College Prep

Packing for college can be exciting and daunting. That extra pair of funky shoes might be handy once or twice a year, but are they worth taking up precious dorm space? We asked some local college students for advice on cramming your life into a suitcase for the collegiate adventure.

Julia Bowman

Hometown: Woodland Hills
College: Whitman College, WA
Toiletry kit essential: “I definitely needed a lot of lotion, for both my face and body. Also tons of
vitamin C!”

Arjun Chopra

Hometown: Tarzana
College: University of Virginia
Best thing you took to college: “A tool kit may have been the most useful thing of all time. The more useful thing that I did was to walk through my dorm’s halls and figure out what I needed. Also a great thing to know before you pack is if your dorm is air conditioned!”

Maarten Lefor

Hometown: Sherman Oaks
College: Claremont McKenna College, CA
The worst gift: “A new `vibrating’ toothbrush from my mom. It was the last thing she gave me before I left and served as a funny reminder to brush my teeth any night I felt like just crashing or any morning I felt too tired to stumble into the bathroom. Trust me, I needed all the hygiene reminders (or even jokes) I could get.”

Jessie Abbott

Hometown: La Cañada
College: San Diego State University
What you miss about the Valley: “I miss Ventura Boulevard. it just has everything anyone would ever need! Talk about shopping options!”

Ella Mielniczenko

Hometown: Studio City
College: Emerson College, MA
Packing tip: “I picked my favorites from every sort of clothes. Jeans, shorts, skirts, underwear, etc., and then I went from there. I have a variety of clothes at school, including nicer clothing for more formal events or anything else. I definitely brought too many shoes freshman year, too. On the east coast you really wear boots and warm shoes for the many winter months, and that cut out a lot of the
shoes I brought.”

Valerie Pitsch

Hometown: Calabasas
College: University of Southern California
The best gift: “A huge, bright, rainbow-colored alarm clock to get me up in the morning at school.”