Stupid typos- my apologies. Geez I must be tired. Ha!
This is not the exact article that I read years ago but it has the same general information about why some play video games. It might help your DSâs understand (in the short term) why their roommates are playing so many games right now. It is a way of coping. https://www.psychreg.org/why-people-play-video-games/
Hopefully the gaming will diminish as they settle in to campus life.
Hi everybody! So fun to read all of the move in stories. Sorry to those of you with roommate problems, I hope they all work out with the help of the RAs!
We just got back from our move in. Overall everything went smoothly and D seems to be settling in and happy. I havenât gotten too much information yet but sounds like she has met some new friends and likes her dorm. Here is the long version if you are interested. 
We flew to New Orleans Tuesday morning with 3 huge suitcases and 1 carry on size suitcase. Dâs best friend is also going to Tulane so we flew down with them. On the way to the airport we saw a huge 18 wheeler completely decide out in Tulane logos - so crazy to see that all the way here in south Florida! I look did up online and it sounds like it is the football gear truck and the company who made it is located in the town next to us - made it was just making its way back to NO? Then when we were getting not he plane we liked out the window and there was a truck that said Green Wave Oil - the green wave is Tulaneâs mascot so I took these as great signs!
We had a little problem with the rental car - we booked a mini van months ago but when we got there they said no more vans or SUVs and our only choice was a regular car or a 12 passenger van! After a little back and forth a mini van showed up and we were off to shop. We hit Home Goods, TJ Maxx, BBB and Target in just a few hours. Dâs roommate landed a bit before us so she met us at Home Goods which was really fun.
Target was wiped out, I mean even the shampoo aisle was practically empty! BBB was amazing, the pack and hold system was so organized and it was like a party in there. As soon as we walked in a man started giving us directions, there was Tulane swag all over the store, back by the desk where you got your pick up list there was a lady giving out samples of jambalaya, the store was totally stocked with anything you could need (it was a 2 story BBB so tons of room) and everywhere you turned there were people asking if you needed help.
Wednesday was the actual move in day. Our time slot was 12-2 and we got to the line about 12:10 - this was our only problem of the day. Dâs dorm is the biggest at 12 floors and it only has 2 elevators so the move in is pretty slow. We were in line for almost an hour and a half before it was our turn! Once it was our turn it was super organized, a bunch of kids descend upon tour car and haul everything out as they send you inside to check in. You wait your turn for the elevator and off you go.
The actual move in was good but a little hard because her roommate was moving in at the same time - not a ton of room in there for 6 people and a ton of stuff! D didnât have to be back until 8pm so we took her back to the hotel for one last non-communal shower.
Thursday DH and I went back to the stores to get a few things D still needed. We had a meeting at 11:30 but when we got to campus at 11 could not find parking anywhere! DH dropped me off and it took him 45 minutes to find a spot, he texted me that he was coming as soon as the meeting let out.
When we came out we saw a bunch of people lined up at another building. Turned out the kids had meeting at the same time and they were about to come out. They had a bunch of orientation leaders lined up holding beads with a Tulane Class of 2023 decoration on them and the marching band was there. As the kids filed out they played fun music and handed out the beads like it was mardi gras - very cute.
We had 2 hours after that before we were supposed to leave for good. We lugged all of the stuff up to Dâs room and helped her organize a bit more. Had a chance to say goodbye to her roommate and family (who we loved!) then met up with the best friend and family. Saying goodbye to the friend got me all teared up, she is like another daughter to us and we will miss her being here all the time.
Next we took D to the food court to grab a sandwich before she had to go to her next meeting. By the time we were ready for our goodbye she only had about 2 minutes left. We walked outside and a million freshman kids were walking past on their way to the same meeting - not an ideal spot to do our last hugs! Oh well, we found a spot and said goodbye very quickly. All three of us started to tear up but didnât have time to really lose it which I think was good for all of us.
Once D was gone we made a quick trip to the bookstore then met our friends for beers at the local college bar which was fun. We had some fun in the French Quarter that night then flew home last night.
Phew, that was long! Hope they rest of you have easy move in days!
My daughter moved in last Tuesday. She shares a quad room with two other girls. This is a temporary room and D will be assigned a permanent room after the first semester. The third roommate will not move in because the housing administration found a permanent room for her.
Dâs schedule was fully programmed by the orientation people. She did not have much free time with me after moving in. She had less than 2 hours with me for an early dinner and shopping for dorm neccessary items in Tuesday afternoon. I did not receive any news from her since then. She has a lots of things to discover, absorb, adjust, focus and get ready for classes this coming Tuesday. I decided to give her some space and did not want to distract her with phone calls or text messages.
Good luck to all parents and kids with moving in activities!
Itâs an exciting time for everyone.
