Parents of the HS Class of 2014

<p>@lab317‌ - one packing tip I have is to pack clothing as follows:

  1. Pack a suitcase or duffle that will be used for visits home/travel.
  2. Keep all hanging clothes on hangers and put large garbage bags over them (cut a little slit in bottom of bags for hanger tops to stick out.
  3. Fill other containers being brought to school (mesh hamper, toiletry carrier, baskets) with items.
  4. Pack the rest into 1 or 2 under the bed plastic bins.</p>

<p>Try to use as few cardboard boxes as possible. Garbage bags are great because they can be squished to fit and recycled or reused afterwards.You can bring miscellaneous stuff (paper towels, plastic cups, gatorade) or shop once you have unloaded. We had space in our van, so it was cheaper to bring from home.</p>

<p>I’m assisting with the organizing much more than I did with Barnardgirl and I think it’s going to make a huge difference. I also took everything out of its original packaging (except the hot pot). I used the plastic storage containers and packed things into them in a very organized way so he doesn’t really have to unpack most of it. One plastic box with medical needs stuff, one with kitchen stuff (plates, bowls, utensils, mugs, cups), one with cleaning supplies (clorox wipes, paper towels, dish soap, dish scrubbie thing that holds soap, etc), one with daily hygiene items. THe daily hygiene thing is the only one that will really get unpacked as it will all go into his shower caddy. Then he can use that box for any open food, like chips, that he stores in his room (keep the critters away!). His bedding set came in a nice reusable storage bag but, once all the cardboard junk is out of there, it also fits a whole lot more in there so his extra sheets and his towels are packed into that also. In general, I think it’s easier to use very small boxes or garbage bags for things like shoes because when packing a car, the space to use isn’t really square like boxes. The more squishable/flexible things are, the easier it is to get them in. Some of my old tricks from when I traveled a lot… socks can be stuffed into shoes. rolling things takes less space than folding. </p>

<p>Like the the garbage bag and hung clothes idea Minnymon!</p>

<p>When hubby was buying a suit from Nordstroms he asked if he could have some extra garment bags, they gave him a bagful. </p>

<p>D is seemingly avoiding packing her clothes. She’s at the dentist now and saying her final, final goodbye to the boyfriend who isn’t her boyfriend but sure seems like it to me. We picked up the rental car today, we load up tomorrow, if we can get d to pack and shove off Thursday. We thought we’d walk around Friday on the campus and find the buildings where her classes are and pick up her books. Since I cried walking on campus going to orientation I kind of hope this lets me get it out of my system. :slight_smile: </p>

<p>@1mississippi, sounds like my S to a tee! Now he’s counting down the days left at his job (which he doesn’t love), and planning even more social events with his friends. He’s not really focused on “life after the move,” or the move itself, at all. He sent a FB message to his roommate, but hasn’t received a response, so maybe they’re on vacation or something. He’s an only child, too, who also went to a very small school - HS class of 32 students - but he’s going to a mid-size Uni with about 5,000 undergraduates and a similar number of grad students. And he, too, cares most about his new computer, which was his graduation/18th Bday present; honestly I think if we put him on a plane with a change of clothes, the computer, and his ATM card, he’d do just fine!</p>

<p>I did get him to make a small pile of things he wants me to ship (we have a friend in Denver who is willing to accept boxes that we will pick up when we arrive, since we’re flying), including some books, artwork, his “sit up in bed thingy” and his skis (also decided to ship his old, too-small skis, since it’ll be a lot easier to sell them in Denver than here in Hawaii!). So at least I get to go to UPS and make the arrangements for that. I also ordered a mattress topper and had it shipped to my friend’s place; for some reason, I started to worry that all the TwinXL ones would be sold out when we got there. I am hoping that we’ll be able to get sheets, pillows, etc. somewhere, since it is a big city.</p>

