12 Banned Items to Leave Off Your College Shopping List
Before you go back-to-college shopping, check your school’s website to see if it has a list of what to pack and, maybe even more important, what not to. You’ll save money, free up some precious car space, and stay out of trouble—at least on move-in day.
A Money survey of more than 50 colleges found that virtually all forbid halogen lamps in student dorm rooms, calling them a potential fire hazard.
Many schools also ban:
- Multi-head lamps with plastic shades
- String lights, such as miniature Christmas lights
- Extension cords
- Cooking appliances, such as hotplates and toaster ovens
- Air conditioners or space heaters
- Electric blankets
- Candles and incense
- Waterbeds
- Darts and dartboards
- Firearms or any other weapons, including paintball guns
- Pets (some colleges make an exception for goldfish, but check on the allowable tank size, which varies widely).
Other schools have additional, and sometimes unusual, items on their leave-it-home lists. For example, Olin College of Engineering in Needham, Mass., a suburb of Boston, recommends not bringing “any paraphernalia supporting the New York Yankees.” (Sounds wise to us...)
For more useful tools and tips for college-bound students and their parents, check out the new Money College Planner. And if you’re still in the process of picking a college rather than packing for one, see our Find Your Fit tool.