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 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 mittens. It can get a bit chilly in the winter, and when it snows you'll want to participate in snowball fights without freezing your fingers off.

DON'T bring a car. The T can take you anywhere you need to go. Parking in Cambridge is a nightmare, and drivers in Boston are among the world's worst.

DO bring a calling card. Dealing with the Harvard Telephone Office and their PAC codes is no way to live.

DON'T bring the idea that you are "the mistake." Most likely, your roommate is the mistake.

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.

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