#nescac

Clothing

TL;DR J. Crew, L.L. Bean, and Patagonia are your new best friends.  Pro-tips: L.L. Bean has an amazing lifetime warranty (they will literally replace anything) and J. Crew Factory is a savior.

Note:  New England is lowkey mad hot until like the second or third week of September?  So bring like, ten cute tops and three pairs of shorts that you can stick in a drawer and bring home during Thanksgiving break and bring back during Spring break.  

Fall

·      Barbour Jacket—Literally as soon as the temperature hit sixty degrees you will see these all over campus.  They’re water proof and pretty warm—if you have an umbrella (which you should), they also work as good rain coats.  

(Waxed Beadnell is the classic)

·      Patagonia Synchilla or Better Sweater—“Patagucci”, as it’s known, is the most popular brand in New England.  I don’t know why.  White people go crazy for this stuff, and it’s like the crazier the pattern of your Synchilla, the better.  

·      LL Bean Duck Boots (“Bean Boots”)—An actual must-have.  You need to order them now because they will become ridiculously back-ordered.  They work as both rain boots and snow boots (with heavy socks).  

·      LL Bean/J Crew Plaid Flannels

·      Wool Socks/Camp Socks—Think of the amount of socks you think you might need.  Now add ten. That’s how many socks you need.  

·      (J. Crew) Down Vests—For weather between 45-60*.  I have it in black and chevron gray, but I wish I also had navy.  Good over flannels and also over sweaters.  

·      Leggings—I wear some combo of leggings, an over-sized sweater, and bean boots almost every day of fall semester.  

·      Riding Boots--… unless I wear my riding boots instead of my bean boots. Bad bitches own the Tory Burch riding boots, but I’m not that cool.  

**All of this is in addition to many, many sweaters. As many sweaters as you can. Sweaters will basically replace shirts (except you should layer sweaters over t-shirts because the only way to safely wash sweaters is to have them dry-cleaned, which you should only do like once a year.  You don’t want them to get gross).  

Winter

·      Northface/Patagonia Puffy Jacket—For when the temperature starts to dip below forty.  I recommend putting a tile tracker in the lining, because everyone has the same goddamn black puffer jacket and someone WILL drunkenly mistake yours for theirs at a party.  Don’t play yourself.  

·      (Canada Goose) Parka—Get a parka for when the temperature is in the 0-20 range.  Canada Goose is the crème de la crème, and you will see it everywhere, but it’s hilariously expensive.  I’d recommend either holding out and layering under your puffer jacket like crazy while you save up for a Canada Goose, or buying a parka from Patagonia or LL Bean.

·      Beanies—You lose most of your body’s heat through your head!!! The worst part of the cold isn’t the cold—it’s the wind.  Your ears will literally feel like they’re gonna fall off if you don’t wear a beanie.

·      Tech Gloves—You’re gonna wanna protect your fingers, but you’re also gonna wanna text on your way to class.  Get gloves with sensors on them so you can do both at the same time.  I got mine from J. Crew, but Nordstrom should have them too.  

·      Scarf

·      Long Johns—When the temperature is less than 30*, layer these under your jeans.  You’re welcome in advance tbh. 

Accessories/Misc.

·      A Card Case—Your student ID will be what gets you into buildings and the dining hall, but do NOT do the freshman rookie mistake of wearing a lanyard. Get a card case that you can keep in your pocket and easily scan at doors/take your ID out of.  I like the ones from Vera Bradley, even if they’re a little middle school.  

·      A Crossbody—You can’t take purses to college parties (you will either lose them or they will get stolen), but you’re gonna wanna wear outfits that don’t have pockets.  Get a crossbody so that you can have your ID, phone, and lipstick on you at all times without being worried about losing anything.  My friends are always pissed that they didn’t think to buy one and are constantly putting their shit in my crossbody.

·      LL Bean Wicked Good Moccasins/Ugg Slippers—The only way you’re gonna convince yourself to go to the library hungover is if you are basically wearing pajamas.  Get slippers with soles so that you can do that.  Also, this makes dorms without carpeting a lot less gross.  

·      Canvas Shoes—People in college don’t wear heels to parties, which was absolutely insane to me when I first got here.  Wear superga/converse/vans that you don’t care about.  They’re comfortable, can be worn with socks, and will definitely be soaked in alcohol/maybe vomit by the time winter break rolls around.  

·      (Hunter) Rainboots—Everyone has them, so I thought I should let you know. If you have to pick between these and bean boots, pick bean boots.  That being said, I love mine and get really excited when it’s raining out because I can splash through puddles while wearing these.  

·      3-4 Short Formal Dresses—I literally had a boyfriend my first month of college and was still invited to more formals than I can count.  They’re a lot of fun, but you’ll run out of dresses early on.  

·      2 Pairs of Heels (1 black, 1 brown)—For formals.  When it’s really cold out, wear your canvas shoes to the venue and change into heels there.  You’ll hate yourself otherwise.  

·      1 Professional Outfit—For interviews, being invited to fancy dinners, etc.   

Dorm Life

Pro Tip:  You can register at the Bed Bath and Beyond at home and then pick up what you registered for at the college’s local Bed Bath and Beyond.  

 ·      Bedding—buy two sets of jersey sheets (easier to wash, warmer) and a comforter.  Do NOT buy a white comforter.  Learn from my mistake.

·      A mattress topper—100% chance the mattress the college gives you sucks.  

·      Under-Bed Storage—Don’t get risers until after you get to the college and absolutely think you need them.  Usually, you can raise the mattress frame on the bed itself.  Buy plastic bins to store all of your stuff under the bed.

·      Bins For the Top of Your Closet—My friends are constantly rummaging through drawers to find their gloves/scarves/hats and it makes no sense. Keep them in bins at the top of your closet (there should be a shelf), and you’ll always have a place for them.

·      A hanging sweater organizer for your closet—You’ll save a lot of drawer space, will always be able to find the sweater you want without needing to mess up all of your folding, and it looks way less messy.  

·      A Step-Stool—Especially if you loft your bed, you aren’t gonna want to have to launch yourself onto your mattress to sleep every night.

·      iHome—To charge your phone/work as an alarm.  

·      Wall Hooks

·      Shot Glasses/Flask

·      NyQuil/DayQuil

·      Emergen-C

·      Advil

·      Thermometer

·      Eyemask

·      Tissues

·      2 Towels

·      Bath robe

·      Shower shoes

·      Caddy

·      Clorox Disinfecting Wipes—Trust me.

·      A Fan—Old colleges don’t have air conditioning or ceiling fans (10/10 what I miss most about Florida), and like I said, New England is really hot the first month of school!

·      Laundry Basket

·      Hamper

·      Detergent

·      Fabric Softener

·      Water Bottle

·      Tervis

·      Mugs!

·      Plate

·      Silverware

·      Tupperware—To steal from the dining hall

·      Sponge

·      Dish Soap

·      Keurig—Is it an investment?  Yes.  Will you kick yourself if you don’t have it?  Yes. Justify its cost by reminding yourself that you’ll own it for 4+ years.

·      Keurig Pods

·      Creamer

·      Extension Cords/Power Strips

·      Mini-Fridge—Share the cost with your roommate.  

·      Brita (NOT the small, individual one!)