<p>I read my son's facebook page and it says the purpose of TV is to gather people together in a single room, after which the TV should be turned off. </p>
<p>HOORAY for no TV! (except for Travel Channel... ;) )</p>
<p>Gilmore girls seems to be very popular with this CC crowd. I've heard about this show on many occasions here on CC. I don't find anything wrong with tuning in for the purpose of watching a particular show. What I have issue with are people who tune in just to channel surf and watch whatever, just for the sake of watching.</p>
<p>that actually is the only way I watch tv momsdream.
I like CSI/West Wing enough to rent it , however I still don't have my new dvd/video player hooked up.
My younger D likes the Today show ( ever since she was on it last spring ;) ) and Oprah- my husband has a tv in his shop and he watches the most bizarre things like REALCOPS chasing REALBAD guys ( usually people who didn't pay for their gas)
But in general I don't have enough attention span for TV- so I watch it about once a week to catch the late news and then flip back and forth between letterman and leno and Kimmel for an hour before I go to bed.
My daughter just moved into a 2 bed apt- last year there was a tv at the other end of the floor, this year , niether one has a tv although there is plenty of room. I imagine if there is really something they want to see they will hangout in one of the other dorms, there never is a shortage of entertainment.
BUt one thing I would suggest to bring.
A younger sibling who likes to organize.
While freshman year we left the 11yr old at home, we mostly didn't help too much except to take her to buy another fan. The furniture had to stay where it was, & for some reason the ethernet connection was on one side of the room and the electrical outlet the other.
Soph and junior year however we did bring the sibling and left it to her to supervise and unpack- she even expanded her skills elsewhere in the dorm and spent all day helping one girl who had a huge room and lots of stuff.
This year she stayed overnight two nights with her sister, arranging things while my H stayed at the hotel watching cable TV( and walking the dog) and napping and I did a few errands and went to see a movie.
So I would have to say a sister is even more handy than a hand truck. ( maintenance usually has those available anyway)</p>
<p>We have always brought a sibling,for carrying and running errands. The younger one is one of those easygoing types who'll schlep anything if you buy him a soda now and then. The older one reciprocated by helping little bro move in last year--she's the organizational type who kept everything running smoothly.</p>
<p>Unfortunately, they're moving at close to the same time this year, may not have either available for the other--and parents will be stretched thin!</p>
<p>We've moved our D & S in & out of dorms/student apts many times.</p>
<p>Tool kit Include Phillips/flathead screwdrivers; a small level; scissors; reg & needlenose pliers; box opener; & a small hammer. You might need a torque wrench for adjusting the bed height. </p>
<p>Lightbulb(s) 2 years in a row, we forgot these. D needed one for her desk lamp in the dorm. Second year, we replaced the low-watt, fluorescents in her apt with 75-watt bulbs. Be sure to check the max. wattage on the lamps. We put the low-watt bulbs back when she moved out. </p>
<p>Compact, collapsible vacuum cleaner Even if you don't leave it, the carpet will need to be vacuumed after the move-in. On move-out day, be prepared to share. Everybody needs to vacuum his/her room before check-out, and the dorm vacuums are never around. :)</p>
<p>Goo-Gone For taking off price tags. Put a tiny bottle in the tool kit.
Long Ethernet cable We had to run it along the base of two walls.
Power Strip For underneath the desk.<br>
Clear, wide, packaging tape For taping the tops of boxes when moving out.</p>
<p>All-purpose disinfectant wipes For general surface cleaning. </p>
<p>Dustbuster The room should be clean when you move in, but it's easy to trash the room pretty quickly while unpacking. A hand-vac just makes it easier & faster to clean up when moving in/out. </p>
<p>Large, trash bag For taking out your own garbage after move-in. There's usually a dumpster right outside of the building. </p>
<p>Cold water & caffeinated drinks It's surprising how dehydrated you can get hauling boxes & crates! The student store will probably be open, but it will probably be busy. H always volunteers to make a run to the store to pick up lunch & anything we forgot. It gives him a chance to rest, while D & I finish up. :)</p>
<p>sluggbugg -- Terrific list -- we put together our own tool box and also added some small tacks/nails, masking tape, duct tape. Power strip, Ethernet cable, and extension cord comes in handy -- even if someone else needs em. Disinfectant wipes are handy -- even though my son had them he didn't use them and couldn't believe how dusty things got.
