I’m an advocate for taking the minimum, but this year many students are getting a single that was a double, so 2 beds, 2 dressers, 2 closets. DON’T fill them up.
thanks…never knew about that!
“There are two kinds of people- those who pack light and those who wish they had.”
Rick Steves
On my last trip I learned that he was right!
I’d consider sending her with some food (or shipping some to her). Many campuses are going to have grab n go food only, and some will have specified hours etc. I can easily see missing a time slot, or not liking the packaged food, so having some packages of breakfast bars and the like might come in really handy.
I love the Rick Steves quote above ^^.
HOWEVER, this year is my only daughter’s freshman year. So her school is also advising packing light, but I think they must be absolutely crazy ;-). No way we are missing out on the fun of full decorating!! Plus, importantly, her classes are online so she will be spending an inordinate amount of time in her room–all the more reason to put in a little extra effort to make it attractive and cozy. Wall decorations/art, lighting, colorful decorative pillows, etc will be key. Additionally, she will be assigned a single, which in normal times may either be a single or double–we don’t know yet. But it could mean she has extra space to fill/decorate. I find barren spaces depressing, so not only are we not going minimal, we may go EXTRA ;-).
Of course, we are not flying or I might feel differently. If you are driving and don’t have to deal with shipping stuff home or flights, it only takes 10 minutes to haul a few extra boxes (or whatever) into/out of the dorm room, so the notion of having to pack up quickly to rush home in case of early cancellation or something doesn’t resonate with me. She is allowed just one helper (hee hee hee, I wish my husband could be the schlepper, and I could swoop in at the end just to help with decorating only, but alas, I may have to help with both aspects).
Good luck everyone! Getting ready for college is so exciting (even in pandemic), however you decide to do it!
@EmptyNestSoon2 Just don’t let her do elaborate photograph displays on the walls ??
In the spring we were given a two hour slot to empty my D’s room and it took her at least that much to remove one by one all those pictures…
I think that these kids who are going to be sleeping, studying, eating and living in their room (almost 24/7) need more than the basics otherwise it is depressing (like jail) Most of the things they would go out of their rooms for like eat in dining halls, sport games, and other activities will not happen. I think the solution is to buy cheap and donate when done IF necessary. When my dd finished her freshman year 2 years ago she had accumulated so much stuff over the year that we could not fit it all in the car so we put things like the mattress topper, TV stand, rug, and accumulated unopened food in the dorm donation pile in the lobby. The university then donated it to charity. SO, bring what you need and want to be comfortable but don’t spend a fortune on it and be prepared to leave-donate-or toss it.
@twoinanddone - great advice for those schools going with singles only. I would also make sure they have the OTC meds, vitamins and airborne. Clorox wipes, oh wait, nvm, i don’t think they will catch up on those for a while.
We have an air purifier with hepa filter on our list.
Our older student has had one since freshman year and always felt it helped with the generally nasty dorm air.
First time college mom of twins here.
Mine are going to the same school and will each have a single room (that should be a double) in different dorms. . I’m struggling with the right balance.
a) I agree that they don’t need all that much beyond the basics in case they need to leave in a hurry and other reasons. Also I don’t want two rooms worth of stuff back in my house.
b) they will be spending a lot of time in their rooms which should be shared with another person. I don’t want it to be depressing to have barren walls and a empty bed.
The school has already said the furniture will not be removed. At a minimum I’m thinking no under the bed or extra closet storage is needed. I also think I’ll buy some extra cheap bedding and pillows to try to turn the extra bed into more of a sofa.
I don’t know. It’s my first time and we are trying to do it x2.
I think that the sofa idea could be perfect and done quite easily with sheets and a body pillow size bolster pillow and also removed and stored easily as well. I agree that this needs to be a comfortable space otherwise too depressing. Boys or girls? Wall decor such as a tapestry takes up such a minimal amount of space if you have to bring home and store it and they are not expensive. They are big so you get some good bang for your buck decor wise.
They are both girls. Totally not into shopping and decorating which is annoying but also saves me a lot of money. I got them both to agree to bring a comforter we already have from home for the second bed. I’ll look into bolster pillows. I’m not familiar. Maybe they will pick out a tapestry. That would be easier.
My D20 and her roommate lucked out with what was formerly a triple room, but for just the two of them. Unfortunately, the school is removing the extra furniture (seems like a lot of unnecessary extra work for the school to me, but that’s what we are told). They will have an extra closet, though, which will be nice for them to have. We are trying to be as minimalist as possible, but with comfort still in mind. For example, we nixed the extra mattress topper but I got the cushiest mattress pad I could find for her. Hopefully, it will work out. I could always send her a mattress topper later, I suppose, if she really finds the bed super uncomfortable. I do think getting a good night’s rest is important.
@amsunshine sorry this is off topic, but where did your daughter end up deciding to go to school? I remember she seemed to have applied to many of the same schools my daughter applied to but don’t recall if I heard what she chose.
FSU