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"Even the most organized students have trouble switching gears from the stressless summer to the crazy getting-ready-for-college sprint. The to-do list becomes longer every day, while the time to complete it gets shorter. To help you help your student navigate the last days of vacation, we asked the upper class interns at the Good Housekeeping Research Institute (GHRI) to tell us which items they&amp;#039;ve found are dorm room must-haves and the GHRI staff to tell us which ones are best in class.  Kitchen Appliances &amp;amp;amp; Appliances Intern Valentina Palladino, senior, Syracuse University Can&amp;#039;t Live Without: Keurig Mini Plus Valentina&amp;#039;s story: Every college student winds up pulling all-nighters at the library and Valentina&amp;#039;s done more than her share. To stay awake in classes, Valentina depends on piping hot coffee. When she found her Dunkin&amp;#039; Donuts habit was depleting her budget, she invested in a Keurig Mini Plus Brewer for $99.95. GHRI says: The Keurig&amp;#039;s beautifully designed and easy to use. The K-cups that deliver the coffee (or tea, cocoa, or cider) are widely available in a wide variety of flavors and brands. Right now it&amp;#039;s available in red, black, platinum, and white. Come fall it will also come in collegiate colors like blue, banana, orange, and purple.   Kitchen Appliances &amp;amp;amp; Technology Intern Rachel Pecker, senior, Emory University Can&amp;#039;t Live Without: Banana Saver Rachel&amp;#039;s story: If there&amp;#039;s one thing Rachel loves, it&amp;#039;s nibbling on fruits and veggies all day long, whether she&amp;#039;s between classes or cramming for an exam. However, she ran into trouble when produce started to spoil in her dorm room. &amp;quot;That&amp;#039;s when I discovered a Banana Saver&amp;quot;, she explains. &amp;quot;I&amp;#039;d eat half a banana in the morning and save the other half for an afternoon snack. The saver would keep my banana fresh and delicious&amp;quot;. GHRI&amp;#039;s says: Good Cooks has a line of produce keepers called PROfreshionals. Students like Rachel, that are hooked on bananas, can purchase the yellow Banana Keeper ($7 at supermarkets) that adjusts to the height of the leftover banana and stands up on its own. If bananas aren&amp;#039;t her snack of choice, there are also Apple, Tomato, and Bell Pepper Keepers.   Home Appliances &amp;amp;amp; Cleaning Products Intern, Ashley Baker, Sophomore, Sweet Briar College Can&amp;#039;t Live Without: Tide To Go Instant Stain Remover ($3) Ashley&amp;#039;s Story: Doing her own laundry at college, was a life-altering change for Ashley. She barely knew how to use a washing machine, never mind the tips and tricks for removing stubborn stains. Now she&amp;#039;s never without a mini Tide to Go pen in her book bag, pocket, or purse. GHRI says: Along with Tide to Go, Dryel On the Go Stain Pen ($3) is another top stain fighter. Dryel works slightly better on cotton, Tide to Go on silk but both are effective on tough stains.   Nutrition Intern Natalie Nachef, grad student, Boston University Can&amp;#039;t Live Without: Vegetable Steamer Natalie&amp;#039;s story: As a nutrition communications candidate, Natalie knows the importance of getting her daily dose of fruits and vegetables. She depends on a stovetop vegetable steamer to whip up a healthy meal in her off-campus apartment. GHRI says: The plastic Joseph and Joseph Lotus Vegetable Steamer ($12) is easy to lift out of the pot and very easy to clean. As it folds up like a lotus flower it won&amp;#039;t take take up much space in a dorm room or small kitchen.   Nutrition Intern Jenn LaVardera, grad student, Tufts University Friedman School of Nutrition Can&amp;#039;t Live Without: Water bottle and lunch box Jenn&amp;#039;s Story: With college loans looming over her head, Jenn doesn&amp;#039;t indulge in the luxury of eating out. You&amp;#039;ll never find her without her Nalgene water bottle and a lunchbox. In addition to saving money on restaurant meals and bottled water, Jenn likes staying green by avoiding throwaway plastic bags and bottles. GHRI says: Nalgene OTG Everyday water bottle ($10) is easy-to-use, spill- proof, and durable so it can last through the whole school year. As it&amp;#039;s fashionable and machine washable, the Built Gourmet Getaway Lunch Tote ($23 to $25) is a pretty and practical choice. Just be sure to include an ice pack and eat your lunch within four hours or so. Check out our story for other water bottles worth considering.   