Inspired by the current discussion on the 2016 parent thread and the contrast between my D15 and D16, I’m curious about other people’s experience.
My oldest child was of the “Why would I take that?” school of thought. We suggested a small tool kit might be handy, tape, a mini sewing kit, an extra umbrella. All met with disdain.
Dorm shopping with child #2 at a thrift store: “Oh, this is a really cool rocking chair. Let’s buy it for my dorm room.” Um, we are driving you from the east coast to Michigan in a Prius and you will be living in a room the size of a large walk in closet with a roommate. No rocking chair.
In previous discussions, we’ve noted what seems to be a basic difference drawn along gender lines. Although obviously there are individuals who don’t conform.
Both of my daughters are of the “less is more” school. Except when it comes to books. I wish we had an infinitely expandable purse like Hermione in the Harry Potter books.
I could give my D a tool kit and I am 100% certain that it would never even be opened. The first aid kit, however, will be the one every kid on her floor will learn about and visit D when they are sick or mildly injured. We have had to talk her down from bringing every single pair of shoes she owns. We are still discussing the amount of make up she thinks she needs. We did convince her that in the southern state with highs in the 90’s well into September, maybe she will not need fall clothing in August. I have no idea where she thinks all of this stuff is going to go, except for a fleet of underbed containers.
My older D was happy with about 5 pairs of jeans and a pile of tee shirts. Her dorm closet looked empty. My son was in the Navy and thrilled that he wouldn’t need to decide what to wear ever.
My 21-year-old son wanted to get his younger D a couple of graduation presents to take with her to college. So he got her a record turntable (of course, much fancier than the ones we used to have) and a HUGE, HUMONGOUS bean bag chair! The biggest one I’ve ever seen. We have to fit DH, D, and me in the car, along with all of her stuff PLUS camping gear, because DH had the bright idea of camping on our way home from Pennsylvania. Good Lord. DH enjoys packing, so this will be HIS circus!
During the last year, I’ve moved three times, so each time I’ve noticed I’ve moved farther away from “everything but the kitchen sink” to be much closer to “why would I take that”. It started when I noticed that I was moving five (!!) separate umbrellas.
Starting freshman year, everything fit into a Hyundai Elantra with room for three people. Coming home from sophomore year we needed to rent a large SUV and only fit two humans.
When he returns for junior year next month, the watchword is going to be “minimalism.”
@MaineLonghorn, you might consider renting a van from UHaul. We rented one for a day in order to get S’s futon couch to school with the rest of his stuff. (He took 3 musical instruments…)
“Both of my daughters are of the “less is more” school. Except when it comes to books. I wish we had an infinitely expandable purse like Hermione in the Harry Potter books.”
@mamaedefamilia The expandable purse for books is called a Kindle.
There is nothing in the world more amusing than standing in the parking lot watching people drop off their kids. at college. We’ve seen it all…from cars with so much stuff strapped to the outside it looks like the opening scenes from Beverly Hillbillies to full-on big U-Haul vehicles. Most of them are living in rooms…with additional people…that have less square footage than the UHaul! I had a friend who loved to go pick up his kids in Ann Arbor and go get a new flat screen TV every year off the curb and other acquisitions at move-out. I had 3 boys and 2 had to get everything in the back of the Volvo to get to Colorado so after the skis, lacrosse sticks, golf clubs and longboards there wasn’t much room for anything but clothes even with the skibox on top.
My parents had a Gran Torino station wagon and we never filled it…but my dad used to complain about all my shoes. One trunk of clothes, a large sack of shoes, tennis racquets…no stereo.
We walked into S1’s freshman dorm and were greeted by mom folding and putting away clothing a dresser they brought from home which was stack on top of roomie’s desk, and dad plus 2 siblings sitting on a couch which they also brought. No sign of roomie. H accesses the situation and after a long pause he comments that S1 will not be able to access his desk with roomie’s couch. Roomie’s dad says he has put 3 kids through college and not one of them ever say at their desks. H and I left it up to the kids to work out, but S1 said the only purpose for the couch the entire school year was that it provided a place for roomie to discard pizza boxes and to dump out the laundry bag he brought from home each Sunday night.
Of course we weren’t perfect either. I recall limited window visibility and the smell of the hockey bag permeating from the way back of the SUV.
I did my studying lying on my stomach on my dorm bed, much to the annoyance of my room mate who wanted to entertain her BFs in our room. Rarely ever used our tiny dorm desks.
I thought my daughter had packed sensibly until I helped her move rooms during the summer session. Hanging in her closet at school was the red velour mini-dress that my mom made ME for high-school homecoming 1972. It was truly a “what the heck were you thinking?” moment.
Put everything you THINK you need to take with you to college in ONE room (like your living room). Then choose half of that stuff to take. You will still have too much stuff,mand you won’t use half of what you actually take.
We filled the back of the wagon when we moved D2 in. When we moved her out, she was able to store a lot at the school and we still filled the back of the wagon, including her lap.
D1 collected things at the curb at move-out. Mom, does D2 need a fridge and a microwave? Yes, please.
@rhododendron Some colleges…in fact probably most…do NOT offer storage during the summer for their students.
My one kid stored stuff across the country in her college town on HER dime. The school offered NO storage for stuff between years.
The other kid brought the stuff home every summer…and it drove me crazy. It got packed and brought home where it resided in my living room all summer. Then he took less and less back with him every year. So…we just moved it to his bedroom! His college offered NO storage for stuff between years either…and since we lived 2 hours away, we just schlepped it home.
Really…less is more. The rooms aren’t very big…and as @rhododendron noted…the kid will very likely accumulate MORE stuff during the year.
