Georgiatwins

SouCar Mom's advice is tremendous! Ditto on the advice of finding friends with your common interests-especially if your child enjoys things outdoors and they will "do things"-our D loves to hike and as Sou Car Mom sas the Greenville area has incredible mountains and trails within a 30-45 drive. S's Environmental science class spend one afternoon last week at a mountain "watershed" area that he said was really beautiful-3 hours conductiing an outdoor lab. Have you daughter check out the Heller Service Corp. at Furman. S has gotten involved 2nd semester with the Big Brothers and has a 7 year old child he now serves as the big brother for-he truly loves this program and the staff at Heller are great. One caution-advisors cautioned our kids to go slowly with "formal" activities the first semester -so your D does not need to sign up for every organization in August or lose her chance for her entire freshman year. Also-STRONGLY AGREE with SouCar Mom to take advantage of prof. office hours-most keep regular hours and for our 2 those times have been invaluable. Here is a little story from D's first year writing seminar professor ( Shakespeare Dramas and Comedies) " You may think you are all excellent writers, but judging from these first drafts, that is not the case. With hard work, we can hopefully, improve your ability." DD met with professor 1-2 per week fall semester developing thesis paper-each time they met he would tell her has potential for a B-, then B, - always upping the "ante" and what he wanted. I thought DD was a terrific writer when she entered Furman, but I have to admit her papers/writing now are amazing-so take full advantage of their availability!!!

Future Chem Dad-Did not know if every one would want our list but glad to provide our items/ideas:

First-if you are coming from any distance-St. Louis-California-Bed, Bath and Beyond has an order ( online) and pick-up at a local store service. There is a BB & B in Greenville and that service works well for a lot of people who do not want to arrange to ship sheets, towels, mattress pads, etc. Their website has pretty much everything you need to set up a dorm room-extra long sheets, mattress pads, towels, etc. We purchased a memory foam mattress topper for each child's bed which made the dorm mattress MUCH more comfortable. Even though it did mot come in an XL length our kids say it has been a life saver. Most kids coordinate colors, themes with roommates-in our case S's roommate is very conscious of the way their room looks. We purchased comfortable desk chairs in Greenville and had Furman store the straight back desk chair ( space can get tight once kids put things they want in room). Most kids put one book shelf per student in their room. There is a Staples store at the Cherrydale shopping center ( 1 mile or so from campus) that has desk chairs, office supplies etcstore has become a favorite of our family. From BB&B order or buy in Greenville several large plastic containers with lids ( or without) that students can store additional clothing, food, shoes, supplies under bed or in closet. Our kids have about 4 each-at least 3 with lids. Buy and take with you the dual sided tack tape from 3M ( it has a green and white diagonal stripe) that students can hang posters and pictures on walls-stores run out quickly. If your D has posters and pictures she loves, make sure if she wants to hange on the wall they are fairly light because the 3M tape does not support 10 pound objects ( SouCar Mom may have different options). also get some of the new 3M hooks with adhesive for the closets to hang robes, towels, etc. Buy/order a shower curtain or drape to fit closet opening and bring hooks to hang it-you use this to close off closet entrance. Many kids use this as a color decorating option with their room. FU says it has to flame resistant-D's roommate mother did not follow that -and do not know how many families do. You do not need a shower rod, since the grommets or whatever they are called are on the bar-just the hooks to attach the shower curtain. Most girls I have seen bring a make-up mirror, since sharing the mirror in the rooms in the morning can be a hassle. Our d bought a floor lamp to put by her bed that would direct light towards the ceiling-it makes for a softer reading atmosphere at night and her roommate had brought one with her. Another thought-many girls bring throw rungs ( if rooms have carpet) and pillows (decorative) for their beds. If your D will want those or feel "left out" if roommate has them and she doesn't-plan ahead. Many kids bring TV's-usually one roommate brings TV and other may bring video game console or stereo system. FU provides basic cable which has a huge number of channels. Laundry: remind your child that the dryers can be very hot-purchase a drying rack for his/her room for special clothes ( or in our case, some really $$ jeans). There is a dry cleaners in the Publix shopping center, and in the Cherrydale shopping area there is a Walgreens Drug store, Radio Shack, Old Navy, Bath and Body Works, TJ MAXX, Chick-Fil-A. Buy a "just-in case" supply of Raid ant spray and those little ant box traps. Apparently there are often ant problems in the fall when kids leave food out in the dorms-unfortunately they often occur when maintenance staff is on a skeleton crew and spraying a room is low on the list-I know since it happened to both our kids in the same week. Last thing-don't forget one of the dry erase boards with a magnet that goes on the dorm room door- should have a pen-so that people can leave messages for your DD and her roommate. Enjoy!!