Hello everyone. The only child in the family to go to college was moved in a few months ago and I was just wondering how things went for everyone else out there. We got there 30 minutes before the first move in time anticipating a line but they were all ready to move her in. She was the second one there infact! It took all but 30 minutes to bring everything to the room and get everything set up. Share your move in stories here! How long did it take? Were there long lines? How long did it take to set up the room? Did your child send things back with you? Was anything forgotten?
My son was “road tripped” to college by 2 of his 3 older brothers and the best friend of my oldest son, who is like another older brother to S17. I didn’t go. I was told that they were moved in within 20 minutes, oldest son actually helped him make up his bed and second son put his stuff in the closet and drawers. That took less than an hour. Then, they went out to eat. After that, the other boys turned around to come home. As a treat, I paid for them to do the Niagara Falls boat ride and to visit a local military museum. He didn’t send anything home. He didn’t really forget anything but I have since sent him a couple of care packages including things like the tea bags and hot chocolate he likes, warmer gloves and thermal underwear.
This past weekend, my 3rd son and I visited for family weekend. We bought him some different soap, headphones and a couple of other small things he asked for.
We live too far away from our D’s college to drive there so my wife and I flew there with our D. It was quite an adventure getting there due to a long layover and an air traffic control system computer failure which delayed hundreds of flights that, but we made it. I had reserved an SUV as a rental car and all of carry-ons and checked luggage we brought thankfully made it with us and filled the vehicle. We could only take with us what fit in our carry-on and checked luggage. My wife and I intentionally traveled light to give our D more room to bring her essentials. We flew home with a couple empty suitcases and put a smaller one inside of a larger one for the flights home.
We pre-ordered bedding and towels from Bed, Bath, and Beyond. As soon as we had checked into our hotel, we stopped by the Bed, Bath, and Beyond store closest to her college to pick-up the merchandise we ordered.
Our D participated in an optional special orientation program her college offered before the regular Freshman orientation program, so there weren’t that many people on campus yet and it was pretty easy to get her dorm key and get what we brought with us moved into her dorm room. The college seemed to max out all available time for their student orientation program so we saw very little of our daughter before we left. We helped our D get her dorm room set-up and unpacked while she was away with her orientation program and I made a couple trips to the campus bookstore since the college mandated use of the electrical surge suppressor strips and extensions they sell in their bookstore for those living in their dorms. We found that the dorm rooms had too few electrical outlets so we had to get creative to ensure she had an accessible outlet for her computer, lamps, coffee maker, and rented mini-refrigerator, and microwave oven.
Our D doesn’t have a car on campus. While she was in her orientation program, we did the parent’s orientation and in the evenings went shopping at local stores to help her get her initial supply of consumables, such as soap, shampoo, detergent, etc. and other items, such as lamps and storage units for her dorm closets that were impractical to ship by plane.
Although our D’s college is located near a major city, we found that with several colleges in the area starting their Fall semesters, many of the department stores were sold out of the things we were looking for, so we had to trek to several different malls and shopping centers to find exactly what we wanted. My wife and I were basically familiar with the area from previous visits, but it was nice to get reacquainted with the city.
We allowed plenty of time before my wife and I flew home because we didn’t want to rush or hurry anything. We were also able to have lunch with our D’s roommate’s parents at the college dining hall before we left, and that was reassuring.
We don’t consider ourselves helicopter parents by any means, but we wanted to set our D up for success since her daily schedule during orientation was so full and she didn’t have a car.
Thinking back to freshman year…it was quick and easy. The college assigned us a time slot to drop her off at the dorm, and they had lots of help available with big wheelie bins to haul everything to her room. With two giant wheeled bins and a couple of strong teen boy volunteers…we got everything inside in one trip.
Her two roommates were best friends from childhood, and were very different people than my kiddo. Differences got to be a little much, so she switched her housing arrangement at the Christmas break on good terms with everyone. She loved her second semester roommate, and all her roommates since.
This year my kiddo rented an apartment with a friend. Very easy move in. Furnished apartment. The girls split up the list of necessary communal items and it was a very fun move in. We did move a lizard and fish this time…which was a little more challenge. My kiddo’s school is an urban pedestrian campus, very little parking, excellent busing everywhere…so no point in having a car when her roommate already has one for grocery trips (and only one parking spot comes with the apartment)
Once we got her stuff in and lofted her bed, freshman year…we made a pretty quick exit. She was excited to go meet a friend she’d made in orientation and go explore her new city.