Aspirin–Or something similar (I do Ibuprofen) for when you’re starting to get sick

Vitamins–Dunno if you’re a vitamin person, but it’s a very good habit to get into, especially when you’re all stressed out/dorm food isn’t the most nutritious/the weather sucks

Kettle–I dunno if you drink coffee or tea, but you probably will once the Boston winter sets in! Seriously, my dorm has water boiling constantly. It is a must-have.

Figure out what kind of bag you want to take to class–backpack? Large purse? Messenger bag?

Can you take your toiletries carrier into the shower? That’s important. Also, I agree with the person who said you have too many towels.

A little great thing to have is the plastic things filled with sand that hold papers up, those are great, especially when correcting drafts of paper and are about a dollar. Underarmor heat gear or thermal stuff is nice. I live in Missouri and our winters get rough, so I am always happy to have some to put under my clothes. Oh, and drapes would be great, unless you like off-while mini-blinds, I had some awesome striped ones, which added a lot of color to the very white room.

Also, if you have room-mates it is certainly a shared responsibility, but I am sure they would appreciate it if you brought some cleaning supplies, it is really a nice thing to do. You really only need an all-purpose hard surface cleaner, a carpet cleaner is your dorm in carpeted, and a sponge.

I also advise you to get something like All Small and Mighty, it is very concentrated detergent, so it is much less heavy! I wouldn’t take seven bath towels, where are you going to put them, that’s a whole separate container for towels! Unless you just have loads of room and want a separate towel hamper I would probably say four, because towels touch you when you are the cleanest you’re going to be you can use them twice.

Once you get to college and have independence, everything gets better. Trust me on that.
But before then, you’ve got to look within yourself for ways to deal with it. One thing that can help is not getting so involved in the drama. Don’t get so involved in it that you start yelling. Just approach it from an I-don’t-care-to-argue perspective.

Another thing that’s important is to pursue something you’re passionate about. If you’re really into something, you’ll be way happier while you’re pursuing it. Whatever hobby it might be.

Honestly, the greatest thing is probably to surround yourself by nature. If you’re anywhere where there’s a forest preserve or lake around you, go there. Not only will you be completely independent there, but you’ll gain some perspective. You’ll realize that no matter what ’seemingly horrible’ things happen in your life, the beauty that exists in nature will always be there. You can always go there and your problems are fleeting because it’s just you and nature.

Running away is always pointless because you’re not going to escape whatever issues are going on in your life, you’re not going to escape forever, and when you come back you’ll be stuck in counseling. Everyone who hears about you running away will think you have issues too. Let nature be your temporary escape.

And in the mean time, try to understand your family members’ perspective. Think of how much your parents have done for you, even if they went about it the wrong way. Think of how they must feel after they’ve tried to raise a son and that son talks treats them like dirt. Like I said, I was in such a similar situation. Now my relationship is fixed, and I’m at home on Thanksgiving break enjoying being with them. I feel horrible about the way I treated them too, in part because my wild teenage emotions have naturally grown up.

Oh, and working out is great. You’ll have a channel to source all your anger (pushing yourself as hard as you can, getting mad ripped). You’ll feel healthier, feel better about yourself, and it will vastly improve your lady-life.

Life is a blessing man. You’ll see.

Zach