<p>I did what minnymom and Barnard mom suggest w son1 3 yrs ago & doing the same now. I bought two under the bed plastic boxes w drawers at the container store. One is packed w the sheets/blanket, the other w the towels. He’ll keep them just as they are under his bed. No unpacking once there except for the set of sheets he’ll use first. All other bedding…the mattress covers, the primaloft bed topper and duvet are in one plastic clear bag that came w the duvet. Two large under bed boxes w regular tops have all his other room stuff in them: desk lamp, floor lamp, the plastic square totes (one for medicine/ first aid, the other his daiy bath supplies already arranged), all desk supplies in their desk boxes, pens/pencils already in the pencil box, alarm clock, trash can, printer paper, etc. </p>

<p>Older son empties these and then he places his off season clothes in them and then obviously changes stuff out when it gets cold. Younger son will do same. All cleaning supplies are in his laundry basket and will go up into room first so I can clean inside the dresser and desk as DH and S bring stuff up from car. Sons prefer traditional laundry basket bc they use it as a hamper at the foot of their bed. When it’s full, time to do the laundry. (Also purchased them a laundry backpack duffle bag, which S1 used to take his laundry home after finals. He hops the train soon after his last final w no time to do laundry at school, so it’s useful.)</p>

<p>Clothes are in two duffles…larger one for winter, the other summer clothes. Clothes on hangers go in plastic garbage as minnymom stated. </p>

<p>I open all the boxes of new supplies here first before putting into totes bc it saves time. I also assemble the fan, desk lamp, vacuum here to save time, although space wise, they are more compact in the box unassembed. but I learned w S1 that it’s so much faster to set up a room when this stuff is assembled and it didn’t get unassembed after freshman year and still manages to fit in my car. </p>

<p>I purchased a flat weave rug from west elm on sale (nearly $500 marked down to $112) that I’m able to fold into fours or tightly roll. Flat weaves are light weight but very durable if made of wool. Fits into a garbage bag.</p>

<p>Also, a friend just suggested to me to send son w paper dishes and bowls bc her son just dumped them in the bathroom garbage rather than having to wash. Said all his friends wished their moms had thought of that. I bought cheap bowl & dish at ikea but went to stop & shop yesterday to buy paper. S1 would take the time to wash bc he’s neat but S2 isn’t. </p>

<p>After years of being an interior designer, I’m pretty good at room organization.</p>

<p>Also, be sure to put up command hooks for winter coat, sweatshirt, towel, umbrella & small one for keys. If it’s organized, they’re more apt to find stuff easily. Put up command hooks as soon as your kid has arranged the furniture in the room bc they take about an hour to “set.” </p>

<p>Fever broke! 2 antibiotics did the trick. thank you guys for your well wishes and prayers… I have never seen my D so sick before. doctor says she’ll be mostly well enough to go to college but the cough may stick around for months ugh. she has three roommates so I hope she doesn’t annoy them with coughing at night. thank God for fans!</p>

<p>have to thank my 2014 parents on CC buddies also for mentioning the homeowners insurance thing. I called today and everything is covered so I save money thanks to you guys!</p>

<p>I bought a safe big enough to put her computer in and was going to put it in her closet… but I am now questioning if it’s just going to sit there and maybe I should have just gotten a smaller one. We’ll see!</p>

<p>I have been spending time at Bryn Mawr College while another child takes a summer camp. wow what a gorgeous college!</p>

<p>@cakeisgreat‌, so glad your daughter is feeling better! What a relief! </p>

<p>Where did you buy the safe…it’s the last thing on my list to buy?</p>

<p>@cakeisgreat, Happy to hear your D is doing better. </p>

<p>Thank you all for posting great information about move-in. D is going far away, now I am wondering if we should send the passport with her just in case.</p>

<p>We need to buy a laptop for D and are wondering whether we should buy the Mac instead of windows laptop. She is going into engineering and not sure if windows is a better choice. Personally I like Apple products as they are built to last. I would love to hear what you thought about the windows vs mac for engineering students.</p>

<p>DS is an engineering major and we got him a MacBook Pro a few weeks ago. Consensus in the college group was that Macs were more than fine for engineers. And then we watched an only in course selection guide with a panel of three engineering profs who used a Mac for their presentation. If it was good enough for the professors, we figured it would be good enough for the students. </p>

<p>Apparently at Case they have loaner laptops if for some reason a student needs one and upperclassmen said that you could always get one of those if for some strange reason you had to use a windows machine. But it definitely didn’t sound like that situation would come up very often, if at all.</p>