Hoping to find some time this week to read everyoneâs move-in stories. We had a lovely day at HWS for drop-off, though they really kept us too long. Started at 8:30 in the morning waiting in line to get orientation folder, room key, etc. , meet the President and all the Deans, then we were able to settle in. They had hoardes of kids ready to unload the car and cart everything up the stairs for us. That was nice. Then a lovely lunch, meet freshman seminar professor, session with the Dean on parenting your Hobart student. Greeting from the President (which was hilarious) and then parent good-bye. But we didnât get on the road until 5:40. It was a long day and a long ride home, but the campus was beautiful and they did such a nice job of welcoming us all. Roommate seems very nice - in all, it was a great experience. Classes start Monday. He will be taking Chinese because that was the only class available T/Th mornings. It wasnât on the radar at all, but hey - wouldnât be a bad thing to know, right?
We are done with move in! It wore us out so we are staying locally for one more night, but D is all settled in. It didnât get off to the best start. We got there just five minutes after the earliest arrival time, D got her ID and key⊠and there was someone living in her room already. There was much back and forth about where D should go. First to a different room (the other girlâs assigned room) that was smaller and lacking a few important things (a window screen, a bar to hang things on in the closet). Then the girl in my Dâs room realized that her suite mate with whom sheâd already connected would be in her correct suite so she wanted her real room. So then we had to help the girl move out of our Dâs room before moving my D in. We had a strict three hour window to move in, get anything she was missing, set up, and get out. The room debacle ate about half of it. We moved at warp speed and got it all done on time though. Now Iâm exhausted. I surprised myself by not crying at all, and neither did she.
In the last 8 days we have driven or stayed in 8 states and seen Canada. Last Friday we piled all of S17âs stuff in the back of truck. We had waterproof bins. Stopped in DC to pick up D17. Headed to Jersey for a family thing last Sunday. Monday move-in was 11am and was 5 hours from Jersey, so we drove 1/2 way. S had an early move-in so it went very smoothly . After getting everything in the room, did a target run to get Fridge and other stuff. Also one of the monitors did not make it. Had a family special program that evening. The next morning he had a program, so we tooled around Rochester. Met up with him with basic food items and new monitor. That night was the university family program and then happy hour. Met a lot of other parents . Wed was convocation and then we said our goodbyes and went âwineingâ in upstate NY and ended up at the falls. Stayed in Buffalo. Then drove to DC Thursday, friday in the rain, got all of D17âs stuff from storage. I swear that girl will need a 3000 Sft house before she is 25! . Left midday and drove half way home. Finally home to my empty nest.
S19 is settling in . His roommate is from a different country, which sorta disappointed him at first, but will be ok. HE has set rules about lights out at 11pm, since he is an early to bed type. (which was on his profile). About gaming, when my son is âboredâ he will be on his computer all day. Hopefully once class starts these other gamers will not be on as much.
Dont ever want to do a roadtrip like that again , at least not in the near future.
@momtogkc Ah, I teared up reading about your goodbye!
@milgymfam Wow what a story about someone poaching your Dâs room. Glad it worked out, but must have been nerve wracking
@milgymfam wow what a story, and what a cheek! D19 was first in her room, double checked that she could choose any bed, and then sat there in angst about whether or not to take the better one or wait for her roommate to discuss it. Quite the opposite!
She seems to have had a busy and enjoyable welcome week. Classes start on Monday; she swapped one class out and is looking forward to all her classes, I think.
My daughter actually chastised my husband- he was on a mission to get her a room with a screen at least- because she said why would she be more worthy of fresh air than whoever was assigned to the other rooms. She didnât want to take away something from someone who was assigned to it. She was going to accept the crappy room with a smile until the girl insisted she wanted her real room- then we overheard the girl making a complaint about the screen and the closet bar. I donât blame her at all, but it was kinda funny after she insisted on the switch and we spent an hour of our move-in time relocating all of her stuff.
ETA: I have to admit I was wrong, btw. She absolutely fit all of her stuff into her tiny space, and it is really cozy and super âherâ.
Oh man - the video games can be a real problem, I see. DS was never really big into them, as we resisted getting him a console until just a few years ago. He opted not to take it with him. I donât think his roomate had one either, but it will be interesting to see. So far, Iâve only sent and received texts. Trying to resist from calling because I know they are really busy right now with orientation activities.
Great reading all the stories, though there seem to be some really hairy stories. @milgymfam Iâm on your husbandsâs side. If some kid decided to switch their assigned room with my D, so as to get a âbetterâ room, without asking, I would have simply told them that they have 5 minutes to start removing it or I would start dumping it in the hall. I also think that D19 would behave like your D - she would chastise me. As for choosing the side - Iâm pretty sure that my D will ask her roommate which side she wants - they are already discussing room decor and furnishing over text.
