Thread: Things to bring

In addition to the things the school tells you to bring down, here's some stuff that i either wish i had brought down or am glad that i did. (I'm sure i'll forget something and will add more) By the way, i didn't even look at the school's packing list. Ok, actually i did and found it a bit elaborate. I packed based on what people said here in the forum.

For grocery shopping, its a real hassle bringing your groceries on the bus back to campus. The store only uses plastic bags, so forget about paper. What i did was bring down a 3000 cu. in. backpack (can hold all of my books plus rain gear) and eventually had my parents ship me 2 mesh bags. With those three, i can bring home enough food to last me 3 weeks. Trust me, trying to handle a bunch of plastic bags on the bus is not fun (although it sometimes helps you to meet vet students).

Flyswatter - works better than Netter for killing the inevitable mosquito in the room.

ziplock bags, large and small- helps for packaging food and organizing small things as well as packing snacks for lecture

Post-it notes - used to place tabs in Netter for quick reference to often-used pictures (and covering naked pictures in baby moore)

Pillow - yeah i forgot mine and had to buy one first thing

Posters - great for wall decorations (although drawings of the kreb's cycle and charts of muscles help too)

Colored pencils - great for color coding diagrams and drawing anatomy structures (if you're into that sort of thing)

radio - great when you're tired of your same old CDs and you want to hear Caribbean music (they also have radioplays at night and BBC)

Duct tape - using it and some extra cardboard, i was able to construct extra shelves in my closet (the closet they give you is about 7 ft. tall and has 3 shelves). Also works great for taping down the window shade when the sun peaks in at 7am (especially on the east side of superdorm 1). Plus, if you can't duct it..... then you might as well throw it away. The uses are endless.

Highlighters, mechanical pencils, extra leads and erasers - you can buy all of this down here, but its cheapier and easier just to bring it down.

Notebook paper - i use it to rewrite biochem notes

1 subject notebooks - i use them to rewrite embryo notes and draw anatomy structures

I would suggest a 2-2 1/2 inch binder for biochem (not 4 inch). After midterms you can just take out the first 1/2 of notes and not have to carry around that extra weight. After midterms i also remove the anatomy handouts/course companion notes that i've used up to that point and thus no need to buy an extra anatomy binder.

Folders for Basic Science Foundations and Clinical Skills handouts.

Pot, skillet (fry pan), plates, cups, silverware, bowls - i didn't bring large enough of the first 2 and not enough of the last 3. (Its a real pain doing dishes every day.) By the way, want light and disposable bowls? Use cool whip containers. Bring some lids and you can use them to store leftovers in the fridge. Don't forget a collander for draining pasta. (All of this is obviously only if you plan on cooking.) Be careful packing anything breakable. Even my plastic cups got crushed.

Dishtowel - you can buy it down here but the quality is lacking.

Workout clothes - bring a small hand towel too. Lots of people take part in weightlifting, aerobics classes, basketball, and jogging around and off campus. Too bad the gym closes at 11pm.

Small fan - if you want some wind blowing on you at night.

Blanket - The A/C actually works pretty good in the superdorms and thus what is cool during the day can feel cold at night.

Earplugs - some people use them for studying. (I just listen to music.)

Extra sunglasses - my 1st pair broke the first week so i was glad to have a backup.

Sunscreen - a must if you plan on visiting the beach and burn easily. And if you're going bald like me, be sure to bring a hat.

Rain coat - (NO, not THAT kind!) Often times the wind is blowing while its raining, so a umbrella or a poncho can be of little use, but some people would disagree.

Scrubs - you can buy them down here, but they're 40$US for a pair. Helpful for vet school too i hear.

Flashlight (torch, for those of you on the British system)- great when you get back late from studying and don't want to wake your roommate.

Bottle opener - coke/pop/soda and beer all come in bottles down here (yes, you can get plastic bottles and cans of of the first one but they're more expensive)

Laundry bag - don't forget it

Pair of jeans and a sweatshirt for lecture - especially if you're lacking in Camper's Fascia (fat)

Multi-tool and pocketknife - Don't pack them in your carry-on and only bring them if you know how to use them (or else you'll be practicing your suturing technique.) I've used my multi-tool to fix the clothes dryers, but don't tell anyone.

Jar of Vaseline (everyone down here knows what thats for) (Just kidding)

Well thats what i can think of now. I'm sure i'll add more. Anyone else care to offer suggestions?

Is baking soda readily and cheaply available on the island? I use it extensively for cleaning, deodorizing, etc. (kitchen, pots and pans, bath etc.).

yes - you can buy it in bulk at ck's.

No mosquito nets necessary unless someone's planning to sleep outside.

I know the answer to the following question is somewhere in here, but the search results listed only the thread and I didn't want to search the whole thing =).

We do need to bring bed sheets right? And what size would fit? I'm assuming twin works right?

THANKS

Yeah, you do need to bring sheets, pillow and blanket. I think it was twin size.

^^Thanks =)

Which BRS books should i bring with along? Also which books we do really use during 1st term? Are some books more helpful than others?

I thought the BRS in biochemistry was really helpful for first term. The anatomy BRS was okay, we used some of the practice questions to practice before the exams. I've seen the Histology and Embryology BRS and they seemed to me to be a waste of time/money.

for the BRS biochemistry..... should i get the really really old edition of BRS Biochemistry (3rd edition---1998) or the BRS Biochemistry and Cell Biology (4th edition--2006)??

how do people effectively pack their pillow into their suitcase? Can you wrangle taking a pillow with you as a "carry on," even if you have a bag/personal item already.

How much would a pillow be in Grenada? Thanks