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Do I Need a Printer in My Dorm Room?

Written by Sally Rubenstone | June 1, 2011

Question: Do you recommend a printer in the dorm room?

Yes, absolutely. Now that printers are so cheap, there's really no reason not to have your own. (I bought one for my son that came with ink cartridges and cost less than what some folks pay for the ink alone. Surprisingly, the ink supply lasted more than a day!) Although many professors allow you (or even expect you) to submit papers electronically, you'll still be glad that you can print right in your dorm room.

If you don't already have a printer, and a parent, grandparent, aunt, uncle, etc. is looking for high school graduation gift ideas, suggest an “All-in-One" that will print, copy, scan, and fax. You may not need the fax too often, but I bet you'll use it occasionally, and I promise you that all the other features will come in handy during your college career. I bought a new All-in-One just yesterday and I paid $70. This included free shipping and ink cartridges. It's not the snazziest model around, but it will suit my needs (and there are cheaper ones out there, too).

The College Confidential discussion forum is full of threads on other must-haves for your dorm. (Some are even school-specific.) So check them out when you can.

Examples:

http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/smith-college/199932-packing-list.html

http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/parent-cafe/60697-college-necessities.html?highlight=pack+college

http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/northeastern-university/970726-packing-list.html

But note that these lists are just suggestions, and--like many times in life--less is often more. My College Confidential colleague Dave Berry always recommends that, before you pack for the dorm, spread everything out that you plan to take and then put half of it back! (But keep the printer ;))

(posted 6/1/2011)

Sally Rubenstone

Sally Rubenstone knows the competitive and often convoluted college admission process inside out: From the first time the topic of college comes up at the dinner table until the last duffel bag is unloaded on a dorm room floor. She is the co-author of Panicked Parents' Guide to College Admissions; The Transfer Student's Guide to Changing Colleges and The International Student's Guide to Going to College in America. Sally has appeared on NBC's Today program and has been quoted in countless publications, including The New York Times, The Washington Post, USA Weekend, USA Today, U.S. News & World Report, Newsweek, People and Seventeen. Sally has viewed the admissions world from many angles: As a Smith College admission counselor for 15 years, an independent college counselor serving students from a wide range of backgrounds and the author of College Confidential's "Ask the Dean" column. She also taught language arts, social studies, study skills and test preparation in 10 schools, including American international schools in London, Paris, Geneva, Athens and Tel Aviv. As senior advisor to College Confidential since 2002, Sally has helped hundreds of students and parents navigate the college admissions maze. In 2008, she co-founded College Karma, a private college consulting firm, with her College Confidential colleague Dave Berry, and she continues to serve as a College Confidential advisor. Sally and her husband, Chris Petrides, became first-time parents in 1997 at the ripe-old age of 45. So Sally was nearly an official senior citizen when her son Jack began the college selection process, and when she was finally able to practice what she had preached for more than three decades.