If you opt for a laptop, you might consider buying one of the smaller models and getting an extra monitor. It can be cheaper than getting the laptop with the larger screen and give you more screen space without sacrificing portability. A good 15-inch LCD flat-screen monitor can run $300 to $400. A 15-inch CRT monitor is bulkier, but also less expensive, with prices hovering just above $100. Some monitors can double as your TV. Those, however, are more expensive.

Laptop locks

So your computer is both indispensible and wildly expensive. What if it gets stolen?

You don't let it.

Computer stores sell laptop locks to reduce odds of your computer getting swiped from your dorm room. Many laptops come with a built-in security slot. The locks fit into the slot and tether the computer to the table. It's removable only with a key.

Of course, some common sense helps, too. "If you're really worried, just make sure to lock your dorm room or be careful when you're taking it around," said Nikki Ann Guevarra, a junior at Northwestern University.

Still, theft is a legitimate concern. "Laptops are the No. 1 things stolen (in college)," Miyashiro warned. So be careful.

Digital cameras

Digital cameras are great ways for college students to keep in touch with their families, whether they're six miles or 6,000 miles away. Pictures can be sent through e-mail or posted on image-hosting sites for people to see. Some popular image hosting sites are www.shutterfly.com or www.clubphoto.com. Both sites also can print pictures and mail them to your home.

Resolution for the newest point-and-shoot cameras go up to about seven megapixels, but two or three megapixels should suffice for the normal college student who plans to print 4-by-6-inch photos.

Pay attention to the optical zoom. This refers to the strength of the lens. Many cameras will have digital zoom, often in addition to optical zoom. Digital zoom, however, will just move in closer on the image itself, lowering the resolution. Optical zoom is the way to go.

Prices for digital cameras have dropped considerably in the past few years, although they still require a significant investment. Solid digital cameras with

three megapixels and 3X optical zoom can be less than $300 or $400. Two-megapixel camera equivalents will be even less expensive. If you print pictures selectively, most images can be thrown on a computer, saving time and money. Digital camera technology is accelerating at a caffeinated pace. So, decide to be happy with what you buy and don't mourn when new technology hits the market at a cheaper price. No keening.

Be sure to budget for an extra memory card or stick. Most digital cameras come with only enough memory to store nine or 10 pictures.

Wrinkle releaser

Guevarra had an iron and sometimes used it on her bed or chair, but getting out the iron was just too inconvenient some days. Instead, she whipped out a bottle of Downy Wrinkle Releaser Spray.

"It gets out most of the wrinkles," she said.

Dandruff shampoo

Maybe you didn't need it here, but if you go to dry parts of the Mainland, you just might find yourself walking in a simulacrum of a winter wonderland. Don't let it snow. Pick up a bottle of dandruff shampoo. You don't have to use it every day. Try twice a week. But don't be flaky about it.

Bedding

Some students have to move into the dorms as soon as they arrive at the school. This means the bedding needs to be washed and ready to go. That's why it's a good idea to buy the necessary bedding at home.

Be aware that most dorm mattresses are not your regular twin sizes. To accommodate taller residents, most dorm mattresses are twin extra long.

Most of us in Hawai'i can get away with just a sheet at night. But in colder areas, more bedding is needed. Instead of a down comforter, a fleece thermal or microfleece blanket might be a better option. These blankets are thinner, easier to wash, faster-drying and better for those with allergies. If you like the poofy down warmth, though, many stores offer down alternatives using synthetic fibers.

Omiyage

Uh, no, you don't surf every day and, sure, people really wear those coconut bras every day. The questions can be annoying, but being from Hawai'i has its advantages. Bring along Island-style goodies to share with your roomies and there'll be lots of love for the Hawai'i kid.

