Upperclassmen weigh in on the essentials.

Heading to college? Here's some advice on being what to bring to college, from the book "How to Survive Your Freshman Year" (Hundreds of Heads Books, $14.95), straight from people who've done it:
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    "A really nice chair; something you can move, something that folds up. If there are five or six people in a room, everyone is sitting on the floor. But if you bring in your chair, you can keep it for yourself. Or, if there's that girl, give it up to her and you earn bonus points."
    _Chris Provencher, James Madison University, freshman
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    "A trustworthy alarm clock. I went through all undergraduate and graduate schools without my own desktop or laptop computer. I didn't have a car until I started grad school and I didn't have a cell phone until my last semester of grad school. Yes, life would have been much easier if I had all those things, but I was able to make it without them."
    _Hassan, University of Tulsa, Graduate
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    "A palm pilot or other kind of organizer. It helps."
    _M.A.A., George Washington University, senior
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    "A toothbrush. I wouldn't do well without a toothbrush."
    _J.P.G., University of Pennsylvania, sophomore
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    "My beer helmet. And sandals for the shower."
    _Joel, Princeton University, graduate
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    "Bring headphones. I have a friend who's into white pop music and she lived with a  girl from the Bronx who only liked gangsta rap, and they had this huge friction that basically ruined their roommate relationship."
    _Eric Fries, Boston University, graduate
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    "Contraceptives: You don't want to make the proverbial mistake that you're stuck with for the rest of your life. There's such a thing as taking a reasonable risk or a stupid risk. That covers sex, drug use, everything."
    _Michael A. Fekula, University of Maryland, graduate
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    Hundreds of Heads Books' survival guides offer the wisdom of the masses by assembling the experiences and advice of hundreds of people who have gone through life's biggest challenges and have insight to share. Visit www.hundredsofheads.com to share your advice or get more information.
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    (c) 2008, Hundreds of Heads Books, Inc.