美国大学的学生宿舍分校内（on-campus）和校外（off-campus）两种。大多数大学要求本科一年级新生（freshman）住在校内宿舍。二年级以上的本科学生常常可以选择到校外周边区域自行寻租。大学的校内学生宿舍大多面积有限。每学年结束暑期开始的时候学生还必须把宿舍清退干净。所有行李用品要么带回家，要么留在当地朋友那里，或者挤在大学储藏室分给每个人的一小块地方，比较富裕的学生也有把行李用品运到当地租赁储藏室付费保管的。与女孩子不同，男孩子的问题常常是带到大学的行李用品太少，临时捉襟见肘。好在网购非常方便，几天便可以送到学校。

自2020年以来，全球新冠大爆发使大学生的校园生活充满了不安和焦虑。所幸一年之内数种新冠疫苗研制成功，目前美国已经有半数人口完成了疫苗注射，新冠病毒感染直线下降，美国各大学纷纷重新开放校园授课，回归正常。根据美国CDC指南，新冠病毒的感染途径主要是通过带病毒者在说话咳嗽打喷嚏的时候把含有病毒的微小液滴喷散到附近空气中传染。虽然完成疫苗注射的人已经无需在大多数场合佩戴口罩，那些没有接受疫苗接种的人仍然可能因为接触到带病毒液滴被感染，必须带口罩保护自己并避免与别人距离少于六尺。

下面是一份新冠疫情下男生版美国大学新生必需装备清单，谨供参考。

COVID 19

1. 100 regular facemasks (make sure to complete vaccination) 

2. 10 KN95 facemasks (use them when visiting hospital or taking international trips) 

5. 1 12 once bottles and 3 1 once travel bottles of hand sanitizer

6. 1 75 sheet disinfecting wipes

7. 1 fingertip pulse oximeter blood oxygen saturation monitor such as Zacurate brand

8. 1 thermometer

10. 1 box of Tylenol (Acetaminophen. Don’t use Ibuprofen)

11. 1 bag of cough syrup

12. 1 box of Pepto Bismol chewable 

13. 1 bottle of nasal spray

14. 1 box of sinus congestion relief (Phenylephrine HCL)

15. 1 box of allergy medicine such as Zyrtex

16. hand soap in pump bottle (Buy locally as ongoing supply)

Documents

1. driver’s license and passport (at least two forms of ID, for travel or take on-campus work study jobs)
2. documentation to prove vaccination completion 
3. medical, dental, and / or vision insurance cards or installed insurance company app on cellphone
4. car insurance card (if the student drives at college)
5. signed healthcare power of attorney for the state where the college campus is located (to give parents rights to access student’s medical information and make medical decisions on behalf of the student)
6. student immunization record
7. I-20 (if international student)

Financial

1. open a bank checking account in student’s name
2. open a paypal account
3. open a venmo account
4. open a student credit card

Clothing and Shoes

1. 3 pairs of pajamas
2. 2 dozen pairs of socks
3. A dozen pairs of underwear
4. A dozen t-shirts
5. 2 long sleeve dress shirts
6. 5 pairs of everyday shorts
7. 3 pairs of jeans
8. 3 pairs of casual long pants
9. 5 easy long sleeve shirts 
10. several sets of outdoor sport / exercise clothing (long and short sleeves)
11. 1 swimming trunk
12. 1 or more swimming swimsuit
13. 1 set of business casual outfit
14. 1-2 light Jackets 
15. 3 wind and light rain blocking hoodies
16. 1 heavy jacket
17. 1 winter coat
18. 2 pairs of thermo pants (if in northern states)
19. 2 pairs of winter hat/gloves (if in northern states)
20. 1 baseball cap
21. 2 belts
22. 1 pair of shower slippers
23. 2 pairs of different kinds of athletic/comfort shoes (more if sporty)
24. 1 pairs or more of tennis/soccer/badminton/etc. shoes (depending on preferred sports)
25. 1 pair of winter boots
26. 1 pair of walking shoes
27. 1 wallet

Bed and Bath

1. 2 sets of 80’’ extra-long twin sheets (top and bottom)
2. 1 mattress pad
3. 2 sets of pillow cases
4. 1 pillow (put inside vacuum bag to save travel space)
5. 1 single bed quilt
6. 1 throw blanket
7. 2 large bath towels
8. 1 hand towel

Laundry and Cleaning

1. 1 pop-up collapsible mesh laundry hamper
2. trash bag, hand soap, laundry detergent, dryer sheets, paper towels, etc. (Buy locally or online as ongoing supply)

Personal

1. shaver (electric or manual)
2. small scissors, nail clippers
3. comb/brush
4. hair dryer
5. eye care products (if applicable)
6. skin care products (if applicable, especially acne care)
7. medicine prescription (if applicable. Transfer the prescription to a nearby pharmacy)
8. favorite outdoor sport equipment (if applicable. College usually provides generic sport equipment)
9. an old memento, something like a cherished toy or stuffed animal 
10. toothbrush, toothpaste, shampoo, conditioner, body wash, deodorant, facial tissue, body lotion, face lotion, lip balm, sunscreen, bug spray, etc. (Buy locally or online as ongoing supply)

Room Furnishings

1. 1 LED desk lamp
2. 1 set of 4 bed raisers (lift bed so large luggage can be stored under the bed. Some dorm beds can adjust height by itself, negating the need to buy bed raisers)
3. 1 small desktop fan 
4. command hooks
5. photo prints of family and loved ones
6. hangers and a small trash can (don’t bring to college. Buy locally or online)
7. a few banker boxes (Buy locally or online)

Electronics and Accessories

1. 1 laptop (13 or 15 inches for most majors, 17 inches for Engineering majors)
2. 1 gaming mouse
3. 1 gaming keyboard
4. 1 gel wrist rest
5. 1 external webcam with stand (for better zoom meeting quality)
6. several flash-drives
7. 1 bluetooth speaker
8. 1 one-to-five USB desktop charger
9. 1 portable cellphone charging power bank
10. 1 cellphone with a phone plan
11. 1 cellphone case
12. 1 over the ear headphone (better if its active noise cancelling)
13. 2 bluetooth earbuds
14. power or charging cables for all electronic devices (buy more locally or online if needed)
15. 1 power strip with 6ft cord (bring one to college. Buy more locally or online if needed)

School Supplies

1. 1 large sturdy backpack
2. 1 T-84 or T-89 graphing calculator (If STEM majors)
3. post-it notes, flags, legal pads, notebooks, non-permanent tape, nails, file folders, batteries, pens, etc. (Buy locally or online as ongoing local supply)

Food

1. 1 mini-refrigerator (if the dorm doesn’t provide one)
2. 1 travel mug (for coffee or other hot liquids)

Travel

1. 1 carry-on suitcase
2. 1 large check-in suitcase (2 or 3 if within driving distance to home)
3. 1 duffel bag
4. 2 personal sound alarms (pull pin and let out a very loud noise. Scaring away bad people or making your presence known in emergency)
5. 1 large umbrella
6. 1 pair of sunglasses

比尔老师是人大附中校友，1984年北京大学生物系毕业，在北京医科大学（北大医学部）任教五年后经CUSBEA项目于1989年来美留学工作。他博览群书，倾心观察，对青少年心理，美国大学教育，以及美国社会经济政治颇有心得。

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