<p>We bought a small digital lock safe box for D. It is the same model that S has used for three years and will be for the passport, SS card, health information, extra meds, and related items. We got it at Office Max with a $30 off coupon. The shopping is done and D has started assembling and sorting the “pile” into more functional catagories. She got her dorm assignment and was fortunate to get a room with a sink and vanity which will save trips down the hall for the little things like brushing teeth. She is also on the first floor which will be convenient and make move-in quick and easy.</p>

<p>We have been inundnated with Orientation information for both D and we parents. Villanova appears very organized regarding their move-in and orientation programs. Much better than three years ago with S moving in as a freshman at Georgetown.</p>

<p>D is Info/System major and we got her Mac from macmall.com. It was on sale during Father’s Day and it was a little bit cheaper than Apple even with the educational discount. We also got Parallel Desktop so the laptop can be used either on Mac or Windows mode (simultaneusly/parallel). It was about $89 extra but I got a $49 rebate.</p>

<p>@Maryjay60‌ we are sending a passport because DS’s school is near the Canadian border and it is not uncommon for the kids to go up there. Also we have relatives in Canada, so if there were heaven forbid a death in the family and he needed to travel there separately from us he could. It’s also the easiest way to prove work eligibility – the only single document a lot of places will take (otherwise you need birth certificate plus driver’s license for id and proof of citizenship). </p>

<p>@cakeisgreat, so glad the fever broke!</p>

<p>@Overtheedge‌ re: banks, my DS1 kept his home account, which we can easily transfer money to, but also opened a local one at school. When he works during the school year he deposits his pay there, and also uses their ATMs to draw cash on the rare occasions that he needs it. (DS2 is going to school in state and they have our home bank’s ATMs on campus. yay!) </p>

<p>My kids pack in large duffel bags mostly. We do some small plastic boxes to organize certain things. For hanging clothes, keep them on the hangers, attach a number of hangers together with cable ties or rubber bands, and take a garbage bag (unscented!) make a hole in the bottom, and put it over the clothes. Instant budget “garment bag”. </p>

<p>We are a week from move-in day. At least my son acknowledged that he needed to pack some things to wear! He mentioned something about shorts over dinner last night. I told him that once I put together the last of his older brother’s stuff (his older brother is out of town at the moment), he could lay out items on that queen-sized bed. That way, he could see what he was taking. I have a small box of things to send down to his roommate’s home – his mom and I have traded e-mails several times, and the couple of boxes mailed means that the load will be a bit lighter to pack. </p>

<p>Six weeks after move in, we have parents weekend! I mentioned this over dinner. My son’s reaction was if I wanted to come, fine. If not, fine. Well, he probably would be upset if I did not make it, although he would never say a thing. So I got a really good deal on a flight, hotel and car. Did not tell him, but my husband said that it is good I made plans to visit. If my husband can join me, great. It depends on his work schedule. </p>

<p>@renaissancemom I bought the safe on Amazon using prime shipping. It is the digital safe with a set of keys and big enough for her Mac to fit into.I think it was $100 …will update after awhile to let everyone know if she actually locks up her computer at night.</p>

<p>W bought her Mac on the website about two weeks ago and there was a$100 Mac gift card attached as an incentive…might still be going on.</p>

<p>The $100 gift card offer will soon be gone if it isn’t already. It’s an incentive to move old inventory as they roll out the new version of MacBook Pros. There is a similar promotion for iPads and for phones too (I think). Rumor for the new iPhone launch is September 6.</p>

<p>I just got DS a small safe to hold passport and other small items, also from Amazon with prime. I know my son and he is never going to put his laptop in a safe just to go to the bathrooms, etc. so I just bought him a locking cable for use in his dorm room.</p>

<p>It will be a bit of a change for him coming from a school environment where kids left their laptops, phones, calculators, and other valuables just lying around in the hallways (and this is a public school). The only items kids didn’t leave around was food!</p>

<p>Apple has been running that summer promotion for at least five years now. They initially offered a $229 iPod Touch as the ‘gift with purchase’ of a student computer, and those iPods were definitely the older models that would be updated in September, but their product launch cycle hasn’t been as predictable of late. Are they still offering the free $99 printer or did that disappear also?</p>

