What to bring

A list of things that CTY Coordinators don't know you need.

General

The items here are generally universal; they may not apply to a site or two. Please do not repost this list for individual sites.

Room Stuff

• Flashlight - forbidden at some sites, although people bring them anyway
• Scissors - for cutting holes in your jeans
• Snacks (no peanut/peanut products at LAN or JHU!)
  • Ramen and other instant noodles
    • Plastic forks (unless you plan on robbing the dining hall) and a microwaveable bowl (Ramen containers are NOT microwaveable)
• Vitamin water, energy drinks (now forbidden at CAR, LAN, BRI and SAR), other drinks
  • Share with your hallmates!
• Poster(s)
  • And post-its telling people not to make out with it if it features a hot guy (such as Johnny Depp)
• Bringing a speaker for free time is always cool
• Seriously, bring enough clothing so you don't have to do laundry

Traditionish Stuff

• Duct tape
• Glowsticks - for raving, learning to rave, and hitting oneself in the balls, if one has balls, or smacking oneself on the head, if one has a head.
  • Lanyard-type objects for stringraving (shoelaces are recommended)
• Rubik's Cube
• Clothes to lend for cross-dress days (guys: bring extra baseball caps because they are usually in short supply, girls: please give out the most scandalous bras you happen to own)
• Old CTY lanyards
• Black lanyard -- be careful of confiscation (white Lanyard if you were lucky enough to get one in 2007)
• A copy of The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy -- the veritable Bible
• Fishnets, corsets, and other RHPS things
• Masking tape for Love Tape Day (duct tape for LAN and CAR)
• Sharpie, if you want people to sign your shirt

Other Stuff

• Camera(s)
• Deck of cards and Poker chips - kind of forbidden at CAR, but nobody enforces it
• iPod and speakers
  • A massive amount of batteries for any mp3 player(s)/CD player(s) you bring + chargers
• Frisbees, balls, or minor sports equipment
• Permanent marker (for t-shirt signing the last day)
  • Some silver permanent markers in case the CTY shirt is black
• Water bottle
• Extra batteries for your calculator
• A hairbrush and plenty of hairties (for dances, especially)
• Nail clipper
• Bubble mix (for drinking or blowing bubbles with)
• Facial tissues
• Tide-to-go
• Umbrella
• Lip Balm (for EPIC Lip-Killing weather)

Lancaster

• STRAWBERRY KIWI LEMONADE!!!!!!!!
• Snacks cannot contain peanuts; they cannot even have been made in a factory that also processes peanuts or makes peanut products. RAs WILL confiscate contraband food.
• Bathrobe and extra Towels for Thursdays
• Halloween costume
• Umbrella - but only if it pops out when you push the button (or if it's just awesome)
• Ramen - BEWARE: Except for the Shrimp kind, Cup Noodles have peanuts!!!
  • Or Bowl Appetit or Simply Thai noodles or other instant foods
  • Other food is available at Turkey Hill
• Boxers Very short shorts for BLT Taking pants off during BLT is now forbidden at Lancaster... but bring them anyway ;)
• Fancier clothes for the dances
• Clothes for Second Saturday, as well as really gawdy and intense makeup.
• Glowsticks/Shoelaces
• Duct tape (colorful!) for duct tape love day
• A Bag O' Quarters for the vending machines and washing machines (then again if you're in Thomas you won't need it for the washing machines but you have no way of knowing your dorm prior to arrival)
• Band-Aids. Waiting to get a band-aid should take like 5 minutes. Instead, it takes your ENTIRE QUAD TIME. 45 MINUTES. Bring band-aids. Don't lose your quad time because you got a paper cut.

