<p>You can get mirrors designed to hang on a door by brackets. They have a couple of brackets that just hang on the top of the door. If the dorm room has a bathroom or a swinging type of closet door, this might work well. It’s stable and doesn’t require any modification of the dorm.</p>
<p>I wouldn’t trust ‘sticking’ something like a mirror - it’s too likely to fail at some point since mirrors are heavy.</p>
<p>My mom making up my bed was WONDERFUL - even if you don’t do anything else for your kid, do that - sort of comforting on the first day, you know?</p>
<p>herbrokenmom probably has the most likely scenario except for perhaps the second day part. Each college seems different in their first day set up. We were not able to move our daughter in but somehow she managed. For our son there was a whole army of movers and we had to just make sure they didn’t move in OUR overnight bags. We were able to park very close to the dorm door. The roommates and his folks got there about the same time as us and the dads and the boys were concerned with the electronic set up while we Mom’s made the beds (son was very happy to have that done for him) and unpacked a bit.</p>
<p>There is tons of shopping in and around Newark (my husbands hometown) so if you need something you forgot or don’t want to bring something bulky you can buy it there. There’s even a Costco near the Christiana Mall. Son’s move in was pretty easy and not stressful. Try not to get too tied down with the “stuff” part of the move. Anything you forgot can be bought right there or sent or ordered on line. Enjoy the move, it will all work out.</p>
<p>Mirrors:</p>
<p>3M makes a velcro-type hanging system that is strong, non-marring and removable. It’s rated for the number of pounds it can hold. Great stuff!</p>
<p>regarding smaller things that you want to send later: bags of M & Ms make effective and welcome packing material. As do bags of those little red licorice pieces, trail mix, etc.</p>
<p>Rules- they don’t exist on move in/out days (except the no parking in a fire lane, perhaps…). Outside doors are propped open… Practicality. On future visits you will probably have to have your child escort you to their room… 2 hour parking voucher close to the dorm, longer far away.</p>
<p>We emptied the 3 or 4 laundry carts worth of stuff into son’s room. He decided room arrangement/lofting/shelf assembly/unpacking/ bedmaking/etc. after we left. There were student helpers available- much better than parents getting in the way if he chose to loft… Couldn’t make his bed until it was cleared of stuff…</p>
<p>I think it was nice for our son to do his own unpacking and therefore realize what he brought and where it was placed. When he moved out and had untouched supplies it was his fault, not ours for forgetting they existed… There’s something that made it HIS space when parents were not involved except as baggage haulers.</p>
<p>It’s stressful, hot, emotional and everyone is nervous and on edge. No way around it. We did best with setting up computer and making the bed and carrying everything into the room. Dads did help to rearrange furniture. If you try to set the room up your way which is probably the better way it only leads to conflict. By taking over too much the kids get the impression that we think they are helpless and can’t do this. Yes, we just want to help and we know more but that’s not the way they see it.</p>
<p>We have a pretty short window of time before lunch because of her assigned time, so a lot has to get done. ZG is the queen of lists, so there’s no question of anything being done any way but hers! The note from the college said something like “parents should wait in the student room or elsewhere” while student is taking care of official business. The point being that parents are not to come while kid gets books, computer login, keys, etc.</p>
<p>Almostlaunched–Seven years ago, my H moved S1 into his UD dorm. We lived in Minnesota at the time, and H and S1 had rented a small van to make the trip. (We have a very small car, and S2 was taking items like his bike, French Horn, etc.) I stayed home with S2, then 11, since all of us couldn’t make the trip in the van–two seats for passengers. H kind of hung around and helped S1, especially just to get the computer set up, etc. Since they were coming from so far away and lots of the other parents were from states closer by (PA, NJ, DE, NY, etc.), it was H’s only chance to meet parents of S1’s roomate and some dorm neighbors. I think it helped him feel he was leaving S1 in good company. The other parents were friendly and supportive. So, if move-in day is one of the few times you will be on campus with your child, don’t feel you have to rush away too fast. It might be a good time to make some contacts with other parents. Even though it is a stressful time for everyone and kind of sad, it can be exciting too, and you feel so proud of your child for taking this step. This year we will be doing the move to a different college with S2, and it will probably be completely different!!</p>
<p>Re hanging the mirror:
D had a cheapie door length mirror that we hung using two of the largest Command Adhesive “hooks” that stick to the wall. They worked great and certainly were strong enough to hang the mirror safely. Even H was surprised and impressed at how well these sticky hangars actually did the job. We got in the habit of having several sizes of these with us for various move ins. They always came in handy for something, often things we didn’t expect.</p>
<p>RE: making the bed…I did it for DS both freshman and sophomore year. I’m fairly sure that was the only time the bed was “made” all year both years. Did the same for DD (after the two of us raised her bed…not hard because the beds were actually designed to do this…very nice) and she was happy to have it done. Both kids did the rest themselves. As suggested, we did wait to see if there were any last minute errands. For both, it was orientation weekend and we were there for a few days anyway. We found that the rooms were small, and having the kid, mom and dad in the room at the same time…especially if the roommate was there even with one other family member…was too crowded.</p>