Small vacuum is handy. One or two collapsible soccer/sports chairs are a good investment -- pretty cheap. I provided large trash bags which are useful for trash but also for hauling out belongings at end of year. For moving out, we used Packing Company on campus but I brought extra bubble wrap, packing tape, and Sharpie Permanent Marker.</p>
<p>We packed our daughter's clothing in shopping bags. They were easy to carry up the stairs, and she didn't have lots of suitcases to worry about finding room for. They are safer climbing the stairs. Both boxes and suitcases are a bit more awkward climbing the stairs. She put like clothing in the same bag, so she could unpack more easily. I highly recommend them.</p>
<p>We use shopping bags, too. Went to the mall to a store that sold leather coats. Asked them if we could have (or buy) a bunch of their big bags with the handles. They gave us about a dozen! They were great for packing clothes, towels, sheets, etc. Then when she unpacked, she folded up the bags and put them under her mattress, ready to use when she came home.</p>
<p>They were also great when we found out that she was on the third floor with no elevator!</p>
<p>For those with access, IKEA has a tool kit which includes a screw driver with large assortment of heads, pliers, hammer and....? for something like $5.00 in it's own case. Did everything we needed it to for D. Thank god for the football team. She and I pulled in, players and coach showed up, 3 trips, 5 players and everything was in her room.</p>
<p>Odd question here: When kids live in a suite style apartment with it's own bathroom, do they leave things like toothbrushes, soap, washcloths in the bathroom or do they bring them back to their respective bedrooms each time? Just wondering if we need a plastic shoebox or bucket for holding these items in the bedroom.</p>
<p>We just returned from dropping off S#1, an 8 hour drive for us. They had a large group of upper classmen (fraternities and sororities I think) poised and ready to help the freshmen move into the dorms. It reminded me of the description in Charlotte Simmons - since I knew I wouldn't have to tip them I let them help. In 2 minutes and one trip the entire contents of our station wagon was transported up 4 flights of stairs to my son's new home. :)
It went incredibly well. His roommate had moved in the previous day.Roommate's bed was "lofted" so we picked up a loft kit and did the same for my S' bed. No tools needed. The dorm room was air conditioned, and had new carpet. It was pretty nice! Cable outlet in the room but neither has a TV - there are TVs in the common areas. I was allowed to set up the computer while my wife arranged the drawers and closets. S went to lunch with RA and roommate while wife and I finished our work. No goodbyes were permitted. I didn't notice any parent's breaking down. I also noted that nobody was taking pictures so I left the camera in the car. We survived.</p>
<p>S1 lived in an apartment with 9 other kids. The apartment had 2 bathrooms, both quite small, so S brought back all his toiletries to his room. So, yes, a caddy would be a good idea.</p>
<p>Glad to hear it went well NJres. New carpet, A/C? Sounds good! These kids have it pretty good if you ask me. </p>
<p>Those kids who heped your S move in might the ones who got to move in early free of charge in excahnge for helping others move in. My son is doing this at Penn...moving in 5 days early, but not paying extra because he's signed up to work 4 hrs per day helping others move in. I think it's going to be hard work. And I hope he gets a few tips ;) (hint, hint parents)</p>
<p>My S has a suite bathroom and I ended up taking his caddy home and returning it to BB&B. There's four boys sharing it and they all decided to use one of their four drawer storage containers for all of them. It fit under the vanity and each of them took a drawer. Sounds good, but I don't know how practical it will be, but they will figure it out. We also took the two milk crate bins and put them under the two sinks for the cleaning supplies, extra TP, etc. Now, to see if it stays that way.</p>
<p>My daughter had 1 bathroom for 4 girls last year. She said that it was hectic, but it worked. She had a caddy. I kept suggesting that they look into getting one of those cabinents that stand up behind the toilet. It would have given them lots of storage space. They aren't all that expensive at Target.</p>
<p>Momsdream: Last year, D shared her apt with 3 other students, 2 other girls and one guy. They all used caddies for their shower items, so as not to clutter up the shower. They kept their toothbrushes, mouthwash, and toothpaste up on the sink counters (they had two sides to their bathroom and two sink areas). I think the caddies were useful for keeping their shower stuff separated and a little more private.</p>