We live in CA and D will report to the sport team at Carleton this Aug as a freshman. Does anyone know how the room arrangement works if an athlete checks in early for training? I know they will share rooms with teammates for the time being and will get arrangement later when the actual semester starts. We will be there with her to set up her room when she reports to the team but she will be on her own once school starts. Any tips to handle this situation? Like should she pack minimum and bring it to the first room then still purchase what she needs and put it in a storage until later? My friend told me to order online through a big chain store and get the stuff when we get there. What should I do with the stuff she purchases because there’s no point to set up the temp room. Much appreication for any tips.
They usually treat the opening week like a week at camp, with only unpacking the thing needed for a week like sheets, and athletic gear. No pictures, posters, teddy bears. Ask if there is a storage area for the other suitcases and winter stuff, books, toasters. If not, then you’ll either have to pay for storage or have the things sent later.
This can vary depending on the school. My DD plays a fall sport and at her school the fall athletes move directly into the room they are assigned to for the year. I am aware of schools that have students move into rooms temporarily and then move into their permanent room at later time. I think this scenario is more common at D1 schools than D3 schools, as D1 schools tend to have more time between when they arrive for athletics and when the school year starts.
At a D3 school I think the training for a sport starts 2 weeks prior to the first game (it may vary by sport - NCAA has rules for to define when training can start). Where my DD attends the residential life staff has already moved in when she arrives, the freshman (who are not athletes) move in about 5 days after the athletes move in, the rest of the students move in about 7-8 days after she has moved in, and classes usually start 9-10 after she has moved in.
The coach is probably the best person to ask about this, as they will know exactly what date you will need to be on campus and will know whether you DD will be moved into a temporary room or not.
The athletes I know in this situation went to school alone for the period when only athletes were there bringing only a duffle and bedding. Their parents then met them at school when they moved into their " real room". If money is very tight and school far away this might not work ( can’t afford for kid to travel to school on own). Otherwise I think it makes the most sense.
@maya54 I see what you mean but I feel the first drop-off is very important to D since it’s her very first time to leave CA by herself… but you do have a point though.
@kchendds. I think that for a kid going away for the first time it would be better to go knowing they will see their parents in just a few weeks and also I think it would be very difficult to be there alone when so many of the other kids have their parents there during " real" move in.
@kchendds, Carleton offers storage for students. There’s bus to a Target store nearby. Some new students send packages to Carleton before arriving at school. Contact the student life office for info.
This varies by school. My son was a football player at Case Western and they were able to check into their actual rooms early. The arrangements were communicated to the players by the head coach. I would have your child ask the coach.
I concur with Maya54. As a freshman, D took as many of her belongings as she could on the airplane by herself at first. Upon arrival, she was able to store the suitcases not needed for training camp in the team room. She had inquired about that possibility from an older teammate first. Her team stayed in temporary rooms before and after their off-site camp. For the trip off campus, they were each given a small travel carry-on that they could fill with the essentials. Everything else they had brought needed to be left behind at school.
After training ended, we flew out with more of her stuff for official freshmen athlete move-in day. We drove her to Bed Bath & Beyond to pick up the larger items we had ordered in advance from our local store and helped her set up her permanent room. In future years, she stored a lot of her belongings in a facility near campus and just came back to school with whatever clothes and athletic gear she had needed during the summer and wanted to bring back for the academic year.
Not an athlete but D also went to an early orientation at her school last fall (arriving a little after the athletes). We did what @maya54 described. D went off by herself with two pieces of luggage. I had sent ahead one box with bedding because she was moving into her regular dorm room. DH and I brought the rest of her stuff later during the regular move-in period and helped her set up the big stuff.
This worked out really well. By the time we arrived at move-in, D was settled and could proudly show us around, introduce us to a couple of friends. It was like parents weekend but at move-in. The other bonus was that we could bring things she didn’t realize she needed until she was there a few days.
I was a bit nervous about the flight out. It was her second time flying on her own. No direct flights so I made sure she had a long (2 hours) connection time (“just in case you get lost in the airport…”).
We went through a similar situation this summer. Unfortunately, the info from the coach comes within a week or two of meeting up, so you miss out on good flights. I would suggest your daughter contact an older player on the team who is also from out of town. That player will likely have the best school/sport specific advice.
Often, all the kids come in early and have “captain’s practices.” While the coaches can’t attend these events, they ARE mandatory for the players. Usually players are living in temporary quarters at this point. Then, a week or two later, the players are permitted to move in to their permanent residences.
We went out with our son for the drop-off and unloaded boxes of stuff at a temporary storage facility (cost $50). My husband flew out two weeks later for the official move-in day where they hauled everything from storage to the permanent dorm and purchased any other necessities.
Another option we considered was to send him early with a sleeping bag, athletic clothes for a week or two…and then pick up everything at a local Bed Bath & Beyond. It’s a great service. You buy things from your local store, and they are magically available at a store across the country. Good luck!
My daughter played college soccer. When the team reported for pre-season training in August they were allowed to move right into their actually dorms/apartments on campus. No moving after pre-season.
But the OP said her daughter was going to live in temporary housing for the athletic camp. That is not in question. It is like going to a sports camp at the college for 2 weeks or so. Many schools don’t let them move into their permanent dorms because the RA’s aren’t there yet, the dorms are not staffed with security yet, the dining hall that serves that dorm may not be open.
It’s up to the family whether they want to go for the first move in to camp, stay the entire time, come only for the freshman move in, or fly in twice.
I think the initial move in to camp will be pretty anticlimactic. I’ve dropped kids at camps many times - it takes about 10 minutes. Daughter will probably have very little time to spend with family once the practices start.