<p>My send off to college was not that different than it was for my own children. My parents took me by car about five or six hours from home. I think I had a trunk (used as a coffee table but had stuff in it for moving) and suitcases (received for graduation). I know I did not have as much “stuff” as my kids did for college. I likely had a stereo. We didn’t have storage bins and shelving/drawer units, etc. I do recall buying things like the rug with my roommate. I also recall in college that for shelves, it was common to buy boards and cinder blocks. But my parents took me, helped unpack and said goodbye just like with my kids. The main difference is that my kids had a big SUV jam packed and my parents had a regular car. (and now that my kids are several years past that, it requires an SUV and UHaul trailer as now they have furniture too!)</p>
<p>I think I rented the mini fridge in college, whereas my kids owned theirs (and D2’s dorm had full kitchens in her room as well).</p>
<p>Oh, and I see someone mentioned milk crates, and I recall those being in use in college too. I also just noticed someone mentioned a popcorn popper and I recall having one of those too.</p>
<p>My parents drove me to the bus station and paid for my bus ticket (the only “financial aid” I got from them). I was off from Tampa to Atlanta to start at Georgia Tech with one of those big black rectangular-type trunks packed with what I was going to carry (lol- my own son needed a U-Haul). I arrived at the bus station and took a taxi (don’t remember how I could possibly afford that) and got dropped off at the dorm. When I got the key and went up to the room, it seemed like I was one of the few people on campus (I had arrived a day too early). The room furniture consisted of (all metal furniture): a bunk bed with mattresses about 2 inches thick, two old desks that looked like Army surplus, and two metal locker-type cabinets to put clothes in. Fairly depressing looking room. I was the only student in the dorm that night.</p>
<p>I don’t remember being sad or scared or homesick. I was ready for the adventure!</p>
<p>It seems like the stories fit into two different categories, and I wonder if they are related to age. Some are in the, “My parents drove me” category. And others, like mine, are in the “Good luck, kid. You’re on your own” category. Maybe some of us older ones are in the second category.</p>
<p>Coffee pots? refrigerators? phones? Not even close. Not even a stereo. Wait, stereo? I think that came out AFTER I started, at least as far as record albums were concerned. LOL.</p>
<p>I do remember the cost of flying back to school after Thanksgiving (I got a ride home) - From Tampa to Atlanta on Delta: $21.00.</p>
<p>Mine drove me in 1966. Flying was too expensive, and there was no bus or train where I needed to go. We never took trips like that, so it was a huge deal, including a side trip to visit some relatives. One or both of them also came to pick me up in the spring, which was harder because I was never packed when they arrived. </p>
<p>It was raining when we left home, and my four siblings and grandparents gathered around. My little brother (now 52) rushed up to me in his yellow slicker and said “I’mnotgoingtomissyoubye.” As he ran away I noticed that he was crying. My sister, on the other hand, immediately moved into my room (temporarily, until Thanksgiving).</p>
<p>Today, going away seems inevitable. We miss them (I’m missing my college junior like crazy this week), but we know that we’ve guided them in this direction, and this life is what we want them to have. Back then, it all seemed like a little bit of a shock to my family (and my parents had a terrible problem with separating, but that is a topic for a whole other thread!).</p>
<p>I knew very few people who were going off to college when I was 17- really nobody.
Soon after that I moved out ( in with a boyfriend- who had furniture )and then I did meet a couple people who were attending in state schools.</p>
<p>Now virtually most of my kids friends either went to a 4 year school immediately or within 5 years of finishing high school & at least one of their parents go with them to get set up.</p>
<p>My little brother (now 52) rushed up to me in his yellow slicker and said "I’mnotgoingtomissyoubye.
