<p>How early can your upperclassman child move into his dorm before the first day of classes? My daughter’s school had the returning students move in on Saturday and classes began on Monday. My daughter is very organized and felt she wasn’t “ready” for the start of class. She wanted her room all organized and have a bit of down time before classes started Monday morning but felt very rushed. Between going to retrieve items stored, unpacking in the 92 degree heat without AC, running to the grocery store and Target for last minute items, and visiting with friends not seen for months, my daughter was whipped! Some students were able to get in their rooms on Thursday and Friday as they either were on sports teams or had jobs on campus. Next year my daughter really wants more time to adjust. </p>
<p>How long does it take your student to settle in? Is my daughter just too anal or do you think 48 hours is enough time to get settled?</p>
<p>My son had the same timetable as your daughter. We live far away, and my son did have some things that he wanted to do at school to prepare for this semester, so we did arrive a day early and stayed in a hotel. It was hectic for my son too, but he accomplished whatever he needed to do to settle in. We helped him move in and get organized (4 people got the job done in a bit over an hour).</p>
<p>DS is <em>choosing</em> to move in late Tuesday or early Wednesday for a Thursday start of classes. He could, as an upperclassman, have moved in as early as Sunday.</p>
<p>With 3 of us to schlep and unpack and with him being an S instead of a D, I’m expecting a couple of hours for move/settle in. I think that’s about what it was last year. Should go smoothly.</p>
<p>Some kids learn all kinds of things when going to college - like maybe the world does not revolve around them and they might need to do some things when they aren’t “ready” and when they feel rushed.</p>
<p>My daughter is also choosing to go in a little later than she needs to – I think the dorms open for returning students on Thursday, but she will fly out Saturday morning, arriving during evening hours. She also has the added factor of meeting her roommates in suite-style housing for the first time – she wanted a single so she opted for waitlist status, which has worked out great but of course she had no choice as to roommies. She does know one girl and has now met the others via Facebook - but of course they will all be trying to set up housekeeping in their shared kitchen as well. </p>
<p>She told me this week, after keeping mum for a year, that she had tremendous difficulty handling all her luggage on her own last year when she moved in – so this year she shipped out a lot of stuff – 3 big boxes went out by Fed Ex yesterday – so she plans to move with a single large suitcase plus a carryon. But given the typical state of her bedroom at home, I think she will function well living amid chaos – in fact, if she simply dumps out all her shoes and clothes onto the dorm room floor and then spreads it around a little, it will be just like home. </p>
<p>Actually, she’s a little more orderly than that – she tidies up once a week on Sundays, so to be truthful I am describing the state of things on Saturdays. But since she is flying in on a Saturday night… all should be fine. (I believe classes start on Tuesday).</p>
<p>At my daughter’s school, freshmen moved in on Saturday, everyone else on Sunday and classes started on Monday. This just became her routine. It seemed to work out well.</p>
<p>DS and DH flew 1700 miles on Friday, moved him in on Saturday and classes started on Monday. DH was the one who had a hard time crawling out of bed on Monday morning for work after getting home at 10:30 p.m. Sunday.</p>
<p>D1’s school has non-freshman move in the Saturday prior to classes starting on Monday, and although we live far away, we have made made it work. She, too, is obsessively organized and likes to have everything in its place asap. So after her sophomore year, when she realized she wanted to be able to move back early, she volunteered for her school’s group who arrive early on campus to help the freshman move in. Has done it for two years now. I dropped her off last Tuesday, she did her work Wednesday, and has had the rest of the week to socialize, and get her life in order before classes started yesterday. I’d see if the school has a volunteer group that helps freshman move in, and find out how she can sign up for next year if she wants the extra time on campus before classes start.</p>
<p>D2 (freshman) moved in Friday - classes started Monday. Her school also, has non-freshman volunteers help freshman move in, so they were probably allowed to move in Wednesday or so the week prior to starting classes yesterday, but really only had to ‘work’ Friday. Non-freshman/non-volunteer move-in was Saturday.</p>
<p>having moved, oh say, 20 times in my life, and having lived out of boxes for weeks after moving in, college students will survive if not all their clothes are lined up just right, their desk is a bit disorganized</p>
<p>welcome to the real world</p>
<p>sometimes you are hired for a job and walk into a mess, and don’t have time to get your drawers lined</p>
<p>My son got to move in a week early because of a pre-orientation camping trip. We all loved this–that he could move in early I mean–we didn’t all go on the camping trip! Then we returned for orientation and finished the move-in. I’d still be there if it wasn’t frowned upon. Ha-ha–just kidding–I still probably have a life.</p>
That’s my school schedule as well. Many students live off campus or work during orientation week, though, so a large portion of the students are on campus before that Saturday.</p>
<p>At my son’s college, freshmen move in at least one week before classes begin during which time they have dorm meetings/activities and are offered a large selection of First Year Experience activities on and off campus. And activities range from Habitat for Humanity project, wilderness experience, sports, comedy improv, college newspaper, music groups and athletics. By the time classes started he knew everone on his floor and about 20 others who were in his wilderness outing group.</p>
<p>I think upperclass move in day was the saturday before classes which seems like ample time. Our son is in an off campus apartment with 8 friends and he went back 9 days early.</p>
<p>Well I guess my child is unusual then. Her room was unpacked, she just wanted more time to settle herself. After a long two day drive(20+ hours) and then move in day, she felt like she was rushed. She wanted more time to go through her books for the following day, check out new activities, meet her new hall mates, and just have a day or two to unwind. She needed to meet with a couple of professors and would have liked to have done so before classes started but didn’t have time. It was no biggie, she was fine with the two days before, she just would have liked more time. Next year she will find a way to move in early!!</p>
<p>What she may well find is that she’ll be able to do all this during the first week(s) of classes without it being as much as a stress as she’s viewing it now. Usually, there is not a huge work load in the first few days, and kids find time to finish fixing up the room, meet friends, go over books, etc. </p>
<p>My S, on the same schedule as Calmom’s D, is choosing to come in Sunday for a Tuesday start. He’s pretty laidback on scheduling (maybe a little too laidback), but his more stressy sister also usually went with one day off before classes. It was good for her to become more flexible. I think as they move on in their college careers, they learn to work with the time constraints more easily.</p>
<p>You are correct it is what it is. I wish she didn’t have a huge work load the first two days, but this isn’t grade school. She had hours of reading and a good bit of writing for her language class. She is happy to be back in school and has adjusted well!</p>
<p>Berkeley has a whole week. Kids move in Sunday and start classes the following Monday. In between they have “Wecome Week”. Seems like a long time but I think its nice, especially for huge schools where it may take a awhile to find your way around etc.</p>
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