One tip: if you and your room mate are planning on getting the typical small fridge, then plan on optimizing the otherwise “dead air-space” above it with a simple wire-mesh shelf system (IKEA, etc.) above it. This way, you have room for cups, plates, napkins, condiments, coffee-maker, sweeteners, etc.
Also, once girls have made a few friends, they might be quite open to swapping clothing items and accessories - thus solving the “variety” problem by pooling… That was the case for my daugther, at least.
Define sterilize. Its what you do with your first kid’s pacifier by placing it in boiling water for 20 minutes. Its what you do with your second kid’s pacifier by blowing on it.
Take about 1/2 of what you think your kid will use. They likely won’t use that much. Seems to me you can tell the people with first time college kids by the volume of stuff they bring to college. Parents often want to have their kids prepared for every possibility. Unfortunately, most of that stuff ends up coming home unused (or being pitched out). Second year college kids bring a lot less stuff. Amazon Prime gets things to your kid in 2 days. There will be stores around campus that stock whatever it is college kids need.
And take a picture of the room once you set it up. More for moms but applies to some dads too. And know it is virtually certain it will never look that way again. Its why you have the picture.
@DigitalDad Thank you for the advice. You’ve been super helpful.
As for me, I’ll be driving since the university is only an hour away from my home. I got into my university as a spring admit so living at the dorms isn’t guaranteed. I’m currently looking for an off-campus apartment that is within walking distance from campus. I believe most apartments come with refrigerators but I’m not too sure about beds. I’m also trying to find a place to stay that doesn’t require a roommate.
Since I’m looking at an apartment, I understand the space is larger so I have more space to bring additional items. I understand some apartments do not come with any furniture so would it be a good to rent a moving van? I would be able to put more stuff in there like a dresser, bed, and couch and take less trips back and forth from home to my university.
Also, i’m not sure if this applies to this thread but would it be a good idea to just rent an apartment for the fall and sublet it for fall semester? Since most student housing gets filled quickly, I think I would find difficulty finding a place to live in the spring if I started looking for housing in the spring rather than fall. By renting in the fall, I would have housing for the spring but the worst case scenario is I waste a whole semester if I don’t sublet it to anyone.
Living that close, and not living in a dorm, really changes everything. For one, you are not limited to “move-in” day to get everything done on what is effectively the last/only possible day. Instead, you can spread the move-in process as needed - and if anything major is amiss, just head back home over a weekend.
As fas as needing a moving truck - that’s something to worry about once you DO have a lease/sub-lease, know if/how it is furnished, and what kind of vans/pick-up trucks friends/extended family might be able to lend.
However, as far as available appartments in Spring vs. Fall, I strongly recommend you visit the specific forum for YOUR college (and/or similar student/alumni clubs on other platforms.) Likely there’ll be upper-class(wo)men who can speak to the rental market in THAT area. Remember, sometimes people graduate early, or people take a semester abroad - thus roommates/landlords might be super-anxious to fill a Spring vacancy. Of course, do reach out to the housing department and/or student organizations at your college what their experience has been for incoming spring-semester student. You are not the first/only person, so those answers probably have long been worked out in previous years.
Thanks. I think I’ll try to look for furnished apartments rather than unfurnished ones so the move-in process is easier. As for decorations, what would be some good decorations for an apartment? Would it be wise to install a security system?
On a different note, I joined the Facebook Housing Group of my university but I am unsure as to whether I should just wait for someone there to post that they are renting out their apartment in the spring or just getting my own apartment and renting it in the fall. I find the first option to be risky. The worst case scenario if I don’t find an apartment is that I commute from home but the traffic going to the university is absolutely horrible especially on a daily basis. The university is in a major city but I would want an apartment as close to campus as possible because the areas around the university are extremely dangerous.
If my daughter’s NYC college is representative (e.g., housing for summer-internships), then renters/roommates are super-anxious to cover even the most minute “missing” rent share - not just for entire semesters or months. In her case, there is a very active appartment bulletin board where new offerings are constantly posted, even for individuals weeks, sometimes even days.
Definitely be pro-active and post your sought-after period and other preferences in as many appropriate places as you can find for your college. If it’s a larger university, then there may be upper-class(wo)men or even graduate students who already know now that they’ll be going away for fellowships, study abroad, etc. next spring. They might be happy to know that they’ll be able to just hold on to their appartment and furniture, because someone else will be covering the rent for that half year. If you wait until they are forced to actively start “looking” for renters themselves, you might miss those opportunities before they officially “go on the market” for everyone to see.
Again, most of this is just common sense - and whatever isn’t, is probably too specific to YOUR city and YOUR college to be answered in this “generic” thread.
I’m not a parent but I have a question that I believe would belong in this thread. As freshman are going to college, I understand that part of the checklist of parents is to get a kid a backpack especially if their high school backpack isn’t suitable for carrying a laptop. I’m currently looking at backpacks for college as well. What backpacks would you recommend? As of right now, I like the Herschel Pop Quiz Backpack. Would that be a smart choice?
@MoonKnight - depends on laptop size and student preference. Do they plan on using binders or just notebooks? We went with a Jansport only to learn my DS’s laptop was too big for a comfortable fit (15" with a larger case than standard). The pop-quiz looks like a good option to me. But I’m an ancient parent.
LL Bean makes a Super Deluxe backpack that my son has used for his laptop the last two years and is taking to college as well. It’s large enough to hold everything without looking like you’re backpacking for a week.
Are you saying your son put his laptop in the laptop case…and then in the backpack? Why?
Our kid uses a Jansport (which was mine until she appropriated it) that has a very well padded pocket for the computer…and hers is a 15 inch as well (as was mine). The case that came with the laptop was not used when the laptop was carried in the backpack.
Each of my three kids have the LL bean turbo transit backpack and can easily slide their laptops into the back of the main compartment. It’s super big but the only downfall of this bag is that there is no bottle holder on the side.
I had that backpack for all of high school. My only reservation (other than the lack of the bottle holder) is that the straps ripped. Warranty was very good, though.
My kids both have adidas climacool backpacks. There is a cushioned spot for a laptop inside and tons of pockets. It’s big but comfortable to carry. My D19 has been using hers for weekend trips and my D20 uses hers as a functional dance bag.
Useful ideas for your college student: Small wallet for students with an ID slot (this is helpful for students not loosing their college id), study headphones for your student, a comfortable sweatshirt (for those late nights at the library or just lounging), a good pair of pj’s, a bath robe (especially if your student has to share a bathroom), shower flip flops, sheets, a small book shelf (or bin to put books in).
A lot of students now have those silicone pockets that hook to the back of their phone case…and can hold their ID, drivers license or whatever. Both of my kids use those.
Check the furniture in the rooms before you buy a bookshelf. Both of my kids had decent size book shelves in their rooms.
We got each an under the bed storage thing…that was nice to have to hold extra stuff.
One of the best things…a cushion for the wooden desk chair. My kids laughed at me when I suggested it, but both agreed it was great.
If you as a parent were able to purchase items for a care package for your kid and send one every month, what kind of items would you want to include in the package?