<p>In 2008, my D arrived for rush week on Sunday morning for move in (which meant, being OOS, that we spent Sat. night at a hotel in B’ham). Since she was living in Riverside, the move in was not too crowded, and we spent the day moving her in, going to Wal Mart, etc. Her other 3 roomates did not rush, and arrived later in the week. When we left Sun. at 5 p.m., she was all set in her suite, and ready to go to Covocation. There were a few other girls from the honors dorms rushing, and they found each other and bonded that first night. She has remained friends with many of her Riverside friends that she met that week. In addition, she later found there were several greek freshman boys living in Riverside (probably more of them than the girls!).</p>
<p>It was great that after each busy day of rush, she could return to a quiet and empty suite on the other side of campus to get some rest. Don’t you know that Tutwiler is drama-central during that week!</p>
<p>Thanks omama and iamdogboy for the stories! Glad your daughters had such positive experiences and can only hope for the same for mine!</p>
<p>Since my D is not an Honors student, she is planning on opting for Tutwiler–with 950 of her closest friends. 
I wondered about that many people using the elevator, so it would make sense if they let some girls move in earlier. Yes, I imagine the drama there reaches a fevered pitch during recruitment. Maybe it’s a good thing it only lasts a week! I lived in an all girls dorm myself, and simply avoided tent talk as best I could. Looking back, I realize it was a real life lesson. Besides, as captain of her cheer squad, my D has learned a little bit about drama this year–and, more importantly, ways to quash it. </p>
<p>Anyway, keep those stories and suggestions coming… You give us real hope that my D can navigate the rush process successfully and find a house she loves! :)</p>
<p>Don’t you know that Tutwiler is drama-central during that week!</p>
<p>How many girls are in Tutwiler?</p>
<p>How in the heck do kids (namely GIRLS) move their stuff clear across the country??!! Do they have a Target or Bed, Bath and Beyond there? What about a Dollar Tree or other deep discount store? If my D were to go to UA I sure wouldn’t want her to buy a whole new wardrobe once she got there! But, at the same time, she definitely couldn’t bring much on a PLANE! How do you other families who live out here in California or in other states not within driving distance manage to move your student into his or her dorm and still bring enough STUFF??</p>
<p>SEA_Tide is a student who posts here and she’s from the state of Washington.</p>
<p>Yes, there is a Target in Tuscaloosa. :)</p>
<p>There is also a Dollar Tree in Tuscaloosa (very close to the Target)</p>
<p>My sister - who lives in Calif - moved her son into a dorm in Tennessee. She ordered some things from BBB and picked up when she got here.</p>
<p>For some reason, the closest BBBs to Tuscaloosa that I’m finding are in B’ham. Which is ok, I guess, since that’s where people fly in anyway (or drive in from there). I am surprised that there isn’t a BBB in Tuscaloosa.</p>
<p>Mom2collegekids, I’m male, lol.</p>
<p>Really I think the only thing OOS students need to bring would be clothes and possibly a laptop. I packed a couple other things because I had room in my bags and had purchased some dorm stuff with an employee discount that I had. You can buy almost anything in the Birmingham area or in Tuscaloosa. The Tuscaloosa Dollar Tree by TJMaxx, not Target, btw. I’m not the biggest fan of BBB, so I don’t recall where it is. Unless your buying stuff for pennies on the dollar at home, just buy it in Alabama. I brought two 46-pound suitcases, a carry-on and a backpack and I still thought I packed too much.</p>
<p>Note, there are many girls who would not be caught dead in a Dollar Tree, TJMaxx, or Wal-Mart (I don’t know why, but then again that’s not the type of girls I usually date). For those types, Sak’s is in the Shelby County part of Birmingham and Nordstrom has not opened yet in Hoover (I drove a lot around Birmingham and have been confused for a local more than once, lol).</p>
<p>As for Tut, note that there is a lot of security when decisions come out as to which sororities accepted which girls. </p>
<p>As for move in, students were instructed to choose their desired move-in times and were assigned accordingly. UA also contracts with a company that offers bedding and other dorm stuff, but I declined their offer. Fly in, rent a midsize or fullsize car, and fill it with stuff for the dorm. It’s amazing how much other stuff the student will acquire in the coming months.</p>
<p>^^^</p>
<p>LOL…for some reason, I thought you were a girl! Why?? I don’t know! LOL</p>
<p>So sorry!!! </p>
<p>No wonder you only had to bring a couple of bags of luggage!!! </p>
<p>Hey…there’s a Dollar Tree in the McFarland Mall - and Target is behind the mall.</p>
<p>SEA_Tide…Saks? Boy, you’re dating some pricey gals!! LOL </p>
<p>Hey, do you have Bama Bangs. LOL (we all just learned about that tonight! LOL )</p>
<p>Uh-oh. That might have been my daughter in MIDDLE school. Very big into name brands, etc. back then. Not so much now, though. And, she’s never shopped in a Nordstrom or Saks. And she better NOT on MY dime. LOL I love that she knows how to put together some very nice outfits from clothes mostly purchased at small, discount type clothing stores (in the mall, usually.) Or from Target or Ross. That’s my girl! :)</p>
