@Ballerina016, I don’t know. Will she have a safe at school, would she keep it in there? Will she get a job right away? Or could you bring it when you visit?
I can understand washing the ss card because it is so small but I can’t understand washing your Birth Certificate! I don’t get how that would even fit in a pocket. @sseamom
We have a wallet size birth certificate
Buy your “DD/DS” a small, inexpensive safe/lockbox and let them learn to be responsible with their documents and other valuables. Also if if not too late and applicable, do renew passports – you never know what cool opportunities could arise.
DS owns both a passport and a passport card, and he will take the card with him, along with his driver’s license…and hopefully he has memorized his social security number. I’ll keep the passport itself at home.
I recommend the card to anyone renewing a passport.
For your entertainment: We received the first SOS from our son Sunday. He was out of bottled water and apple juice. That’s all he drinks other than milk. Mind you, he and his roommate were fully stocked when we left on Thursday. We are thankful my sister answered the SOS Monday morning. #firstworldproblems #collegelife
Even after reading warnings to check things that might expire, we received a postcard that my son’s license expired in June! I was able to renew it online yesterday; however, I panicked before I discovered online renewal.
Here you can renew driver’s license online and then you have to go to a photo center in person and they give you your actual license.
My home state has wallet-sized birth certificates too. However, knowing my son, had we not gotten that for him, he’d have just folded up the larger version into a tiny size and shoved it into a pocket, and would have washed that too. I know I taught him better-I can’t forget the “squirrel eye” story my mom told us. Luckily my brother did NOT have squirrel eyes in his pocket like the neighbor kid told his mother he did, but I’ve never done wash without double-checking every pocket of every item going into the wash, and my kids all know that story.
@Justathought1 my D has been complaining about the water in TN and has jokingly suggested someone send her some form one of the companies that has local bottled water. Um nope. You have filtered water bottle kid. Use it.
Thanks for the replies. DS will probably just take his driver’s license and medical cards. I have made copies of everything else- from passport main page to SS card & credit card. He has one drawer of his desk that you can lock- so, hopefully he will keep them secure.
“I know I taught him better-I can’t forget the “squirrel eye” story my mom told us. Luckily my brother did NOT have squirrel eyes in his pocket like the neighbor kid told his mother he did, but I’ve never done wash without double-checking every pocket of every item going into the wash, and my kids all know that story.”
Dear Audience Member:
If the mention of squirrel eyes do not confuse you then you know you have been a regular watcher of this series, paying close attention, and have come to relate to the character and all the ways the character sees himself, and the way in which the actor portrays the character. 
I check pockets but still find guitar picks, gum wrappers and money in the washer. The money I find is mine
@carolinamom2boys , congrats to your son on the AP Scholar with Distinction!
@mommdc I claim all money from the wash too! I consider it my tip! I was tipped $7 this week!
Proud that my low GPA son managed to get National AP Scholar. Also, UMass is very generous with AP so he got 44 credits. Sounds crazy, but it will allow him to fit a double major in and give him flexibility in general.
Re SS and Passport. I’ll probably send them, to be kept in a “book safe” which will function mostly as a special place so they don’t get lost in a messy desk. Doesn’t even lock, but it is pretty cool – made out of a real book.
When a hs grad goes into college with a lot of credits already earned from AP or DE, be careful. If that student is involved with scholarships, grants, or other financial aid, that aid spigot might abruptly shut off as soon as that student has earned the minimum requirements for his or her degree (the Bachelors, declared major/s and minor/s, and general education courses). Check on that now and plan accordingly. The trick is to make sure to save some non-negotiable requirement (in a declared major or minor or in the general eds) until the very last desired semester or quarter of the student’s undergrad career. You see, if the college could post a completed degree at some point, any subsequent courses a continuing student takes would not be supported with financial aid. YMMV
My DD has a bunch of AP/DE credits too and is looking forward to the early registration perk! I wish I had known where she’d end up and the AP/DE policy. I knew colleges all have different rules on how they accept AP/DE credits but at OU the different departments have different rules. OU will accept any amount of AP/DE credit for class standing but the meteorology department will only allow 32 AP credits but will allow upto 64 DE credits to count toward her degree requirements. If I had know that I would have had her take more DE classes and less AP! We don’t have to worry about the degree requirements because her scholarship explicitly states it’s for 5 years and can be used toward graduate study if funds are left after undergraduate degree completion.
Looking over her Degree Navigator it looks like she was given credit for the highest level classes applicable but the some lower level classes she was not given credit for based on the max AP credit rule. She’s going to talk to her adviser again. She doesn’t have a problem with taking more higher level classes to earn the number of credits but really doesn’t want to waste time retaking classes she has already taken and clearly mastered.
DS has a drivers license so that plus certified copy of birth certificate will be enough for employment. The birth certificate is easier to replace than his passport. Tried to obtain a passport card but the clerk messed up so did not receive one. Also sending a copy of his medical form so he will have that basic info.
Just checked the weather forecast and it very well may be raining at move in. As long as I cry outside no one will know, right?
At our school , you can’t take a class that you receive AP credit for again unless decline your AP credit for that class. Also, in order to get his STEMs enhancement sophomore through his senior year , he needs to take 14 credits of STEMs courses his freshman year( not including his AP credits ) so he’s saving his credits to later years for gen Ed classes. At our school @3scoutsmom , if the student receives AP credit for a higher level class, it is usually a higher number of credits ( like 8) that includes the credits for the lower class and let’s them place out of the prerequisite class. ( does that make sense, I may not be explaining it the best) My son has also declined his English credit because what he would have to do to get the credit ( make a portfolio independently ) , it seemed easier to take the class and get more experience with college writing. All this to say, he’s going to pick and choose what classes he takes.
@Cheeringsection Don’t forget to pack tarps. We have to unload the car onto the sidewalk and park , then take the load in to his room. We plan on taking 4. 2 for the ground and 2 to cover his stuff.
Someone above mentioned looking at empty closets and feeling sad. Last night we finished packing up D’s clothes and had a different experience. She still had a ton of clothes in her closet that she most likely is never going to wear again. D was a very involved kid in high school in both cheer and gymnastics, so we have leotards, warm ups, cheer jacket, sweatpants, and probably about 20 shirts that have her high school name and either a cheer or gymnastics design. She did take a few of the tshirts to sleep in, but the majority of it is being left behind, and I don’t know if she’ll wear much of it again. We were trying to figure out what to do with all of it For now, everything is still hanging in the closet. I think this is when she finally realized that that whole part of her life is really over.