:(</p>
<p>My kids are 8 years apart & my youngest never wanted to talk to her sister on the phone cause it made her miss her too much. But D1 was relatively close so we did take her to visit though.</p>
<p>I’m an over-packer I took a fridge, the “best” Smith Corena typewritter with the new “word processor” built in – Was I cutting edge or what?! And far too many posters, pictures, etc.</p>
<p>I drove my little Honda CRX (back when freshman could have cars on campus). Mom & my younger brother drove the Honda Accord. My roommate was a sophmore and not coming for another day – kinda scary & sad to be alone while everyone else was bonding.</p>
<p>I do remember my Mom forcing me to go to the 5 & dime with her because she was NOT leaving with the window in that horrid condition – new curtains were required before she would depart. And not just purchasing the curtains – she had to iron & hang. </p>
<p>That was it – once she was certain the window (center point of the room) looked presentable inside and we wouldn’t be flashing anyone outside, she left. All my brother said upon leaving was “Next year your boyfriend has to move you in. You pack too much stuff and I’m not carrying it anymore.”</p>
<p>After that is was book buying for me & other busy stuff until RA hall meeting. By 10 pm and a few beers, I was fine. But man that was the longest afternoon of my life until I bonded with some other girls.</p>
<p>I’m amazed to find all the folks with light/baby blue Samsonite/American Tourister luggage since my baby blue American Tourister was and remained incredibly easy to spot at the luggage carosel right from the start …</p>
<p>My parents had the hard-sided red Samsonite luggage. That’s why I loved my baby blue soft sided AT stuff. Literally wore it out at about 20 or 25 years of age …</p>
<p>Milk crates: Mine were real ones stolen from the local dairy. I still have them around somewhere. Maybe I should offer them to S when he goes off in a couple of week …</p>
<p>Tools: My dad insisted that I take a set good enough for changing a tire on my bike and making other routine adjustments to the bike. I was the only girl on my floor with an adjustable wrench and a set of screw drivers. Came in useful. Tools are on my list for things my S must take.</p>
<p>My parents drove me - 1976. After the initial drop off I took Amtrak for every trip except the end of the year.</p>
<p>I also went with my new smith-corona typewriter. It still works, although it is currently hiding in a closet upstairs.</p>
<p>I had plastic milk crates and for our apartment junior year we made a coffee table with a board placed across two milk crates. My roommate and I referred to our apartment decor as “early poverty”.</p>
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My dad insisted that I take a set good enough for changing a tire on my bike…
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</p>
<p>This brought back memories. I took this to college too. Plus, the shelves and cinderblocks? They’re still in my garage, 41 years later. Guess it’s time to clear out the garage.</p>
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<p>Wonderful writing, geezermom. This moved me to tears, for some reason.</p>
<p>The day I was set to drive off to my freshman orientation, I received a call from one of my best friends. She had gotten pregnant at 13 and because her husband had landed himself in jail for battery in a barfight the night before, she had no car to drive her firstborn (my goddaughter) to kindergarten. I delayed my departure to take them to their first day of school. The thing that went through my mind was…but for the grace of goddess go I…</p>
<p>My parents did not attend any orientation meetings, accepted student days or major events. In fact, I don’t think that my parent’s came to any event, even though they lived 90 miles away.</p>
Well, mine was the gold color, so I’m glad I could sort it out from yours!</p>
<p>I think the main differences are: more of us went close to home, and more of our parents either hadn’t gone to college or had families who just couldn’t afford to travel even a short distance to help them move in. That generation had been to war and come back to school. My dad was married and 25 when he started college. His parents certainly didn’t consider that they were needed on campus as he moved in. When I started, my parents helped me pack, drove me to school, and hauled my 3 matching gold AT soft-siders and my electric typewriter inside, got back in the car and left. I was fine… although kind of surprised to find out there was no food service during rush, and everyone else had money to eat out…</p>
<p>1975 went to a school about 4 hours from home. My uncle drove me to the local bus station with all of my worldly possessions in a back pack and a pillow case. When I got to town, I walked the 2 miles or so to the school. ahh the good old days.</p>