Consumer Electronics &amp;amp;amp; Engineering Intern Lauren Sposta, senior, University of Michigan Can&amp;#039;t Live Without: iPhone 4 ($99 with cell phone plan) Lauren&amp;#039;s Story: When she moved from New York to Michigan to go to college, it was important to Lauren to keep in touch with her friends and family from home. Her life line: the iPhone 4, which also serves as her personal calendar. GHRI says: Yes, the iPhone4 is an excellent choice. But any smartphone is a good purchase for a college student. While somewhat pricey, they eliminate the need for an alarm clock, calendar, calculator, and camera, and virtually any excuse she may come up with for not being reachable. See our story on Best Smartphones for other options.  Ktchen Appliances &amp;amp;amp; Technology Intern Dawn Rzeznikiewicz, senior, Syracuse University Can&amp;#039;t Live Without: Travel coffee mug and food storage containers Dawn&amp;#039;s story: As a double major, VP of Panhellenic Affairs of Gamma Phi Beta, and part time worker, Dawn&amp;#039;s always on the go and rarely sits down for a meal (or gets much sleep for that matter). This means two things: food on the fly and lots of caffeine so Dawn never leaves home without a travel mug and food in plastic containers. GHRI says: For enjoying a cup of Joe on the go, opt for the Oxo Good Grips LiquiSeal Travel Mug ($10). Multitaskers will find it easy to open, hold, and drink from with one hand. For a food storage container that won&amp;#039;t leak in a book bag, spring for Rubbermaid Lock-Its ($14 for a 12-piece set). Want a lightweight, inexpensive container that he won&amp;#039;t lose sleep over if he leaves it in the student center? Buy him a stash of  Ziploc food disposables. Also see GHRI&amp;#039;s complete review of travel mugs and food storage containers.  Consumer Electronics &amp;amp;amp; Engineering Intern, Erica Hoffman, senior, University of Michigan Can&amp;#039;t Live Without: Laptop and laptop case Erica&amp;#039;s Story: With the piles of homework and research papers she encounters, Erica spends every free moment on schoolwork. She&amp;#039;s never without her MacBook Pro ($1200), which helps her stay organized. To protect it in her back pack she stores it in a case. Good Housekeeping says: In GHRI tests, the MacBook Pro was tops in the charts. Its light weight and long obattery life are key benefits for busy college students. For a complete look at the newest portable computers, see our review of ultrabooks. For storage, choose one of Built&amp;#039;s laptop sleeves ($10-$50) \u2014 they have loads of pockets and compartments and come in lots of jazzy patterns.   Textiles Intern Ariana Levitt, sophomore, Cornell University Can&amp;#039;t Live Without: Rain boots Ariana&amp;#039;s Story: As she goes to school in Ithaca NY, Ariana&amp;#039;s no stranger to rain and snow. To stay warm and dry she depends on sturdy rain boots during the long winter treks from dorm to class. GHRI says: L.L. Bean Wellie Boots ($70) are best at water resistance and the most comfortable. Available in five colors and prints. For more great picks, see our latest rain boot roundup.  Kitchen Appliances &amp;amp;amp; Technology Intern Audrey Genest, junior, Syracuse University Can&amp;#039;t Live Without: Sneakers Audrey&amp;#039;s story: Whether Audrey&amp;#039;s fast walking for exercise or to get to class on time, she finds a good pair of lightweight walking shoes indispensable. GHRI says: Easy Spirit Reinvent sneaks weigh in at just over 6 ounces and at just $69 are very affordable. Check out our favorite lightweight walking shoes for other great pairs to consider. Want to learn how we put consumer products to the test and keep you safe? Sign up for a tour of the famous Good Housekeeping Research Institute. If you visit, be sure to say hello when you come by the Kitchen Appliances &amp;amp;amp; Technology Lab. Interested in being a product tester for a day in the Good Housekeeping Research Institute? Enter our video contest and explain why you&amp;#039;re the perfect person to work with our lab scientists In New York City to comprehensively and creatively evaluate everything from mascaras to microwaves. Please note: contest entries are due by September 1.  Witten by Audrey Genest "^^<http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#string>
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