<p>I had heard the new phone would not be out until either Oct 14th or 18th. I hope you are correct about Sept 6th @2014novamom as I am ready to replace my 4S or whatever it is called. If the new phone is much larger, I will just go with last year’s model.</p>

<p>I too am concerned about my son actually using the safe. Costco has a Sentry for $80 that will hold the 15 inch laptop, but I can see it remaining empty all year. </p>

<p>Oops, I mistyped. September 9 is anticipated launch date according to Forbes and other sources. </p>

<p><a href=“iPhone 6 Given September 9 Launch Date. Here's What To Expect”>http://www.forbes.com/sites/gordonkelly/2014/08/05/iphone-6-launch-date/&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

<p>DD18 is due for a new phone (she still has her non-smart phone from 5th grade) so the debate will be whether to wait for the iPhone 6 or get the 5s for what will surely be a cheaper price. DS is not due for an upgrade until next October and he has the 5s anyway. I am an Android fan so the release doesn’t affect me.</p>

<p>I’ve been off the boards for months and finally back in this am and have been reading for an hour…even took notes so thank you all for the great ideas. Our girls move into USC on 2 separate days as one got the preferred dorm and the other well, she will need to adapt. We sent a bunch of stuff last week while at Orientation (checked bags, left with family who lives in the area) and used the space bags. OMG those things work like a charm even for chair pillows - fit easily into a suitcase. I’m in denial. Have 1 1/2 weeks until we leave; won’t see them again until mid November. Can’t fathom it.</p>

<p>8/01 Calla1’s S – UCSB
8/08 Beadymom’s S — UAlabama (early move-in Honors program)
8/08 Maryjay60’s S — UAlabama (early move-in Honors program)
8/09 Eyemamom’s D — Auburn
8/11 go2mom’s D – Vanderbilt
8/13 Classof2015’s S — College of Charleston
8/12 2014 Novamom’s S – Case Western (early move in for varsity sport)
8/13 Momreads’s S – U. of Alabama in Huntsville (early move in for varsity sport)
8/15 Gertrude McFuzz’s D — Temple
8/15 Onlyonemom’s S — UVM - Honors college (Trek program - actually move in August 22)
8/16 lab317’s D – Willamette University (early move-in outdoor program- actual 8/21)
8/16 4beardolls’s S – Vanderbilt
8/16 jrmama496’s S — Vanderbilt
8/16 yellowgranite56’s D — Vanderbilt
8/17 austinareadad’s S – Rice
8/17 Ordinarylives’s D – Simpson College
8/18 Dave_N’s S – University of Pittsburgh
8/18 3Tallblonds D1 - USC
8/19 1dilecon’s D — Pepperdine University
8/19 12dandelion’s D – Rochester Institute of Technology
8/19 AvonHSDad’s D - Villanova
8/20 Cakeisgreat’s D – Quinnipiac honors
8/20 Momfromme’s S - Columbia (before outdoor trip)
8/20 3Tallblonds D2 - USC
8/21 Ovrseasmom’s S – University of Pennsylvania
8/21 Vandyeyes – Tulane
8/21 RenaissanceMom’s S – Tufts (public service pre-orientation program; orientation begins on 8/27)
8/22 2018dad’s D — Cornell
8/22 CT1417’s S – Cornell
8/22 mdcmom’s D – Cornell
8/22 mathmomvt’s S – UVM - Honors college
8/22 tperry1982 D – Yale
8/23 Overtheedge’s D — Sewanee
8/23 AsleepattheWheel’s S – Emory (outdoor trip for three days starting 8/19 – then we move him in)
8/23 1mississippi’s S – Mississippi College
8/25 My2sonsfromca’s S — Emerson
8/27 staceyneil’s D — Mount Holyoke
8/28 BarnardMom’s S — UMichigan
8/29 Bisouu’s D — Drew University
8/29 smakl70’s S - Rose-Hulman Institute of Tech.
8/30 akmom124’s D — Brown
8/31 Sweetbeet’s S – University of Denver </p>