Product Recommendations# *Disclaimer: These are mostly products that either I or friends have used, so buy at your own judgment. This post may contain affiliate links, which means we may receive compensation if you sign up for or purchase products linked below. As an Amazon Associate, we can earn from qualifying purchases* Remember to sign up for Amazon Prime Student (Free for Six Months)# Spending at Walmart and other stores? Sign up through Rakuten for cashback + $30 on your first purchase# Before Landing Checklist:# These are some recommendations for things you'll want to order before you land. The mailroom will hold these items and provide a large cart to transport everything. There's also a lift, so no need to worry about weight! I've provided more detailed explanations below, but here's the short version: Get Prime! Make sure to sign up for Student Prime before you order You'll need to sleep on the night you arrive - Grab a mattress, a mattress protector (to prevent damage), some fitted sheets, and a pillow or two Grab toilet supplies: either toilet paper (avoid single-ply) or get a bidet AKA a jetspray <- This one works in HDH Grad Housing Some body wash and face wash if you didn't bring any For skincare, you'll definitely want to grab some sunscreen - this is a cheap spray-on option Get some dish soap, scotch brite sponges, and maybe kitchen paper towels Shower curtains aren't standard in HDH housing, so you might need one You'll need trash bags unless your house already has some You definitely want a Brita filter because honestly, the water isn't great If you want to hang stuff, definitely get these 3M command strips - they genuinely support heavy loads like jeans and peel off without causing too much damage A laundry basket is also a solid pickup along with some Tide pods Some folks might want a closet organizer - there are no shelves! Electronics# I need a surge protector, what do you recommend? Tripp Lite is pretty well-reputed and I've used their products, but they're slightly higher priced Phillips if you're on a tighter budget I'm planning to purchase a laptop - would I need a GPU? Should I go for Windows or Mac? What if I plan to do ML? The choice between Mac and Windows heavily depends on what courses you plan to take. If your course requires specific Windows-only or Mac-only software, then your choice is pretty clear (unless you want to gamble with Parallels, Wine, or a Dual Boot) If you're a gamer, chances are you'll be stuck with Windows, as the gaming experience on Mac is incredibly poor If you're worried about training large ML models, usually if this is part of a course, you can ask your professor for access to UCSD Datahub. If you work for a lab, then the lab will typically have their own servers or access to someone else's that you'll be granted access to in most cases Recommend some laptops to me The ThinkPad lineup is a solid bet if you want build quality but don't particularly care about gaming or a GPU. I've personally used the E and T series lineup extensively over the years and would recommend something like the Lenovo ThinkPad E16 If you're more inclined toward gaming, the MSI Thin GF63 would be a decent bet, or something from the ASUS TUF Gaming series like the A15 You can't go wrong with the MacBook Air or Pro depending on your budget - this is my current daily driver How do I buy a MacBook? Are there any Black Friday deals? Apple almost never offers Black Friday deals for their mainline products such as MacBooks, iPhones, etc. Third-party sellers such as Best Buy, Amazon, etc., do. For example, at the time of writing this article, the second-generation Apple AirPod Pros are on sale for $199 instead of the $250 MSRP Apple does offer education discounts year-round for iPads and MacBooks (note that iPhones are NOT included in education pricing) Right before fall, Apple also provides bonuses such as gift cards, AirPods, etc., for devices purchased through the education store. Usually, that's the best time to purchase Apple products I want to iron my clothes, anything you would recommend? For ironing clothes, Black and Decker makes a cheap iron you could try out Furniture# I need a mattress for my house, what do you recommend? First, pick a size: Twin is for personal use, but you can get a full size if you want to share or roll around a lot Zinus makes good quality beds for those on a budget LinenSpa is another brand I've seen people use. Just get whatever is cheaper! Do I need a bed frame? They're pretty useful for stashing your bags underneath Amazon Basics makes some decent ones What about a desk and chair? Walmart in particular has a couple of cheap offerings if you're fine with a smaller desk If you just want a straightforward option from Amazon that you can get delivered, then I'd go for something like this desk and this chair. If you want a fancier chair, I've used this one before and can confirm it's decent However, this is very much personal preference, so get what you like best! Do I need to bring a comforter or blanket? A thin blanket from India might be worth bringing, but for thicker-styled comforters, you can get some cheap ones here Usually store brand ones like Amazon Basic's Comforters or the equivalents from Target or Walmart are good Household Recommendations# I'm not used to using toilet paper, is there a way to use a jet spray/bidet? You can install a bidet in Grad Housing, and it usually doesn't require any special tools This is the one I personally use and can say is pretty good You can also get portable ones for travel Is the water in San Diego safe to drink? I've heard of Brita Filters, are they any good? The water is safe to drink but has a pretty bad taste, so most people get a Brita pitcher This version is what most people use for personal use If you want a larger one for the entire house Do I need to change the filter? Where do I get them? You can purchase the refills on Amazon Any day-to-day purchases to think about? Consider things like toilet paper, sunscreen (yes, it's sunny here, even during winter!), paper towels, body wash, dish soap, etc. Store brand versions are usually cheaper - each store has their own in-house brands like Target's Room Essentials or Ralph's Private Selection, which offer similar quality at lower prices Is there any cough syrup/other OTC medication that people tend to get? Disclaimer: Not medical advice! These are over-the-counter medications that could possibly interact with other medications. Check with your doctor/healthcare provider and read any relevant disclosures. A popular choice for cough syrup is the DayQuil and NyQuil combination Paracetamol in the US is sold under the generic name acetaminophen or more commonly as Tylenol Ibuprofen is available under either the brand name Advil or as generic store brand tablets from Amazon and other stores Kitchen# I've heard about Instant Pots, are they any good? Yeah, Instant Pots are super useful - they have timer functions to cook your food for a fixed amount of time. After cooking, they'll even keep your food warm for 10 hours! If you're forgetful like me, they even have burn protection - if your food might burn, it just stops and alerts you to add more water You can buy the 3-quart version if you're cooking for yourself (and maybe one friend) or the 6-quart version if you want to cook for multiple people at once What's the easiest way to cook rice, momos, etc.? Get a rice cooker - Black and Decker and Aroma have decent offerings Any recommendations for mixers/blenders? US blenders are not comparable to Indian "mixies," so if you plan to make dosa batter from scratch or something similar, it will either be impossible or take a lot of time and effort Typically, people get something like this: Magic Bullet Blender There's a <$20 version available from Walmart that's also decent How does the laundry system work in the US? What kind of detergent do we need? Unlike India where you might use laundry detergent powder, here it's far more common to use either pods or liquid. (Remember the infamous "Tide Pod Challenge"? Yeah, those pods!) A common choice is one of the Tide Pods series of detergents. It's also available with variations like a collaboration with Downy or the one with Febreze Bonus: You might want to use dryer sheets such as Downy or Bounce Would I need a microwave? Residents of unfurnished housing such as South and Central Mesa, Nuevo East, etc., would need to purchase a microwave as they only come with a conventional oven Farberware has a few good options including this one and this one for under $75 at the time of writing Do houses come with a trash can? How is garbage handled? Houses do not come with a trash can. I'd highly recommend checking out Target - they usually have good deals during the back-to-school season on items like this Depending on the size of your can, purchase garbage bags such as these 13-gallon ones or these 30-gallon ones Last Updated: 2025-04-17T07:22:10Z