<p>I’d love to hear about other parents experiences with moving in day. We have a long drive home and I’m wondering what time we’re likely to be done and any other info you’d care to share. Son is moving in to Denison, so it shouldn’t be too crowded etc. Thanks.</p>
<p>I think a lot depends on how close you are able to park and if there is a hand truck available.
Not much stuff- we just dump the boxes and let her decide where to put everything.
Then standing in line at the bookstore to sign up for a credit account and to pick up books that were ordered.
THen a shorter line ( or was it the *same * line to collect sheets and stuff that had been sent from BB & B.
Short look around bookstore to get things that she forgot at home ( ethernet cord)
Trip to Fred meyer to get some storage stuff and fan- bad idea- it was in middle of heat wave- not much fan selection.
It was physically and emotionally exhausting- so not be suprised if nerves are frayed.
Younger D didn’t come freshman year- in retrospect very happy about that- it would have been too much to deal with her also- so we did make plans to come down Parents weekend so that she would ahve a chance to see her sister in her new environment once she was settled. As older D was overwhelmed with everything including the intensity of the college, it was good that younger D didn’t realize that to worry about it for 2 months. By the time we came for parents weekend- she was totally settled in. ( even though we didn’t see her because a big paper was due)
all in all I am fraid that it felt a bit anti climactic</p>
<p>Hi weenie,</p>
<p>The move in really wasn’t bad as we had stuff shipped up a head of time. All things considered, it was pretty organized. It was a one day event while there were info sessions and tours for the parents, the schools intention was to get the parents in and out as the freshman orientation was 12 days and all of the freshmen were having dorm meetings at 6 p.m.</p>
<p>She got dropped off , unpacked, room set up, lunch, picked up the computer went shopping finished up the day at about 4 pm</p>
<p>I found my drop of post from last year. maybe others can find their post in the archives and share their experiences.</p>
<p><a href=“http://www.collegeconfidential.com/discus/[/url]”>http://www.collegeconfidential.com/discus/</a></p>
<p>Some colleges have a formal moment of “Okay, students this way, parents that way.” My D’s LAC was much more informal, with a parent-inclusive gathering around noon and a students-only gathering at around 6pm. Somewhere in between marked the fall of the Roman empire and people can argue about exactly when that was.</p>
<p>We had gotten the bulk of her stuff moved into her room the day before but were still doing last minute shopping that day. Flew across country, did not have a car load of stuff to unload and we acquired virtually all the “dorm stuff” locally upon arrival.</p>
<p>Whether it’s one parent or both, be prepared for a little melancholia.
For me, having a good dinner & a drink to unwind, give closure etc., was appreciated before having the miles unwind. (In any event, I was staing in a local motel overnight before hitting the road the next morning but you get the idea). In the moment it was a funny combination of mourning and celebration.</p>
<p>Hopefully Denison will have parent sessions for you to attend during the day after helping your S get his things into his room in the AM (assume AM move-in). He’ll want you out ASAP to do his own unpacking, yet you won’t be quite ready to go. You’ll want to know that he has what he needs and that his room is put together (with an S, that is a varying description). So attend parent sessions, go back to have lunch/dinner with him, make a Target run if needed, and say goodbye. Since you have a long drive home, book a hotel room and have a nice evening with your DH.</p>
<p>It depends on the college. At my son’s school move in “day” was really several days. We had to be there fairly early in the morning so we arrived the night before. Move-in itself was remarkably well organized. You were assigned a time to show up and a specific line to get into with your car. We spent just a few minutes in line and then drove to the appointed place. We were met by upperclassmen volunteers with hand trucks who had our stuff unloaded from the car in a matter of minutes. They then brought it to the room while I moved the car to make room for the next car. By the time I had parked the car and got back to the room, the boxes were all there and the unpacking was started. In a few hours it was all over. </p>
<p>However, the university had a program arranged for parents and students that filled the rest of the day and the next morning. By early afternoon of the second day each college had a reception for staff, incoming students and family. At the end of the reception, parents were expected to say their goodbyes and then leave. Tears were allowed once out of sight of the students :)</p>
<p>We found it to be an all-day experience, what with new parent events and a trip to Wal-Mart for all the stuff we discovered DD needed. But it was great fun, by all means turn it into a weekend trip if you can. Research the restaurant scene and reserve ahead! Ditto for hotels. There actually was a “shoo” moment at Williams, where the dean of the college concluded her talk by saying: “OK, parents, it’s time for you to go. You really have to go now.” Seems like such a long time ago.</p>
<p>Move in day at Boston University is remarkably painless. If you come on the official “move in” days, there are upperclassmen to help out. Also they have these huge blue bins (like you see for laundry in a hotel or hospital) and students can unload their “stuff” into these bins and push them to the dorm. We never had an issue with parking (although I have heard that those housed ON Commonwealth Ave do). We loaded up the bin two times, and that was it. RE: what happened next…well, I actually made the bed while DH and DS went for the second bin load. Then DH put the computer together. We offered to take DS to dinner (two years in a row) and he graciously declined. So…we drove home (about 3 hours for us). Move out was the same but in reverse…very easy…very well organized. I do think the ease of move in day depends on the college and how they organize the day. I will say that for a large University, BU did a great job.</p>
<p>We have a 13 hour drive to campus, so we plan on arriving the evening before; give ourselves time to unwind, drive around campus, familiarize ourselves with where we need to be at 7:30 a.m. the next morning. Early morning move-in, all-day events, take DD out to dinner, H & self chill in the city for the night, and then 13 hour drive back to the other 2 lovelies.
