That reminds me of a thread I read once on CC - whether to get a portable safe/lockbox for your dorm kid or not.
May sound absurd, but make sure you kid ‘knows’ or writes down all your home/cellphone numbers. Today’s kids (and everyone actually) rely on those being stored on their phones are in trouble when their cellphone is lost.
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@scholarme, a lock box apparently is a must for storing ADHD meds since they are a hot commodity. We asked the Dean at my D’s school what they recommend for storing meds. The other advice that she suggested was to ask the roomate to keep the door closed and locked when no one was in the room.
I will be getting together a set of wallet-sized cards which I will make myself (using Microsoft Word, etc.) of important phone numbers and information for my son, then I will laminate them. I’m also making a small notebook-sized set of laminated information about things he’ll find useful about both his college and the local area so he can refer to it as needed especially at the beginning. Things like shuttle to airport and public transport, where the local ATMs are, where the nearby corner grocery is. all the need-to-know stuff, similar to the kind of info you find when you take a vacation to a faraway B&B. Our family moved from overseas a few years ago so he’s had a lot to absorb and I plan to ease his giant transition to a distant college as much as I can. Also getting him a small dorm ‘safe’ to lock away valuables. Had jewelry stolen from my own dorm room within days 30 years ago.
Bringing a “handtruck” (you can get an inexpensive foldable one at Costco) is handy for move-in. The schools usually have carts available, but they aren’t always available when you need them. Although our Target had all kinds of dorm items, the Target by his school had those items (and more) in school colors. Arrive a little early for move-in, that way you have first crack at elevators, beds, desks, etc…
Dorm fridge: D1’s room came with a dorm fridge/microwave. At S2 and S3’s school you could only rent and only from a specific company. So I would wait to find out what the situation with the dorm fridge is, if you do supply your own, if a roommate is bringing one before buying one.
Our Costco sells sweatshirts, etc… for the big local schools in our area. The Costco by S3’s school sold sweatshirts, etc… for his school, so we outfitted ourselves. 
But also tell him/her not to give it out too readily, since it is the key to identity fraud.
As soon as your child turns 18, regardless if they are going to college or not, get a power of attorney signed for all areas, including medical decisions. Why? Because anything can happen. My older daughter was hit by a car that left her in a coma with a traumatic brain injury. Once she turned 18 (when she was still in rehab and emerging), I lost all access to her health insurance information (even though I am the insurance holder) along with access to any financial records that was not in a joint account. You do NOT want to be put in a position to have to go to court to request guardianship if your child is sick or injured.
Everything else on this thread is, while useful information, is noise compared to the importance of this, trust me from my experience.
Regarding the requirement that your child sign releases allowing you access to college information, with the colleges citing FERPA as the reason, if you can still claim your child as a dependent on your feral taxes, the waivers are not required. They do not like to hear that, but it is the law. If they still insist on signed waivers, find out if they will allow one waiver per school year or require a signed waiver for each and every interaction (this latter is what one school in my area does).
@ucbalumnus - absolutely. If there is no legal requirement to give your social security number, refuse to give it period. Doctor’s offices ask for it only so they can go after unpaid bills.
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@CollegeDadofTwo I am so sorry to hear about your D. How terrible. Is she recovering now?
Getting the power of attorney - does one need to go through a lawyer or is a form printed off the internet & notarized generally sufficient?
Get paper boxes to pack stuff in. I grab them from work at the copier. They are a perfect size for someone to easily carry 1 or 2, they stack nicely on hand trucks, and best of all they are disposable - if everything is not unpacked before you return home, just leave them behind - kid can pitch them when done.
@scholarme - she has made a miraculous recovery to date, but one never fully recovers from a TBI. She is in university part time taking one class right now and every day is a gift.
You can probably get the forms you need off of a site like nolo.com or work with an attorney. Everybody has different comfort levels.
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@CollegeDadofTwo she’ll be in my prayers. It’s wonderful that she’s taking a University class!
Thanks for the advice about poa.
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A little “taste” of home, literally. That favorite snack that you packed into their lunch every day since middle school? Yeah, buy a case of it and send it to school with them.
If your student is attending a school in a rural area and will not have a car, have a clear plan of how to handle medical needs that can not be addressed by the school’s health center. Two years ago my daughter needed medical attention, she needed to be seen immediately, but didn’t consider it 911 immediately. She had no one to get her to a doc, the health center blew her off and it never occurred to her to call a cab. Thankfully a relative drove in from an hour away, but daughter still ended up in the hospital for a week. After this, we as a family came up with a plan for every emergency scenario we could think of.
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One suggestion I haven’t seen yet is to book the hotel now for parent’s weekend.
-especially if you want to stay somewhere specific using points.
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I don’t think this has been mentioned, but many colleges have online placement tests for math and foreign languages that have to be taken before summer orientation, so check on that.
Some also have online training the kid has to do before anything else happens: sexual assault, etc.
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Wisdom teeth: If they need to come out do it this summer.
If your student will be under 18 at the start of the year: Emergency medical kit with the stuff s/he cannot buy. Sudafed, cough syrup, etc.
re stamps: My student kept asking why if it takes one stamp to send it across the city, how many stamps does he need to send it across the country.
carasmom-you are so right! My older D was at a rural school, the health center was closed and “the” cab was already in service. She ended up taking “the” bus to the hospital, doubled over, hoping she wouldn’t pass out on the way. Luckily it wasn’t anything serious, but if she hadn’t already wanted to transfer, that sealed the deal for her. It’s also why the younger D won’t consider a rural college.
So much good info, especially POA, which I’m going to do. Otherwise, I reiterate:
- Passport
- Copy of insurance/Rx card (if staying on parent's insurance)
- Debit/Credit card and a few checks
- Make all travel arrangements at once. Last year, I booked Fall Break, Thanksgiving, Christmas, and Spring Break as soon as Southwest announced their sale. I saved a bunch of money this way and on SW, you can get a voucher for travel if plans change.
- Book hotels for move-in/move-out and family weekends ASAP. I hear that some families book rooms before their kid even gets accepted. I did not do this, but maybe should have since we are now on the waiting list for move-in weekend. :(
- Another good thing to buy is a lock for the laptop computer. Unfortunately, theft does happen.
Wisdom teeth FOR SURE! Great advice! Dentist told D1 to wait until she came home from freshman year, but she should have done it over xmas break because she was in such discomfort the last few weeks of spring term. D2 getting hers out this June.
Be careful with Visa/MC debit cards, since fraud empties out your account at least temporarily, compared to credit card fraud just running up bills that you do not have to pay.