<p>Agreed. This year, my mom, dad, and brother (13) will be helping me move in. The brother will obviously be a mule and carry a majority of the stuff in (he’s trying to lose weight for football anyways…the poor kid is 13. is nearly 6’, and very athletic, and needs to be 145…he’s already stick-ish with huge muscles haha). But once the stuff is in, I’m going to enforce the “mom only” rule in my room. My roommate and I will have to move furniture for sure, and I don’t need dad (an engineer) in there trying to take over and then get grouchy when we decline his help. Also, maybe I can nudge her to make my bed, but I doubt it. But beyond that, I pretty much WANT to be left on my own to organize/readjust. Setting up my computer is easy since its a laptop, docking station, lcd screen, and keyboard/wireless mouse, and I only plan on bringing down summer clothes, jeans, and a few long sleeve shirts (noo sweaters or anything heavy like that) since school is only 2 hours away. It’s just so much easier for me to see everything on my own and place it where I want things to be, and my mom will probably help with a few things and give me tips, but she definitely understands I have my own organization system.</p>
<p>My best advice? Talk to your kid(s) prior to move in day. Set down what is expected (I see parents hauling everything with kid bouncing around…my parents would kill me!) of both parent(s) and kid(s). Don’t try to make a plan, just say “well, we expect you to help carry most of your stuff in” and the kid might say “well, once we get everything in, I’d like only mom and/or dad and/or sibling to stick around and help”. Also, don’t get tense with your child, it only leads to bad things (embarrassment, bitterness…all not good for saying hello to new friends and goodbye to parents).</p>
<p>For move-in 4 years ago with my son, it isn’t has rushed as it may seem - I don’t think the kids have to take the swimming test the first day - sometime over orientation - and there are upper classmen with dollies/carts to help move-in - esp. if you have a injured leg…we moved son in, had time to go to Target, get stuff, go to lunch, head back to Target , go to dinner on the first day…and that time we were staying in Binghamton so it was an hour’s drive - it will not be as bad as it might sound on paper -</p>
<p>I read somewhere that it’s a good idea to exchange business cards/contact information with the roomate’s parents, just in case. I’m wondering if others have done this? Is there a ‘down’ side to doing so? Seems like a simple concept and a good idea…parents can be in touch if it becomes necessary.</p>
<p>Memphismom, I know we’re talking about the same campus. That’s good news about the upperclassmen with carts and dollies. When I moved my son in to a different college three years ago, there was no help whatsoever – and he lived in a building with no elevator, and the temperature was over 100 degrees (it was in Maryland, so the heat was to be expected).</p>
<p>As for the swim test, my daughter is already signed up to take it – on move-in day. Online registration for the swim test was this morning. The only other option was to take it three days later, but she has a conflict between her faculty advisor meeting and a language placement test on that day and does not yet know how that conflict will be resolved, so she pretty much had to sign up for the move-in day option. She will have quite a day. We’re staying in Cortland, incidentally. Not quite as far as Binghamton, but not quite as good a bargain, either.</p>
<p>Random question, but what’s with the swim tests? I thought it was college, not summer camp</p>
<p>There are a very few colleges – and my daughter will be attending one of them – that either require students to pass a swimming test or take a swimming course in order to graduate. </p>
<p>The college I’m talking about is Cornell. Columbia also has a swim requirement. Not sure what others.</p>
<p>Incidentally, until the mid1970s, male Cornell students took their swim test in the nude. I am not making this up. I was a student there at the time. Women were always allowed to wear bathing suits, and the men’s and women’s tests were held in separate facilities. (The women’s pool had a glassed-in observation deck, which is the presumed reason why women wore suits.)</p>
<p>Beil1958, your idea of exchanging cards seems to be based on the assumption that you will be present at the same time as the roommate’s parents. I wonder whether this is likely to happen. In my son’s three years of college, he has had a total of five roommates. I have met only one parent of a roommate, and it was on move-out day, not move-in day.</p>
<p>Wow, that’s cool. Guarentees every kid walking out the door shares something similar: they know how to swim. Fine skill for life that post-college no one would have the time/desire to learn. That’s pretty awesome.</p>
<p>Here’s an article about MIT’s swim test: <a href=“http://www.boston.com/news/local/articles/2006/05/08/time_to_sink_or_graduate/[/url]”>http://www.boston.com/news/local/articles/2006/05/08/time_to_sink_or_graduate/</a></p>
<p>It does not say, though, whether MIT exempts students who have physical disabilities or religious restrictions (such as religious rules that prohibit wearing a bathing suit in the presence of members of the opposite sex) that would prevent them from taking the test. Some of the other schools do exempt such students.</p>
<p>Beil1958 - I suppose it depends on a student’s circumstances. At a large public (like the one I attended) your roommate was the only one who’d notice if you disappeared for a week, and perhaps not even then! At a smaller school where students are more than a number there are plenty of people who care for each student.</p>