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Advice about transitioning to college life: you may already have what you need

More than 2,200 students, and their parents, descended on Eastern Michigan University the weekend of Sept. 5-6 for fall orientation and move-in.

WELCOME TO EASTERN: Members of EMU's Greek
community welcome freshmen to campus with signs
in front of Sellers Hall during the annual move-in day
Sept. 5. More than 2,200 new students participated in
orientation activities Sept. 5-8.

It's been a while since most parents have lived on a college campus and knowing what to bring for that first semester depends largely on whom you talk to.

Is there just one item that every college student cannot live without? Is there a short list of things that can really make life easier? Retailers would have students and parents believe there is and that they sell it. But ask the people who live and work on a campus and they may tell you what a student needs cannot be found in any store.

"The most important item a student can bring to campus is free. It's an open mind; a willingness to experience people unlike themselves and a passion to develop a global perspective on all they encounter," said Bernice Lindke, vice president for student affairs and enrollment management at EMU.

"They need to come with a clean slate," said Glenna Frank Miller, assistant vice president for student affairs and coordinator of EMU's orientation weekend. "The first year at college is the best gift you can ever get. It's an unbelievable opportunity."