Nalgene bottles and water filters

The natural, crystal-clear waters of Hawai'i ... will no longer be easily accessible to you in college. You'll have to walk to the dorm bathroom to get a lukewarm cup of water, and if you're on the Mainland, it might taste nasty. How will you fend off dehydration? Try bringing a water filter to keep in your room. Also, pick up a Nalgene bottle to carry water around in or to stick in the fridge. The clear polycarbonate bottles are extremely durable, stain and odor-resistant, and sturdy in extreme temperatures. Plus, they're really pretty, since they come in lots of different colors and shapes. Hold off on buying one until you get to school, though. The bottles are so popular that many colleges sell them with the school logo. Might as well drink your water with a squirt of school pride.

Slippers

Sadly, athlete's foot doesn't make you run faster. Save your feet from this itchy ailment and other fungi by wearing slippers in the showers. If you're on the Mainland, they're also a great way to remember home: They're "slippers," NOT "flip-flops." Cling to it.

Drivers license and state identification

It's a good idea to have both a drivers license and a State ID. Whether you accidentally left one in that cute guy's car or lost one in the snow, you won't have to wait until your next visit home to have proof of your existence.

Posters, wall tack and Goo Gone

Guevarra didn't think much of room decoration when she first got to Northwestern.

"It's like, why? What's the point?" she said. "But then you realize that it does become your home. You're in a dorm nine months out of the year." Before long, posters were up on the wall to bring back the homey feeling. Wall tack makes putting up posters easy. The gum-like substance won't harm posters or walls. To remove sticky residue when you move out, save yourself from nasty dorm fines with Goo Gone.

When does 'ship' happen?

•

How to say goodbye Carlita Miyashiro's memory of sending her daughter, Malia, off to college three years ago is still vivid as it is potent. "It's tough. No, it's tough. It's really, really, really tough." She and her husband flew with Malia to California to drop her off in her new dorm at Harvey Mudd College. The moment had come. Gushes of tears flooded out in a confusing pull between sorrow and happiness. "It's a mixture of emotion, and I don't think anything prepares you for it." So you might not ever be fully prepared, but there are a few things experienced parents recommend in bracing for the Great Separation. • Realize you'll never be ready. • Plan something to do after you say goodbye. Just don't go back home or to the hotel. • "The only thing," said Miyashiro, "is when you have friends and family who have experienced the same thing. Then at least someone knows how you feel." • Plan how often the family will reconnect. The student could be thinking a phone call once a month. Parents could be thinking a phone call every night. It helps to know when you'll talk next. • Dad, guys: It's OK to cry.

"It's all dependent on how early you can get into the dorm, how many people are coming with you and what's nearby," said Calita Miyashiro, whose daughter, Malia, attends Harvey Mudd College.

Malia fit what she could into her two suitcases and two carry-ons, and let her parents carry some of her clothes as well. Everything else the Miyashiros bought in California. Not a single package was shipped.

It worked out for Miyashiro because it was cheaper, and they were able to buy dorm items that fit the room's color scheme.

Harvey Mudd also has an orientation program in which upperclassmen haul tender freshmen around in vans and help them buy the right stuff.

It might not be the same for every student, though. Malia's school had a retail district nearby, making shopping easier. Other colleges might be isolated from urban centers. In that case, you might need to ship more, although common things like shampoo and toothpaste can still be bought nearby.

If that's the case, check out some of the mailing companies such as UPS. Every year, the store ships lots of computers, clothes and care packages to students. If you bring in what you want to ship, they will package it and ship it for you.

For computers, they use a special foam packing material that contours to the computer's shape and insulates it with three to four inches of padding. Although prices vary based on size and weight, cushioning for laptops run around $30.

"This is a hard time for parents, when their children go off," said Mary Adler, owner of the Kahala and Pearl Harbor Navy UPS branch. "We try to make it really easy for them."

Miyashiro, however, still suggests that you should only ship what is necessary. "Why ship up hangers? Just get them when you get there."

Unless you really want them made out of authentic Hawaiian plastic (hot pink only).