Rain Gear a Must, but Lose the SAT Scores

You will, of course, need you toothbrush. And you will, of course, need your pajamas.

But what else? And what don't you bring to Harvard?

DO bring lots of underwear; you'll save some money. Why? Because the secret to a laundry-free year is oodles of undies. Maybe you'll never have to see a damp basement laundry room in Holworthy or Matthews. If you're clean on the inside, who cares about the outside.

DO bring your high school yearbook, but be careful. If you think it would be a cute conversation piece, then go ahead. But be aware that when your new Harvard friends page through it, they will see that dorky picture of you in the cafeteria with a wad of spinach stuck between your teeth. Then you'll be sorry.

In fact, high school stuff might not be such a great idea, after all. At Harvard, you have the opportunity to be someone completely new. That varsity football letter jacket might be hard to explain if you come here and decide you want to join, say, the Society of Nerds and Geeks.

And DON'T bring a high school relationship. You'll only rack up hefty phone bills. Plus, you might as well start exploring the strange world of Harvard relationships as soon as you arrive. If you wait until February of your first year to break up with Karen or Hank, you'll be overwhelmed when you finally venture out into the Yard social scene. Harvard's dating pool is inundated with bitter, post-reading-period dumpees on the rebound and dumpers "not yet ready for a relationship."

DO bring formalwear. Harvard just loves to get dressed up. Charity balls, house formals and play openings (yes, play openings) provide ample excuses for shedding jeans and sweatshirts for black ties and velvet dresses.

In the fall, fancy affiars turn up every month or so. And in the spring, you will be invited to take part in the House formal scene.

Not that "formal wear" necessarily means "prom dress." Harvard women suffer from a fear of looking too "high school" when selecting a dress for a formal. Consequently, all Harvard women must eventually acquire the Little Black Dress for that sophisticated "college" look.

DON'T bring a huge picture with a heavy gilt frame. Harvard hates nail holes. Instead, the Yard powers will provide you with "poster gum," which is basically useless. Find other ways to hang pictures, or get used to minimalism of blank walls. Besides, you can rent original pictures from the Fogg collection cheap-the only fee is to cover the cost of insurance.

DO bring a camera. Inevitalbly, it will be buried under piles of unwashed laundry in the bottom of your closet when prime Kodak moments arise, but any photos are fun to pore through later.

If you have access to video camera and don't mind the risk of burglary, you might consider bringing it. Film each other on the night of your house formals: Mom and Dad are at home, and someone has to take their place.

DON'T bring you dog or cat. Harvard doesn't allow pets, so you will have to leave Fido and Fluffy at home. Be strong. Improvise. You could try to content yourself with the 300,000 too-tame gray squirrels in the Yard.

DO bring a photo of your loving family. They'll miss you, and while you might not miss them so much, you will think of them occasionally. A picture will help you remember what they look like. Just make sure it's not too big.

DO bring photos to make your dorm room seem homey. Friends, family, and pets are the subjects of choice, but don't overlook landscape shots from back home. When the holiday season hits, it's good to have lots of familiar, friendly faces smiling at you.

DON'T buy a new computer at home and try to bring it with you. By purchasing one here from the Technology Product Center, you'll receive a hefty discount, and you don't have to worry about it getting broken or stolen when you ship it. Use the money you've saved to buy computer games, which are the primary reason for buying a computer, right?

DO bring a sleeping bag for all the overnight guests, random prefrosh, guests of your roommate, visiting friends from other colleges, etc.

DON'T bring a bunch of swimming suits. One is okay, but you'll find that Cambridge is not exactly Tahiti. Resign yourself to the fact that you will never be as tan as your best friend who attends that prestigious university on the West Coast. Ditto for the sunblock and the beach umbrella.

DO bring extensive rain gear. Umbrella, rain coat, duck boots--the whole works. It rains here . A lot. Sometimes an umbrella alone does very little to protect you from Boston's torrential downpours, which are usually accompanied by gusty winds. And the old brick sidewalks of Cambridge have a way of collecting rainwater and ruining shoes. If you don't like getting wet, consider transferring.

DO bring a little iron and ironing board. You will use it, and so will all your roommates. As you'll quickly discover, steam showers don't work all that well. And DON"T bring anything that will require too much ironing--linen shirts will sit in your closet for eternity.

DO bring extensive snow gear. Gloves, hats with ear flaps, duck boots, earmuffs, snow-shoes, scarves, parkas--the whole works. When it stops raining, it snows here. A lot. If you don't know how to walk on ice, you will learn.

DON'T bring notes from high school classes. Language vocab and a few math formulas are really the only things you will ever use while you're here.

DO bring guidebooks and maps of Boston and New England. There's no reason why you should have to stay cooped up in Lamont Library every weekend. During reading periods, you'll appreciate the chance to escape to a place where people think "crimson" is just another color.

DO bring your magazines (change the address on your subscriptions). They don't take long to read and they offer a fun break from all your classes. Your roommates will love you for it.

As corny and parental as it sounds, DO bring an open mind. There are a million-and-one different kinds of people at Harvard, and a million-and-one different things to do. Don't limit yourself to your room. You'll be missing out on a lot. You'll get lonesome. You'll get really, really bored.

DON'T bring too many books to read "just for fun." Two or three may give a break from Kant, but more than that will just take up shelf space and gather dust. You will hardly ever have time to read for fun, and even if you did, there are millions of books in Widener, Lamont, Pusey, etc.

DO bring Band-Aids. You don't want to have to trek a couple of blocks to UHS because you cut your finger. Note: when your international roommate asks if you have a plaster, don't chip off part of the wall and offer it to them--find a Band-Aid.

DON'T bring every worldly possession you have accumulated in your entire life. Harvard housing is nice, but you just don't have that much room. Limit yourself to what will fit in one closet, one bookshelf, a few desk drawers, one dresser and under your bed.

DO bring various other medical supplies: Pepto Bismol, Tylenol, cough syrup, etc. The prices at Harvard Square drug stores are outrageous, and when you come down with a mysterious freshman illness at two in the morning, they're not open.

DON'T bring your eight million certificates of achievement or your trophy collection. Your roommates have a collection equally large, they just weren't obnoxious enough to haul it to their dorm.

DO bring a pack of cards or some kind of game for nights when people in the dorm want to hang out and don't have anything to do.

DON'T bring anything too expensive, especially jewelry. Theft is a possibility, and the chances it will be lost or accidentally broken are high. Also, despite the huge number of formal occasions, family heirlooms are not a pre-requisite. Leave Grandma's ring or Grandpa's priceless watch at home.

DO bring every single CD you own. Not only is good music essential for studying, but it's a must for impromptu dorm parties. Besides, you and your roommates can tape each other's best albums.

DO bring all your friends' e-mail addresses so you can create the en-masse mailing list that really will keep your old high school crowd up to date. Any manuals lying around on how to use computers will also be a big help; computers are vital here at Harvard, and you'll be missing out on a lot if you don't know how to use one.

DON'T bring summer clothes. You only have about a few weeks of nice weather before it starts raining or snowing non-stop. A couple of pairs of shorts will be fine.

DO bring your own pillow. Sometimes Harvard's pillows don't materialize, and when they do, you won't want to use them.

One final tip, though it seems obvious: DON'T bring you SAT scores. Just don't. Please.