Carlisle

• Sidewalk chalk
• Assorted clothing for various theme-days
  • Fishnets and copious amounts of eyeliner for girls (Goth Day)
  • Clothes for the opposite sex to wear for Drag Day (clothes you don't mind getting ripped, stretched out, dirty, etc.)
• Large beach towel for Passionfruit (Lower Quad is wet in the morning) and just for sitting on outside.
• Nail polish remover - people will love you, especially guys at the Meet Market on Drag Day!
• Eye makeup remover! Guys need it after goth day like crazy because eyeliner is so hard to wash off
• Raincoat(or umbrella - you will make MANY new friends) It rains all the time at Carlisle. Spontaneously. Hard.
• Double-Kline gear, such as magazines, especially Cosmo, to read out loud; large quantities of shareable food, especially Nutella; assigned summer reading that never gets read in Kline; your guitar and amp if you're really hardcore.
• Many quarters - You'll need 18 quarters just for one load of laundry!! For vending machines and more loads of laundry, a bag of at least 40 quarters will do you good.

Saratoga Springs (Skidmore)

• Masking tape/duct tape for Love Tape Day
  • Also for flat-ironing it into your hair
• Insect Repellent
• Fans - boys only (or girls in Penfield), especially those in Wilmarth/McClellan
  • 17" box fans fit PERFECTLY in any window and are highly recommended
• Extra towels/bathrobe
• Old clothes
• Hats (especially snapbacks for Drag Day)
• Chalk Now banned. Sob.
• Energy drinks -- Red Bull, No Fear, Monster, etc. according to the 2012 site guide it is banned
• Catholic school girlish clothes, a.k.a. uniforms replaced with Goth clothing (first session only)
• Ballerina-ish clothes, like tights (for Rina Day)
• Boots for the massive puddles found there
• Ninja gear for Ninja/Caveman/Pirate attack days (?)
• CD player - for playing CDs bought at Borders/Last Vestige/Divinyl during a town trip
• Sweatshirt - for when the air conditioning in the classrooms is being abused and wearing when you sleep in Howe-Rounds
• Expo Markers
• Rainbow stuff for Pride Day

Loudonville (Siena)

• Duct tape, strong string, and clothes hangers for Fairy Princess Day
• Clothes for Naughty Catholic Schoolgirl Day
• A backpack
• SNACKS or change for vending machines
• Fans - Ryan Hall, the boys' hall, is cramped and has no A/C
  • Girls should also bring fans and give them to the boys, some of whom are certain to have forgotten to bring one.
• Alarm clock - you might have to wake up early for showers.
• Long-sleeved tee and/or hoodie - the movie theater and the classrooms are usually extremely cold
• An umbrella, raincoat, and rain boots
• Lots and lots of clothes - there are few working laundry machines

Los Angeles (LMU)

• Bathing suits (and waterproof camera, if you have one)
• Bathrobe - if you get caught in the shower during a fire drill (Note: Fire Drills happen the day after they tell you they will happen) (not required with or without fire drills)
• Candy
• Clothing of many different types, mostly dressy, for themed dances - girls
• Comfortable shoes for dances - NO HEELS! They kill your feet.
• Cup of noodles (the food at the cafeteria can become pretty bad by the third week)
• Drag day outfit, or clothes to lend out on Drag Day.
  • Girls: baseball cap
  • Boys: Fake hair/ hair extensions
• Fan (electric) - Huesman or Doheny are unbearably hot; Whelan & Rosecrans are better, and Desmond is by far the best (Desmond, however, is not perfect. Depending on the year, Desmond residents may need to use a fan every day or never.)
• Flip flops that don't break easily and can be used in the showers (which, at least in Desmond, get pretty nasty as the session progresses)
• Hats
• Laundry hamper/bag
• Magazines / Some form of entertainment for the weekends, in which you have large durations of personal time)
• Masking and duct tape (for Love Tape Day, and to mark your lanyard/room card holder if you're prone to losing things)
• Popcorn (can be popped in the 4th floor lounge in Desmond)
• Sidewalk chalk - they often run out in the activity
• Some sort of casino outfit (People generally wear a black dress/suit. Some talented youth bring heels, but, as a word of advice, wear pumps if you're comfortable going up and down stairs for 3 hours in them.)
• Sunblock
• Sunglasses
• Sweatshirt (for breaks during night class, when it's freezing in Sunken Gardens)
• Tennis racket/balls (If Guys, both kinds are needed)
• Towels: Beach towel, hand towel, full-sized shower towel for Last Thursday
• Your lovely self! (not required)
• xkcd