Okay, that sounds exhausting.</p>
<p>You may receive a schedule and explanation from school; there seems to be quite a variation. Our two LAC move-in experiences were both reasonably positive but quite different. When my son moved in my husband and daughter went with him to move stuff in and came back the same day (about a three-hour drive); there were no activities scheduled for parents as far as I know. JAs (aka RAs) were around to help people find their rooms and move heavy items. When my daughter moved in, about three times as far from, there was a specific two-hour window for early move-in the evening before formal orientation started and it was extraordinarily well organized–lots of RAs and other students around to help, campus security to direct parking, and a clear schedule of student and (separate) parent events the next day. Parents were very specifically told when their part of orientation was over and invited, very graciously, to leave. I would suggest sleeping over at a nearby motel if at all possible even if there are no parent events scheduled for that evening of the next day, because it although you don’t want to linger unnecessarily it’s nice to feel you have a place to sleep nearby after what can be quite a tiring day.</p>
<p>we do a three nighter
D & D are taking the train down by themselves - to have a bit of bonding time and younger D is taking fashion mags because she is determined to redo her sisters “look” and take her shopping in “no sales tax” portland.
While the H and I drive down- I get tired driving on the freeway- so I need lots of built in breaks- I don’t mind driving around time ( well most of time) but with all the traffic and big trucks that block my vision- I just get exhausted- plus I am conditioned to take lots of breaks because usually we have the dog as well ( but not this time- last year it was too hot for her to do anything but sit in the air conditioned hotel) I have no idea who will get there first- D can either have friends pick them up or they can take a bus or taxi when they get to the station- this year everyone has a cell phone- and I can’t beleive how fast they have become an absolute necessity!</p>
<p>This is a bit earlier than others arrive because D is working O-week in computer lab helping the freshlings get set up, which is also nice cause younger D is going to miss her so much and this will be more low key without the whole campus moving in.</p>
<p>We drove to our S’s college, two hours away, arrived at around 10 am. We unpacked;I made the bed, H helped S set up his computer, phone, etc…(we’d packed cables, power strips, etc…). We found it necessary to rearrange the furniture (very rickety) a bit). DH went to the mall to buy a pillow and sundry items. It was a little crowded with two students and two sets of parents trying to move around in the same space, which made us want to get things over asap. We then moved to the cafeteria where banks had set up tables for students to open accounts, student organizations were recruiting new members, various bits of information were handed out, etc… In the afternoon, we parents went to a panel discussion. Afterwards, there was a reception for parents and students. I think H and I were back on the road at 4 or 5pm.</p>
<p>Thank you! For some reason it had never occurred to me that this could be a ALL DAY ORDEAL!!! Ha! </p>
<p>So, you all inspired me to call the First Year Student Office to get the scoop. My son will move in between 9:30 and 10:30. They have an Induction Ceremony that night at 7:00 and a parent reception. We’ve already done all the parent seminars at June Orientation, so, thankfully, nothing like that was scheduled. So now I’m trying to find out if the B&B we’re booked at can take us that second night. Geesh!!!</p>
<p>The current plan is to leave younger son (15) home to take care of the dogs. Grandparents will be on back up duty (hopefully).</p>
<p>My S: Are we arriving in that old minivan? (yes, the van from a past life we now can’t afford to sell because of …) And are we bringing little brother? Ok, he was just joking. Sort of. </p>
<p>It is not too early to make Parents Weekend hotel reservations. I noticed local hotels jacked up the rates for that Oct weekend already, but that is America.</p>
<p>Faline, good reminder.
Anybody whose student attends a NE college needs to book hotel rooms for Parents Weekend now, as it is peak foliage viewing season.</p>
<p>freshman year we still had the old minvan- the one with a sunroof that didn’t close quite all the way.
On the way home it collected water as it was a torrential downpour and it was exciting to guess who it was going to pour on. I actually had my goretec jacket on with the hood up ( the umbrella would have been hard to drive with)</p>
<p>Yes, that is really good advice (booking a hotel now for family weekend in October). And if you’re talking about a small town LAC, it’s not a bad idea to get on the hotel list NOW for graduation day. I’m not kidding.</p>
<p>Too funny emerald kitty. And if I think about the luxury middle aged driver cars we all could be sporting if we did not so highly value our children’s opportunities for college educations…or the little boats on the lake or the whatevers.
I don’t particularly relish driving a minivan when carpool days are history but I just looked up what I could get for it in bluebook, and not only do I feel like Where Did All the Years Fly By at Warp Speed while the van was depreciating…but also it is clearly cheaper to drive it than to sell it anytime soon.
no, that’s OK. Now that I think on it, no contest in the nice cars vs. college thing…</p>
<p>After reading a post above, it made me wonder about how you let the college know you are coming. My S will be arriving the day before his orientation starts. Do we just go to the dorm and say, “We’re here!” Should I call in advance?</p>
<p>ag, I think it depends on the school as to their early move-in policy. Check out the Housing portion of the school’s website. I had to email Housing at my school and tell them why I was coming early (marching band camp).</p>
<p>But now, reading this, I’m wondering if I’m going to have enough time to move in. I can’t get my key and stuff until noon, and I have a band function at 5. But I suppose that’ll leave me enough time to get stuff situated, anyway. I have a car, so I can make the Target/Wal-Mart runs later, and my parents are coming back up at the end of the week for orientation (it’s only a 3 hour drive)…I guess it’ll work out.</p>