Going to College? Don’t Forget Your Towel

Gift ideas for the first-time college student


Whether you’re packing for a vacation get-away or moving to college, it’s the small stuff that keeps you from yearning for the comforts of home.

And it’s those things that make great gift ideas for first-time college students.

Take the simple bath towel, an item that many students forget to pack, says John Roman, director of campus stores at Rochester Institute of Technology. "Students think to pack toiletries like their toothbrush and toothpaste," he says, "but they forget to bring towels."

Roman’s other gift ideas from RIT:

  • clip-on shelves that work as pseudo-nightstands for bunk beds

  • pre-paid phone cards (so students have no excuse to not call home)

  • clip-on lamps for bedtime reading

  • gift certificates to the campus bookstore for school supplies and other sundries

  • and, of course, bath towels

    "These are things that will make your life more comfortable as a student that you may not think about in the rush of preparing for college," Roman says.

    What not to get? Bed sheets. Residence hall bunks are longer than regular single beds. RIT uses a mail-order linen program to ensure sheets are the right size.

    RIT houses 3,125 students in its residence halls, 2,922 in its campus apartments, 114 in Greek apartments and 332 students at the RIT Inn and Conference Center.

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    For breaking news stories, hot-topic trend pieces and interesting perspectives, visit Rochester Institute of Technology’s news site and online experts database. To connect with RIT subject matter experts, searchable by name and expertise, go to: www.r it.edu/news and click on "RIT Experts."


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