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Most of the answers were very helpful, and shed some light on items that might not appear on a traditional packing list.
Here are some of the best suggestions:
An electric kettle
"This is great not only for coffee and tea but a lot of dorm staples like ramen and easy mac can be made with just boiling water, no need for a microwave." — scibby_di_doowop
Via Flickr
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A thermos
"Increase your hot coffee/soup radius and the world is your oyster." — CactusRape
"In every f---king class I've had in a lecture hall there is: 1. no stapler, 2. a policy that loose sheets will not be graded, and 3. a late policy where homework not submitted within the first five minutes will not be graded. In the first week I came in expecting there would be a stapler, there wasn't one and the lecture was starting so I didn't want to ask around for one. I ended up taking the staple out of one of my syllabuses, bending it straight with my fingers then jamming it through with and re-bending it. That was the day a bought a stapler." — slickback503
"I had a collapsible mini-stapler attached to my backpack, and I was everyone's best friend." — consumate
"Those first couple of days keep your dorm door open so people can have a chat when walking past, it'll look a lot more welcoming if you've got an open door." — rioba
"If you wanna be someone that everyone knows, be the guy who brings the grill and makes kickass steaks. In the common area, set that sh-t up and let people know that you'll cook whatever meat you bring them. Excellent way to make friends and meat new people." — vuv
"Simple to clean, and it's like 6-7 minutes tops for anything you need cooked on it. Works great on munchie/drunk greasy food items." — BrentMcClowd
"You'd be surprised how often this comes in handy (and you'll make friends when someone comes around asking for one). I had one that was magnetic on the top and had different heads to put in it so it was awesome. Got it in the dollar section at target and it was pink. I still have it." — Grace__Face
"Basic medical supplies such as Advil, band aids, etc... You'll be caring for yourself from now on!" — NOT_A_SASQUATCH
"Bring everything — stuff for stomach aches, cold medicine, Advil, neo-sporin, cough drops, band-aids, etc. When you get sick you will be so glad to have it on hand, and not have to go to the store. And it's nice to have it in case one of your roommates/floormates needs something." — sugarminttwist
"Power goes out sometimes. At my college we all had lanterns, so we would pull those out and light up our lanterns when the power went out. But this isn't a standard thing." — Lyeta
