It would be great if @amandakayak would adopt my kids! :)) Actually - really appreciate the insights and help. I have 5 kids and 1 already in college and another heading that way.
There are several things I wish I knew or had been told by the school.
get the FERPA form signed so that you have access to your student information and can advocate on their behalf
confirm the tuition refund policy of the school - we had to ask for our 2nd child because the school did not clearly disclose its policy. I remain uncomfortable with their policy and the school doesn’t offer tuition insurance so I am a little worried about the potential financial loss.
no matter what the school say’s - avoid brining a car to campus during year 1.
As an incoming freshman, one thing that I’m going to loathe about having a roommate is safety issues. I don’t want to be paired with some party jock or druggy who invites people, steals, etc. One thing I’d recommend is one of those laptop/computer locks, a small safe, and maybe physical training in case your roommate becomes aggressive.
@stugace, dorms are not the wild west. If roommate problems rise to the level of physical violence or theft, it’s better to talk to your RA or the Housing office, rather than trying to take matters into your own hands.
But it’s always smart to be smart, so a safe isn’t a bad idea. When my D was getting ready to go to college, what I heard was don’t bother with the computer lock, because it’s a hassle and probably won’t be used after the first couple of days. You might want to look into Lojack, though.
I can’t pull the trigger on ordering a topper, I see that the 2" 3lb is recommended here but I wonder about going higher, I think I have read too many reviews and have confused myself.
As my 18-year old told me when I tried to get him to let me be on his new bank account, that is old fashioned because now I can simply transfer money to him via PayPal and he can transfer that into his account if he wants!
I think I got a one inch topper, not sure if D will want it in addition to the padded mattress pad. She stayed in the dorms for orientation the other day and said the mattress wasn’t that uncomfortable (without anything in it except the sheet), but the pillow was too thin. So I guess we will play it by ear when we make her bed on move-in day and I can always return what we don’t end up using.
It’s free within the U.S. to send money to family and friends when you use only your PayPal balance or bank account, or a combination of their PayPal balance and bank account.
It’s free to receive money from friends or family in the U.S. when they send the money from the PayPal website using only their PayPal balance or their bank account, or a combination of their PayPal balance and bank account.
There is a fee to send money as a personal payment using a debit card or credit card.
So in other words, as long as you are transferring money from your PayPal balance or the bank account associated with your PayPal account, there is no fee. They only charge a fee if you make a payment using a credit card.
We got a PayPal student Visa card for my daughter when she was a freshman in high school and traveling to summer camps. We can do instant transfers from our PayPal account to her card. Even though she now has her own bank account and debit card (at the same bank as ours, so we can do transfers), we’re going to maintain the PayPal card as a backup. We’ve had so many instances of our own debit card being frozen due to fraud, or needing to be reissued because of the Target mess, etc, it seems helpful to have a spare.
@ITBgirl I got my D1 a 2" temperpedic topper and she loved it, so I also bought one for my D2 who will be a freshman this fall. I think 2" is plenty comfortable. Also don’t forget the bed bug protector for the dorm mattress. It’s another $60, but well worth it IMHO.
@TiggyB62 thanks, I just this weekend ended up getting at 3" /3 lb for my 13yo’s bed here at home and he loves it. (Apparently his bunkbed mattress at home is pretty hard, but he is not a complainer). When D15 gets back from Peru I will have her try his out and she what she thinks. But the 2" may be best, 3" is rather high and soft if you are also using your bed for seating/studying and such.
There were a series of posts about a housing situation that was completely off topic. Please report these in the future so we can keep threads on topic and get the OP to the right forum and thread. Those should have been on the MIT forum either in an existing housing thread or in a new thread specific to that situation. Reports aren’t always for punitive reasons. In fact, I would say it is 50-50 between complaints about posts that violate the Terms of Service and those that are simply trying to get threads in the right forums, posts that are off topic, etc. Thanks!
*As you no doubt noticed, I deleted several posts again, because they are in direct violation of the Terms of Service clause that states moderation is not to be discussed on the public boards. I of course had zero desire to issue actual warnings over it in this case, but just be aware of it for the future. You can report my above post and use that mechanism to state your displeasure, as one person did, or you can PM me or another mod or an administrator for the site. However, I will respond to a few points that were there.
It is my (volunteer) job to keep threads on topic on this moderated site. We have seen far too often in the past that once they veer off topic they never get back on, and that is unfair to the OP and to people that are looking at this thread, now and in the future, based on the title of “Checklist for Parents of Incoming Freshmen?”.
To the person that said this was on topic, I am sorry to be so blunt but that is ludicrous. If the statement had been more general like “Check to confirm housing assignment”, then OK although even that is a bit odd based on checklists I have seen before. But this is, as it says, a checklist thread. Medical forms filed, check. Linens required for room? Check. What to do about a housing assignment at my kid’s college that has him in a smoking room where cats are allowed? I have never seen that on a checklist, and it will never be there. That is a highly specific problem that clearly belongs on its own thread or on a thread about housing issues, preferably on that college’s forum where they are far more likely to get answers from people that are very familiar with the procedures for that school.
Yes, I responded originally to a complaint from a parent (might have been the OP, frankly I didn’t check) that the discussion in question was off topic, and they were right. So I could displease them and others that felt the same, or displease you all that are complaining now. In this case given the particulars, it wasn’t a hard decision, although I did not anticipate such a clamor over it.
The OP had clearly already seen the posts based on the response given, and will get more responses if and when they repost in the proper venue.
I did alert the person that has the housing problem at the time I deleted the posts. Frankly I don’t owe you all a step-by-step of all the things I did or did not do in response to this issue, but there you have it.*
I have told my child to know where pharmacies are located - ideally those that are 24 hours - but if not, then at least their number, location and hours of operation… I did get rolled eyes in return of that request… but I have stayed firm
One note about meningococcal vaccine - Sorry if this is repeat - but our doctor told us that you cannot get both vaccines (both A AND B). If you get A, you should not get B.