<p>SEA_tide wrote:</p>
<p>Note, there are many girls who would not be caught dead in a Dollar Tree, TJMaxx, or Wal-Mart (I don’t know why, but then again that’s not the type of girls I usually date). For those types, Sak’s is in the Shelby County part of Birmingham and Nordstrom has not opened yet in Hoover (I drove a lot around Birmingham and have been confused for a local more than once, lol).</p>
<p>Sea_Tide is dating some pricey women!</p>
<p>I don’t know any teens/early 20s girls that shop at Saks! </p>
<p>My son’s GF is a Macy’s, Dillards, Belk girl…and she looks for sales</p>
<p>I was emphasizing that I don’t that type of expensive girls. I’d never foot the bill if the relationship got that far, lol. Nordstrom Rack is about my limit as far as cost. Embarrassingly enough, I shop all the sales and off-price stores, which consumes a lot of my vacations, maybe I’ll find a gf that way, someday. The McFarland Mall juts up against the freeway, it’s the University Mall that’s next to the Super Target, btw.</p>
<p>I didn’t realize how much people in the South dress up. I’m a shorts and t-shirt kind of guy who doesn’t wear the styles of those that are common at UA. But hey, I’m a transplant to Alabama who is still learning the ropes. I don’t have the bama bangs, sorry. There are many guys (usually form AL) who do. As for sorority girls, the normal school attire seems to be short Nike running shorts, a long sorority t-shirt, and flip flops. The attire of girls varies much more than that of guys (obviously), Greek or GDI.</p>
<p>mom,</p>
<p>You asked how many girls were in Tutwiler. Gulp, 966. Like I said, 950 of her closest friends… :)</p>
<p>2Leashes, reread post #6.<br>
Shipping items ahead of time to Paty Hall was wonderfull. After considering the added fees that airlines are charging for multiple or extra heavy bags, shipping costs were about the same or cheaper. You can also ship more of her clothes a month or so into the school year. Once they get moved in with the bare minimum, they will have a chance to reevaluate what items they truely need. Shopping on line is also great. Summer of 2006, the area director of BB&B was in the store near our home. I asked him if and when BB&B would have a store located in the Tuscaloosa area. At that time, he told me that Tuscaloosa was projected to get a store. Check their website or call corporate to inquire.
I realize guys may not pack as much as the girls. If you approach the subject early on…like now, by the time your daughter is getting ready to pack for school, she may see the wisdom in sending some of her “needs” after she gets settled.<br>
Good luck!</p>
<p>2leashes,</p>
<p>Another tip for OOS students: leave stuff at a friend’s house over the summer! LOL Actually, I’m dead serious. We lived in CA when my oldest was at Clemson, and over the summers, he’d leave large items–quilts, pillows, cold weather gear, storage bins, etc, etc, with local friends over the summer. </p>
<p>The same goes for rides to the airport. I know UA has shuttles to the Birmingham airport, but if your daughter made friends from the Birmingham area, she might be able to catch a ride to the airport when those kids go home for the holidays. Again, that worked for my son on several occasions. Not that he asked just anyone–or that he asked anyone to go out of his way–but his friends/fraternity brothers were always willing to help. </p>
<p>Finally, his junior and senior year, when the travel expenses for two in college got to be crazy, he actually spent Thanksgiving with a couple of in-state friends. Yes, there was a huge void at our dinner table :(, but we consoled ourselves (and him) with the fact we’d see him in a few weeks for Christmas. :)</p>
<p>^^^
Good suggestion if you have a nearby friend who can accomodate!</p>
<p>This is what we’ve done…</p>
<p>In April, we contract with a local storage facility (book early!). We move the dorm stuff into it. But, first, we completely spray the entire storage area (top, bottom, floors, doorway, etc) with a good quality bug spray that will last 3 months.</p>
<p>We try to bag everything into big trash bags as an additional barrier for dust, etc. This is so much better than trying to bring home big comforters, blankets, bean bag chairs, lamps, study pillows, etc. Then, on the next move-in day, we throw the comforters, etc, into the dorm’s washer to clean for use.</p>
<p>Some of these rental storage rooms can be large, so to save money, you can “share” one with other students.</p>
<p>We too rented a small storage unit just south of the downtown area. I listened to the suggestion of a parent on the Parent Connection forum to make sure the storage unit is in a climate controled area. Since my son was the last one to leave his dorm/apartment, I slept on his bed and he slept on the couch. We had to get an early start in the morning and did not want to make one last stop at the storage unit. I decided to utilize the late hours into the early morning to wash ALL of his bedding and pack them in SPACE Bags. We got up in the morning, packed the car, had the RA complete the final inspection and we were off on our 12 hour journey north.<br>
I must say, his unit in Riverside North was cleaner than move in day. I think it is a “Mom” thing. :)</p>