We live in Texas. My daughter will be attending college in Massachusetts in the fall. I’ve read all of the threads on what students will need and have a nice list going. My question is for those who have managed a move across this kind of distance for college. I’m feeling a bit overwhelmed by the logistics and am a planner, so I want to get a plan in place.
I read somewhere a suggestion to make 3 lists:
What to ship to her dorm (either from a website or things we pack and ship from home)
What to pack in our checked luggage
What to buy when you arrive
For those of you who have done this, what do you ship? What do you bring in your checked luggage on the plane (checking 2 suitcases apiece)? What do you buy via Bed, Bath, and Beyond’s pick up at the store option? What do you buy when you arrive?
I’m thinking of things as large as a TV (albeit small and flat screen) and as small as items for a first aid kid and over the counter medicines. School supplies? Fan? Rain gear?
Maybe I’m just overthinking it, but I feel like I can’t even begin to get a handle on what to ship in advance vs. what to buy there vs. what to bring in luggage.
Parents are expected to leave shortly after move in. We’ll be there for an entire day before, so I’ll only have really one full day with her to shop while we are there. There are many colleges in the area, so availability of items in the area is a consideration as well. She will not have a car, so her main shopping will need to be done that one day I’m there.
Thanks in advance for any help, suggestions, or guidance.
Keep in mind college dorm rooms are small. So it is better to underbuy but give her an amazon gift card so she can order stuff she needs. Keep in mind that you take 2 suitcases each there…but when she comes home for the summer, are you okay for her to take 4 suitcases?
Make sure not to overbuy…does she need a TV? Often college kids watch stuff (netflix) on their laptops.
Also think about how deal with stuff over the summer…for example, maybe she will need a fridge. It would be best not to buy it so you don’t have to deal with it over the summer. Can the roommate buy one? Can she rent one? Can she find a friend who lives nearby/has an apt where she can store it? Can she store stuff in a U-store-it kind of place over the summer?
I would do something where you order the stuff online, but pick up from the store. That way you know you can have it, but don’t have to worry about if it is in stock or coordinating shipping times.
For small things, like medications, you could pack those.
Your kid is going to school in Ma not some remote outback. Have the student order larger items on line (Amazon, etc) and have it delivered. Some parents and students, generally girls, enjoy shopping for bedding and such while the parent is dropping the student off. That way the parent gets to see what the room will be like and feels included. And pick up at least one set of sheets so the student can sleep the first night. But have the student order fans, tvs on line for delivery. Buy a small foldable luggage cart the student can keep under the bed if packages are not delivered to the dorms.
@bopper Thanks…excellent advice. Good idea on the amazon gift card!
I had not even thought about no way to get 4 suitcases back in the summer.
Yes, there is a storage facility that will come and pick up stuff for the summer and store it for a fee, so that is our plan. Guess I could send the extra suitcases there as well.
She’s a gamer, so a TV is something she’d really like to have. She could live without a fridge if she could fit a TV.
@lostaccount With everything I’ve been told she’ll need for winter, I feel like I’m sending her on an arctic expedition! Hat, gloves, scarf, boots, heavy coat, lighter coat, special socks! She only owns one lightweight jacket as of now.
My kids went from Texas to the East Coast. For both, we let them pack 2 suitcases with summer/fall clothes. Mom and Grandma also traveled with them with one duffel bag each so we were actually able to bring quite a bit. Duffel bags are great because they fold up to store in the other suitcases. Purchased all dorm items (bedding, school supplies, toiletries, etc) at their destination. Shipped a couple boxes of winter clothing around October.
Re: clothes. Yes she will need warmer clothes. Now is probably a good time to get those on line because of all the sales-which you won’t have easy access to but the major department stores now all have on line sales. You can pack that all away for next year and “ship it” to the student next November. But for the room, I’d wait to see what the roommate situation is and then just have her order things on line-to be delivered. There is a Bed Bath and Beyond about 7 miles from campus so you can rent a car and parents can take her-fill up the car or she can order from there. Pack what she will need for the first couple of weeks.
We went through a long-distance move-in last summer. For larger items – lamp, bedding, under-bed bookcase – we shipped to the local store. Smaller items that we wanted to be specific about, we ordered from Amazon and had shipped to us. (Note: if you’re doing a tool kit or first-aid kit, remember to check the school’s list of forbidden items. We had to remove a box-cutter from the tool kit.)
Like you, we also had only one day prior to move-in. We spent three hours of it at a local Target picking up things like cleaning supplies, snacks, OTC meds, toiletries, waste basket, cork board, etc. Grabbed the larger stuff from ship-to-store locations. We moved her in the next day, then retrieved our luggage once we had room for it.
If I had it to do over – which I will year after next! – I probably would have purchased a little less and given her an Amazon card. However, her school is isolated and I didn’t want her to be sick and not have access to meds, etc. I understand your concern about having many schools nearby and fewer stores; if you’re nervous about that, purchase whatever you deem essential in advance and then shop locally only for things she can live without for a short time. You can always purchase them online and ship to her.
My daughter took 5 large duffels to school as a freshman. As a sophomore, she took 2. She’s doing an internship this semester, took 2 and packed in those 2 were her clothes, bedding (she bought a new pillow when she got there), and all her worldly goods. They really need a lot less than you think. Daughter had a mini fridge she bought at the sale they have about a week after school starts selling all the junk everyone left last year. When she moved out, she was going to donate it but found someone who wanted it. Things that didn’t go back the second year were a coffee maker, 9000 coffee cups she had to have (they’re so cute!), a suitcase full of shoes, half the blankets she’d had the year before, 2 extra sets of sheets, all the nick-knacks and teddy bears and books and high school things she thought she couldn’t live without. Turns out 20 shirts are fine, no need for 75. I’ll also say her taste in clothing changed a lot, and she didn’t need 45 sundresses (I kid you not) in Wyoming - she’s now a jeans and flannel shirt girl.
