My biggest recommendation: DON'T BUY ANYTHING UNTIL YOU GET THERE!
Okay, well you can bring *some* things, but there were so many kids who brought boatloads of stuff only to find they could fit about 20% of it in their room... they were really depressed and stressed about it. Try to err on the side of bringing less and it will be much better. Coming from the other side of the country, when I moved in I had pretty much nothing other than clothes, school supplies, and a few decorations, and I really fared much better because I could buy things that were exclusively for MY space, and not worry about where to put them.
Re: cinder blocks - be sure to CHECK and see if they're allowed! At my school they weren't, and you could get fined $100 if you were caught using them. (Our custodian said it was because everyone just left them behind when they moved out, and the grounds staff was sick of lugging cinder blocks from the 4th floor!)
Vaccum - I would totally go for a small stick vac or a dustbuster or something. I wish I'd had a vacuum. We had dorm vacuums, but they were always being broken or stolen.
Laundry hamper - I loved my "pop up" hamper. I still use it. It's great because it's so easy to pack up when you move out.
"Essentials" that I ended up buying because I **needed** them:
1) hooks. Lots and lots of hooks! To hang up your shower loofah, to hang up your room keys, a big one to hang your coat/towel/whatever... you can't come prepared with too many hooks. I probably used about 5 small ones and 2 big ones in my room, on average.
2) sticky tack for the walls. Our dorms had very strict no-holes-in-the-walls policies, so the only way you could decorate the walls was with that gummy stuff that you roll into balls and stick posters and such up with. 1-2 packages of that stuff is definitely essential!
3) white board and (important!) extra markers. A small white board on the door was THE method of communication - at our school at least. "Hey, I stopped by, here's your chem book I borrowed!" etc. or, "I'm not in my room, I'll be back at 3." Some of our newer dorms came with white boards on the door, others didn't. Make sure you get ones that stick on and come off fairly easily to avoid ruining paint/wood (and having to pay for it).
4) under-bed storage - buy this once you're at college, IMO. You want to know how high your bed can go (bed risers instead of cinderblocks can work well, they sell them in most bed bath and beyond type stores), how deep it is, etc. A lot of kids had under-bed organizers from home that didn't end up fitting their beds.
5) extra lights. Again, buy this once you're there so you're sure you know where it will fit and where to put it. (Also make sure the type you get isn't against fire code - halogen lights are often not allowed in the dorms.) A desk lamp and possibly a tall room lamp can be extremely useful, as college dorms are typically dimly lit, and we younguns tend to keep late hours.
6) Microwave and fridge. They don't have to be fancy, but they're really, really, really nice to have. This is the sort of thing you often want to work out with a roommate to share, since they're big and space is precious. Even if there are communal microwaves and fridges for the dorms, chances are they'll be gross or people will still your food and you'll want one of your own anyway. (Another tip: at the end of the year, try to buy things from the graduating seniors - you'll get a TON of free/cheap stuff that way that you can use for the next year. My friends and I use to "dumpster dive" and got all sorts of really nice, expensive furniture that way - people were too lazy to store/move/sell it, so just tossed it in the trash. Our gain!!! So keep that in mind too when selecting furnishings. :-P) Edit: I just saw she'll already have one. Awesome!! Make sure she looks out for free ones at the end of the year!
7) Basic plates/silverware/CUPS. Not that you want to spread the wrong idea (lol), but cups are definitely crucial to good campus living. ;) And having a few plates and some basic utensils is pretty necessary, too. You probably want a couple of mugs for tea/coffee and some cups for when friends come over (to drink soda, of course).
8) Brita filter - for me, at least, this was a necessity. Tap water at school was grossssssss.
9) Shoe organizer. Again, get this once you're at school. I got the kind that's plastic, has "sleeves," and hangs in the closet.
10) Clothes hangers. Obvious :)
11) Small humidifier. Buy this in the winter, probably, but my dorm got SUPER dry and I thought I was going do die without one. It made a huuuuge difference once I finally got a decent one. Industrial heating systems stink.
12) Window fan. Our dorm wasn't air conditioned, and when we moved in, it was REALLY HOT. With poor ventilation. A small portable fan or window fan is a good idea to take with you when you move her in, especially if the dorm doesn't have AC.
12) Shower caddy with drainage holes in the bottom. She'll need some way to keep her shampoo/razor/etc. together, and will possibly/probably want to keep them in her room (so other people don't use her stuff), and this is pretty key for storing and transporting things.
12) If she's sensitive to light, having an eye mask will make it much easier for her if she wants to go to bed before her roommate!
13) Surge protectors/power strips. You can never have too many! And if she has a computer, consider an Uninterrupted Power Supply battery backup (if she has a desktop) to protect against power surges.
14) Writeable CDs and DVDs for backing up her schoolwork.
15) Shower flip-flops! Preferably 2 pairs, in case one is still wet. Dorm showers are typically terrifying.
16) last but not least - pictures from home. Lots of them!!!!! Pictures of her friends, her family, her house, her neighborhood, her school, everything. It will help alleviate homesickness and will be absolutely key during "Well back at home, I---" discussions, of which there will be *many* during the first month of school. ;)
Hope that helps! :) I just graduated last year. Every school is different, but regardless of her school's particulars I'm sure she'll adapt perfectly well. :)
Warn her about the "one month slump," though - it's fairly common that people make all sorts of "friends" during the first few weeks of school because everyone's on their best behavior and desperate to start building a circle of friends. After about a month people start dropping the act and the sort of social system kind of disintegrates and reforms itself. People you thought you were best buddies with suddenly stop being interested in you, and people you'd never thought you'd like turn out to be great. Stuff like that. You just have to be careful not to get so excited that you're really disappointed once things settle down to be different.