Just to make life a bit more difficult, a week ago, at D19âs last dentist appointment before leaving, the dentist told her that her wisdom teeth need to come out, and sooner, rather than later. So D19 had all 4 removed on Thursday afternoon. Luckily, the surgeon was amazing, and D19 heals quickly. Itâs only been a bit over 48 hours, and the bleeding stopped, there very little pain (a couple of Ibuprofen are enough), and the swelling is already subsiding.
On the other hand, she may not have enough contact lenses, and her new glasses frames are not here, so we do not know whether there will be enough time to get her new lenses fitted - she may have to get that done in Middlebury.
Sheâs in the middle of packing, and we will buy the rest of the stuff tomorrow or Monday, and finish packing. Move in is on the 2nd, though D19 gets to move in a day earlier, with the other 1st year Posse kids. We will be driving, and the plan is to leave on the 29th (we originally planned the 28th, but something came up).
Itâs almost time, and I donât know whether any of us is ready.
@milgymfam How fun! You got to practice âmove outâ before you did âmove in.â 
Glad your D got the good room after all.
S19 has given up on his gaming roommate and spends most of his free time inâŠthe womenâs dorm, a ways away from his own honors dorm. A girl (an honest to goodness model, no less) whom he was acquainted with in our home town lives there, and she and her sorority-sister prospects have adopted him. Lord help meâŠ
My S plays video games and they are definitely a way for him to decompress and cope with stress. That being said, we agreed it would be rude to just take it into a shared room situation. Turns out his roommate doesnât play video games. The room is so small that I donât see how gaming wouldnât be intrusive. Respect and manners should still matter.
Leaving for Maine tomorrow for a Tuesday move in!
Dâs clothes are packed, new bedding etc. has been purchased and she seems ready to go; nervous, but excited after having contacted her suite mates and it seems as if they will have a lot of common ground. The weather should be cool and the dorm has an elevator and hopefully we can bring her things up in one trip as we have her brother who is going to be a sophomore in HS this fall. Everyone in the family seems good, but I am probably going to be a mess for a bit on the ride homeâŠmy wife is definitely stronger emotionally than I am.
I still need to go back and read all the move-in stories, but I might as well add ours.
We moved DS in on Tuesday. The school indicates that the âtypical roomâ in his dorm is 10â by 17â. In fact, many appear to be larger than that, and the triples are probably bigger than our large family room. But, on each floor of this dorm, at the end of each wing, is one room that is, at most, 9 by 13. These micro-rooms are directly adjacent to a single room that is almost imperceptibly smaller, maybe narrower by one foot. The room really should be a single.
Guess where they put S19? He has the side of the room with the closets and there is enough wall space for his bed and dresser. He had to loft his bed the whole way to fit the desk underneath (glad I didnât order a desk hutch) and he has a tiny shelf and a little space for his bass guitar next to the desk. The closet is small and there is no where to put laundry. The beds are probably 30 inches apart from each other and if they put a refrigerator between them, it would impede access to the underbed space. Itâs so cramped, I doubt either boy will want to be in the there unless they absolutely have to be. It would be nice if the beds could be at a right angle to each other but the room isnât wide enough.
He had to complete a separate application to live in this dormâs Arts living learning community, but most of the students are just randomly assigned there. Not pleased! I may actually write to the office of residence life and suggest they consider making this room a single in the future or consider reserving the micro-rooms for the randomly assigned kids. One of the advantages of the building is the availability of some practice rooms in the basement, but his room is too small for him to have his bass in it. /end rant.
I havenât heard much from him so far. One of his new friends apparently fell face first off a Bird scooter (they were both riding) and needed to go the ER, while he ran into another girl in the hallway who couldnât breathe and he ended up calling 911! So, I guess everyone stay away from my kid?
@eh1234 If the bed is lofted over the desk, then I would insist on a bed rail. http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/parents-forum/1911839-bunk-and-loft-bed-dangers.html#latest
So I suppose this is kind of self-selective but omg some of the photos of dorms being posted on the parent page are âŠobjectively lovely but imo just way, way over the top for a dorm room with all the coordinating decor and accessories and ornaments and things i never even heard of before (one even has kind of a fake wall all around the bed over the actual wall. I didnât ask what/how. A few have the normal fairy lights (pretty standard) but one has this neon strip lighting all around, not sure how the roommate feels when the room gets dipped to neon purple?? pics were shown.). D19 would never have gone for all that but now I feel kind of a deficient mom because her bed/dorm area is nice but just so, well, normal, lol.
My daughter actually has a fake wall over her wall. Her choice- she searched it out, ordered it to her grandparentsâ house, and arranged for them to bring it on move-in day (theyâre local to her school). She likes to thumbtack up all kinds of art, both her own and collected, and didnât want to bother with the school rules about how things could be hung. So, she got her wall (itâs made of cardboard) and covered it in sticky wallpaper she likes, and then she 3Mâd the whole thing to one wall and decorated it as she wanted. It cost a total of close to $30 and made her happy, so Iâm all for it.
well if itâs just one wall itâs definitely not the picture I saw