And they buy t-shirts and sweatshirts and headbands with the school name or logo on it. And no matter how rural if there is a Target or Walmart or a grocery store they can buy toothpaste and shampoo.
I’d buy whatever you can when you get there or have it shipped. She’ll like getting care packages. I sent my daughter some from Ulta with shampoo and make up, but you can put one together from any store with necessities or treats.
No college girl in MA is going to wear a winter coat that her mom picked out for her the previous winter.
Relax. The first day cold enough to need an actual coat (vs. a zip up polar fleece from Old Navy) will be mid-October. By then your D will have figured out whether she wants to be an LL Bean kind of gal (and Goodwill and Salvo in MA are filled with nice winter items) or a Target kind of gal.
Her room is likely to be very, very small. The less stuff you show up with the better until she figures out what she needs. None of my kids had room for a tv until senior year- there was just no flat surface. They watch on their laptops if/when they have time to watch.
There is every retailer under the sun including Amazon and Walmart.com. You do not need to shop now.
My kids went from HNL to Los Angeles. We had them bring suitcases of the stuff they wanted and were fine with buying the other needed things from Target, Costco, IKEA, Office Depot and Frye’s. You really have to remember, dorm rooms are much smaller spaces than most kids have been used to, so think “ZEN,” less is better. It is surprising to see how much the kids DON’T USE and DON’T NEED. We gave S a phone, since his room came with a landline as part of the dorm, but neither he nor his roommate ever plugged it in or even knew the phone number of their room.
I agree also that a lot of going to college is allowing our kids to figure out their own tastes and how to buy things that don’t break the bank but that they’ll be happy enough to wear. Your child is old enough to go to college and old enough to pick out clothing that will meet needs without busting the budget. Clothing varies considerably among campuses, so it’s best not to try to guess (and possibly have very expensive things that are never or rarely worn).
We traveled from AZ to Virginia to deliver our D to college. We used suitcases and U-Haul boxes. (Check with your airline about size and weight limitations.) The boxes were nice because we could break them down and store. And, they are lightweight to begin with so more flexibility with how much we could put inside.
We used Amazon Pantry to stock up on toiletries, cleaning, laundry supplies, etc. We did the BBB order at home and pick up in Virginia which worked well for some organization items. I bought sheets and towels at home because I wanted to wash everything before we got there. My D brought A LOT of stuff. She was so pleased with her room when we were finished. Then, a month later, said “I brought WAY too much stuff.” There was no convincing her of that at the time.
There are some great “lists” in the forum that you can check out. Don’t try to bring heavy stuff on the plane because of the weight limitations on the plane. Extra sheets and towels were stored under her bed in her suitcases. We made one last Target stop after we were able to measure her under-bed storage height.
I stressed a lot about the move. But, it does all work out.
We live in CA and my son goes to school in NH. I am also a planner and organizer, and could not get my head around how we would move him in, especially because there is no BBB anywhere near where he is! If you are lucky enough to have a friend or relative within a few hours’ drive of the school in MA, then my suggestion would be to have all of your packages sent to that person’s house. This way, assuming they don’t mind, you can find free shipping deals and have everything sent to them throughout the summer, as you find and purchase things. Otherwise you have to buy everything at home, pack it into big boxes, and pay to have it shipped to school. Except for my son’s clothing and the personal items he wanted to take, I had everything sent to my sister’s house, loaded it up in the SUV I rented on the east coast, and drove it the rest of the way to his school. It worked out perfectly, and held shipping and airline checked luggage costs to a minimum!
Yeah, less is more. Of course in our case S brought WAY less than D. D and her roommate were able to coordinate purchases ahead of time. D bought a printer and roommate bought a fridge. Their room had lots of storage (floor to ceiling across one wall was all built-in shelves and cupboards) but no floor space.
We did the reverse, moving our son from NJ to Texas. We brought clothes only, and a minimal amount of toiletries (no more than one would bring for a trip). We ordered sheets, linens and towels through the school’s website. They were waiting at the school when we arrived. We pre-ordered some things from Bed Bath & Beyond and picked them up at the nearby school in Texas when we arrived. We planned to purchase anything we forgot at Target.
When we left him, we brought the extra suitcases home. They were basically empty and we put the smaller suitcases in the larger ones. We left him with a gym bag and duffel bag. He left some clothes and other stuff in off-site storage over the summer, including a small TV. BTW - we ordered the TV and had it shipped from Amazon.
Less is better. They can order what they find they need as they begin the semester. Amazon is wonderful. If they are like most kids, they will bring things home at Thanksgiving or Christmas that they find they do not need, and they will also ask you to ship some things they want.
As a 5 college kid she’ll have free bus service to all the shopping areas - big box stores, cute boutiques, drug stores - anything she wants beyond what’s available by walking. Usually schools run a shuttle to target or wherever during orientation, too.
That said, my kid orders from Amazon more than anywhere else. She has student prime so free 2 day shipping on most things.
Keep in mind that **whatever she puts in that dorm room in Sept will have to come out again **at the end of May. Avoid setting yourself up for expensive move/storage experience every spring…
