I spent first year in res but I had an apartment in grade 12 and here are my suggestions for the kitchen:
-High-quality knife. This is perhaps the last thing you want to skimp on in the kitchen. Can't stress it enough.
-Cutting board. Doesn't need to be huge but should be of decent quality.
-Wok or big frying pan. As said earlier, very useful and versatile.
-Big pot. Boil stuff in it.
-Big bowl. Mix stuff in it.
-Whisk, big wooden spoon and fork, spatula, etc. The usefulness of this kind of thing can vary greatly, depending on how many prepackaged/microwaveable things you end up eating. I bought the above four and all were useful at some point.
-Pyrex baking dish. This can be used to bake and cook all sorts of things. Thanks to the lid (that works a hell of a lot better than saran wrap), you can bake something and keep it (relatively) fresh while you feed on it over the course of a week. Here's the one I have:
http://www.shopworldkitchen.com/inde...74&folderID=16
-Simple box cheese grater.
-Cutlery you like and paper plates you couldn't care less about. I got a cutlery set from Ikea for a very reasonable price. Decent cutlery makes a difference. Paper plates make life easier. Get both.
Those are the ones that come to mind. I'll post more kitchen and non-kitchen stuff in a bit. Good luck.