Empty nest is why they invented grandchildren.
But there’s also the boomerang child who returns to live at home again. I have one of those.
@scholarme, I love Once Upon a Time! One of the only shows I watch during the week.
We won’t be empty nesters, but my oldest has his own bathroom, so the dreaded “does he switch rooms or not?” because I have only one daughter left, and well, daughters and their bathroom needs and all.
Changing the subject, cross your fingers and wish us luck - we are appealing FA and are hopeful proving that 2014 was abnormally high (things like back pay and so on) and 2015 and succeeding years will be much less. Sent the paycheck related proof but can provide the tax-related proof (why we didn’t appeal FA until recently - K-1 tax form was received early April, and IRS automatic fill-in wasn’t available for weeks).
We did appeal via email - thanks for the advice! They said “don’t appeal via email AND fax AND regular mail - just use one method to avoid duplicates” which made us happy to think they really don’t care which method was used.
My other son’s summer camp hinges a bit on whether we get more FA, so we are waiting with baited breath.
@scholarme, doublecheck to see if your child needs a placement test. Sometimes the ACT/SAT score will exempt the student from placement tests.
Our DC is headed across the country for college so flying is the only reasonable option for getting there, but I’m really not eager to be driving around in an unfamiliar city to pick up supplies. Nor do I really want to be shopping. So my plan is to buy most things online (probably Amazon) and have them ship it to the school. Is that crazy? Essential items for the 1st week could easily fit in her checked baggage. Those of you with experience- let me know if this is a crazy plan.
@woodsmom ,
What about the first couple of nights? Will you pack the sheets and comforters, too? I wasn’t sure about the timing of Amazon shippments. My questions were like, will we know my D’s mail box number by the time we order through Amazon? Will college allow freshman to have many deliveries in the first week? Can she carry all the thing from school post office to her dorm? We ended up using the rent-a-car and BBB.
I was thinking sheets definitely would be in the luggage packed, but school starts in August and I can’t imagine that there would be need of a comforter or quilt should shipping take more time than expected. For summer clothing (mainly consisting of t-shirts and shorts) it would be easy to have a week’s worth or more in a checked bag along with the basic school supplies. We can ship the winter clothing later.
I agree on the mailbox number possibly being a complication. I should email the school housing office and see if they have any advice or concerns. If anyone has tried to avoid the rental car and local shopping during the crazy move-in period I’d love to hear about your experiences good or bad.
UPS has a special shipping program for college students; friends used this for their freshman daughter last year and were very happy with it:
http://www.dormco.com/Shipping_to_College_UPS_Ship_Labels_Box_Kit_p/newpkit34.htm
Congrats @singermom4 ! It is a relief, isn’t it?
If I may share some of my experience from two years ago. S flew early as he was attending a pre-orientation camp in the woods. He took a backpack and a suitcase (he was able to leave the suitcase somewhere for safe keeping). I followed a week later with two suitcases. Rented a car, did a run to BBB, Target, also Ikea. Sheets, comforter, pillows etc - all were purchased locally. From home we basically took clothes and shoes, some electronics. He had ton’s of stuff, but he was in a single for the first three semesters. Fast forward two years - he is downsizing ! Major downsizing is going on right now. I guess he needed to go through the phase of having his own “little house” but now he really embraces the simple living and says that everything that does not fit into two suitcases will be given away .
So…if you can simplify from the beginning, their life will be a little easier…and you will save some $.
@hs2015mom, am I reading the dormco website correctly? It highlights that all UPS shipping is included. If that is true, this is a good deal. I’ve compared the cost at FedEx and UPs and the prices were usually 30-50 per box.
@4CookieMonster, I’m realizing now that the link was for Dormco and not UPS themselves (I googled and grabbed a link quickly), and I can’t find a similar link at the moment for UPS; maybe this is fact the service the friends used. I’ll check; this does look like a very good deal.
Are any of your kids getting repeat emails telling them to log in and accept admittance at schools/honors programs they’ve already notified? My son has already notified every school/honors program that he is not going to attend. He’s logged on just like they told him and clicked “will not attend” weeks ago, but he is still getting emails from every school with another link to click and say yes or no. It’s annoying and time consuming, but he’s concerned they didn’t get the first response. I think they are just emailing all the accepted students without culling the email list.
@hsmom2015, UPS or any shipping information that you can find will be helpful. I would love to find a college special for shipping.
We’ve suddenly getting mail about visiting colleges again! And it is addressed to S’15 not S’18 ?
@4CookieMonster, you may also wish to check out Greyhound:
http://www.shipgreyhound.com/e/Pages/StudentsDiscount.aspx
For our boarding school excursion, we found 4 “Medium” sized household moving boxes (Home Depot, U-Haul, etc.) fit all that a dorm would comfortably hold. With one parent and one student, all this flies free on Southwest- the parent can pack in a carry-on for him/herself. (Note: the “Medium” box exactly meets the maximum luggage dimensions- keep them under 50 pounds each). Please look ahead to summer storage and to having space and airy-ness in the tiny dorm room itself, and remember that the destination has stores, and the student has common sense if you forget anything- easier to buy more than to jettison what is there. Laying in a base layer of essentials is really all that is needed.
Pack, unpack, then pack half of that, and it will still be too much! We did use the giant-sized vacuum bags to compress comforters and stuffed animals. 200# worth of stuff in 4 boxes will be enough!
We rented a car, because that is the way to get to the boarding school from the airport. 4 Medium boxes could be a tight fit in a taxi, and on the subway? Forget about it!
The ubiquitous oversized wheeled duffel was purchased for back-and-forth on the first break back home (Thanksgiving).
@singermom4, my senior is also getting lots of college mail. It’s all timed, I assume, for the kids who were waiting for acceptances or waiting to be pulled off a wait list somewhere, or all of a sudden are not happy with their choice (too big, too small, too far away). I’m happy to see there are options out there for kids who need them!
@Barfly Yes. S is still getting calls and mail from a school he has declined in both the admissions department and the music admissions department.
We are getting calls and emails from schools we declined also, today I received two parents bumper stickers for one that we said no to in Dec.
@Shoboemom hugs about your mom, that is never easy, and please don’t worry about choices that y’all have made, (they will bloom where they are planted) but I do get it, I think I will feel better after the deadline passes.
I had a total breakdown Sunday after prom, I think I realized that I will no longer be involved in dates and formals and such, we hosted the before pictures and a breakfast and sleepover after prom, so in my defense I was exhausted. But I must have sent some really desperate text to my BFF, because she was threatening to drive up from the coast and had her son texting my D to check on me. Hopefully that was me at my worst :((
D is still stuck between two choices. We talked about pros and cons of each, and she just can’t decide. I told her that she has to submit at least a day early, in case there’s a computer problem. She has no idea what to choose, even though we revisited these two schools.
I didn’t realize that May 1, which I always thought of as May Day, was becoming another thing–National College Decision Day. Our school’s daily anouncements, referred to it by name and urged the kids to wear their college regalia and the faculty their alma mater colors. There will be a poster to sign with your college of choice. Who knew?
I googled it and there’s a lot of recognition of this day.