Baltimore (JHU)

• Two pairs of sneakers, or durable flip-flops -- in case [read: when] the rain soaks the Gentle Slope
• Hand-held Fans -- Because we're hot.
• Umbrella, poncho, or rain jacket -- there may [read: WILL] be thunderstorm(s) or heavy rains
• Hoodie/Sweater -- for cold classrooms
• Extra dressy clothes -- for girls, for guys, for dances.
• Ridiculously flashy clothing -- For Casino Night, and possibly Cross-Dressing Day (depends on how you want to dress for that.)
• Ghost Stories
• Laundry basket/hamper/bag
• Power strip/extension cord -- power outlets may be hard to find.
• Laundry detergent, and roughly $10 worth of quarters -- for doing laundry (laundry machines take somewhere around $1.25 for the washer and dryer, however the extra-large machines take around $1.50-$1.75)
• iPhone or iPod Touch -- JHU runs a guest wi-fi network
• A non-trivial amount of spending money -- your RA group can visit many restaurants (including Chipotle, which is incredibly expensive), the local Barnes and Noble bookstore, a local movie theater, and the Inner Harbor stores over the weekends. You can also get Chinese take-out, which costs money. The Book Thing, however, takes no money (The Book Thing is a warehouse-sized store where you can get books of all genres for free. It's a bit of a walk, though.)
• Musical instruments and/or piano sheet music -- you will be able to practice during some activity periods in JHU's music rooms
• Something to do outside after lunch period -- this usually includes books, frisbees, or footballs, because you are not allowed back in the dorms between lunch and the afternoon class

Bristol

• A lot of nice clothes for dances, Casino Night etc.
• No need for desk lamp (school work isn't allowed in the dorms)
• Food
• Plastic silverware and bowls for Ramen
• More underwear than you think necessary
• Tissues
• Casino night money from past sessions
• Multiple Sharpies of assorted color for t-shirt signing
• Lots of money for pizza (Domino's) and Chinese take-out for after dances and Casino Night
• Perhaps a soccer ball or tennis racquet

Easton

• Clothes of every color for Swashbuckler (Colors/teams: red, black, white, blue, orange/yellow "Reese's", green, pink, purple)
• At least 10 pairs of underwear in case you run short before Laundry Day
• NOT a desk lamp - we don't even do homework in our dorms
• Random looking clothes for the dances: neon, sea-themed, movie/hollywood, outer space, etc
• Nice looking clothes for Casino Night & Semi Formal
• Extra Money for:
  • WaWa
  • bookstore trips
• Tennis racket
• Bug spray<especially if in Easton dorms>
• Girls: Lots of hair products for dances
• NOTE: There is no need to bring quarters for washing machines/ dryers. As of 2008, all washing machines/dryers are free.
• Expo Markers to write on the white-board on your dorm door
• Guys: Bring a lot of colgne and nice clothing for the dances. DONT MAKE OUT IN THE UPSTAIRS FARINON BATHROOM!
• SPOONS: BLAMMO! made a comeback in 12.2 however due to lack of spoons except for RAs assassins game, and a group of nevermores who brought them, markers were used.

Princeton

• Flashlights are not banned
• Tennis racket if desirable
• PASSIONFRUIT JUICE! There was none available in 2012
• Badminton racket
• Bathingsuit if desirable
• Dress clothes for semi-formal dance
• Your heart
• Your brain

Berkeley

• non-flashy clothes which you don't mind getting dirty
• water bottle
• tennis racket (although actually playing depends on availability of courts each day)
• spending money for the local area, thrifting etc.
• Power strip/extension cord -- power outlets are in awkward corners
• sidewalk chalk
• henna cones