<p>After a four hour drive, my parents were kind enough to slow down the car to 5 MPH so I could jump and roll with my bag. …Actually they DID stop the car, get out, hug me and then take off. Just what every other parent did.</p>
<p>My graduation gift was the AT green luggage set - I was so disappointed it was green, not red. My Smith-Corona typewriter came in a brown plastic case that wasn’t too much smaller than my green suitcase. I loaded up the backseat of my VW Beetle and drove myself 90 miles to our state university. I remember going with my roommates to Mountain Bell to get our phone service and phone – a harvest gold wall phone; dial of course. We all made collect calls home once a week. We all chipped in and bought a 12-inch black and white TV and a huge orange and yellow shag rug. </p>
<p>I remember waiting in line to sign up for classes in the basketball arena. It was frustrating trying to craft a schedule and waiting in long lines only to find out the class was closed, but I also remember it being a lot of fun being with all those other students who were trying to do the same thing. A few nights ago I watched my son use his university’s on-line registration system. He had to wait until midnight when open registration began and then he watched as the computer screen blinked “processing” over and over until finally flashing ERROR and taking him back to the log-in screen. After repeating that several times he finally got the class, but it took a good half hour. I’m not sure he was any less frustrated and it seemed a lot less fun than our old way. On the other hand, I would have loved to have his 2-inch memory foam mattress topper!</p>
<ol>
<li> My hard side luggage was fake AT so it was a sort of royal blue. My 1972 Pinto was light blue though! Mom followed me in her car for the one hour trip to my southern state u. My older bro. lived in the college town so was summoned to come help unload and carry stuff to my 6th floor (no A/C) dorm room. </li>
</ol>
<p>I took at 5" black and white TV. No typewriter, had to borrow. My bedspread was one of those scratchy thin corded/ribbed kind in a beautiful rust color. Also took one of those big bedrest things that we all called a “husband” for some reason.<br>
The frigs. were heaped in a big pile outside the dorms to be rented. I don’t remember Mom hangin’ around long. I’m sure she was emotional but didn’t show it. I was the last to leave so she was going home to an empty house (Dad died when I was 11).
I usually called or she called me on the weekends when the rates were lower. We also wrote letters.</p>
<p>My roommate was the gf of my bf’s roommate. My bf set all that up and thought it would be perfect. It wasn’t. She and I were nothing alike and the bf and I were broken up before the first sem. was over.</p>
<p>Thanks for the memories! No one spent the summer making lists and shopping for all of the must-haves for me at college. </p>
<p>My step-father brought me to college and was kind enough to carry my things from the car prior to saying goodbye. I got a new typewriter (electric!) for graduation, and new sheets from my grandmother. They were my first new sheets since my Woody Woodpecker twin sized set, so no one told me that they need washing before using them. I remember laying down in my sweltering triple dorm room the first night in crunchy, crinkly, itchy new sheets. I washed DS sheets when we first brought them home!</p>
<p>No shower basket, shower shoes, tv, stereo, credit card, egg crates, or bed risers. We survived and thrived! </p>
<p>I saw the campus for the first time when I moved in, met roommates that day and survived calling home collect once a week. My folks never came to anything until I graduated. The funny thing is, DS is going to college fairly close to their home, and they can’t wait to come down to take him to dinner, do his laundry and attend football games with him. They have become helicopter grandparents!!!</p>
<p>Mine was in 1995. Both parents and I flew to Philadelphia and shipped my things (bedding, winter clothes, etc.) to Bryn Mawr. We spent a few days in a hotel downtown exploring the city. On move-in day, we looked at my room together (yay single!), took a rental car to Wal-Mart to buy a fridge, mirror, cushions for the window seat, etc. They helped me make up my bed and so on, and then they left when orientation began. I am certain that my mom cried on the way to the airport, as she did after dropping off each of my 3 older sisters, but they held it together in front of me.</p>
<p>(This is skipping the part where I was ordered to the health center to get a booster shot and was stung by a bee on the back of my neck while sitting on the exam table. So I went to my orientation meeting in agony, holding an ice pack against my neck. If there’s a less auspicious way to start college, I can’t think of it.)</p>
)and then I did meet a couple people who were attending in state schools.</p>
I took a fridge, the “best” Smith Corena typewritter with the new “word processor” built in – Was I cutting edge or what?! And far too many posters, pictures, etc.</p>