<p>I never thought I'd be starting this thread, but am stunned to realize S's best choice to attend is in Southern California, a place I've never seen and can't imagine. They say it's different than Buffalo, NY. I'm sure that's an exaggeration ;) After all, O.J. Simpson made the same move, and we live around the corner from his old house. </p>
<p>Anyway, others may be switching in the other direction.</p>
<p>Or North-to-South, and vice-versa.</p>
<p>Perhaps others wonder as I do, or have EXPERIENCE with, tips for:
- travel
- clothing
- sending the initial stuff off to campus
- compensating for being unable to share most school vacations or see their performances (was a great joy with our eldest kids in colleges 4 hours away...) </p>
<p>Best I've come up with is (for my S): "Make friends with kids who live nearby so you can go there for holidays; we can only bring you home once each year."</p>
<p>For those coming to the snowy northeast (and yes we got a FOOT yesterday around Binghamton!)... I say, "Learn to layer your clothing, get a winter sport, and love Hot Chocolate."</p>
<p>Keep it light but let's exchange! (Is this a great country, or what?)</p>
<p>Board shorts, t shirts, one or two hoodies, and good sandals. My sons like "Rainbows," leather flip-flops with decent arch support. Or slip-on canvas shoes. </p>
<p>Is he coming out for a visit first or will you be bringing him out for the first time on move in day? Do you know about the deal with Bed, Bath and Beyond?</p>
<p>DD is on the opposite coast...I'll give you my tips.
- travel- Make reservations early and sign up for frequent flyer miles with all airlines used.
- clothing-it was much easier to pack the CA clothes than to pack the winter stuff for DS who was only 2 hours away.
- sending the initial stuff off to campus- for this year, I traveled with DD. We had four suitcases each containing 49 pounds of "stuff". We bought the mattress pad, pillow, printer, and school supplies IN CA. Everything else went in the suitcases. One was dedicated to linens and stuff. She was able to fill the other three as she saw fit. She carried her computer bag and I carried her musical instruments.
- compensating for being unable to share most school vacations or see their performances (was a great joy with our eldest kids in colleges 4 hours away...)- We've missed this part. Because of the costs, she came home at Christmas, and will fly home in June. Fortunately for us, we have relatives who welcomed her (and have offered to do so for four years) for Thanksgiving and spring breaks. </p>
<p>Added...I brought two of the four suitcases home with me. She will store three large rubbermaid containers of "stuff" in CA when she comes home in June. No need to bring any winter clothes, linens, printer, microwave, etc home for the summer. She'll bring whatever fits into those two suitcases. She will carry on the plane her computer bag and musical instruments.</p>
<p>Moving across country - either direction: Get a credit card that allows you to earn points that can be converted into cash or credit on your account. Then when you need to make plane reservations for any reason, you cash out your points, get credit and can use the $ to get the best ticket on any airlines without restrictions. If you are inclined to let your D or S have a credit card, they can be on the same account and the points are cummulative and don't expire or are not restricted to one person or the other.</p>
<p>go to your local Bed, Bath and Beyond: Order everything you need to pick up at the closest store to the campus. Then fly with just the usual suitcases and computer. Rent a medium size car and pick up everything the day before move in. You pay when you pick up and can delete or add items there. You can return anything. You will need the car to make Target runs for last minute stuff. </p>
<p>Office Depot: Order all school supplies on line and have them shipped free to your campus. For orders over $100 - shipping is free. Pick up at the school mail service; This saves on shipping costs and luggage overage. </p>
<p>Moving East from Cal: Don't bother buying a winter coat or boots until Fall. The kids figure out what they need and want. Our D had her own ideas intially about what she needed for Boston. She needed to figure it out on her own by observing others and asking questions. We went shopping during Parent Weekend in late October. Hit the North Face store and found the right type coat for Boston weather. Most kids do NOT wear snow boots. Don't waste any money on these until your kids says "I have to get some snow boots." Then you can shop online if you need to. There were kids in flip flops last week when we were in Boston. </p>
<p>Moving West from the East: If the campus/community is relatively flat - have your kid get a bicycle. Invest in a really good lock. A backpack, a pair of flip flops, sunglasses and bike. A medium weight jacket with a hood will work for almost all weather including rain. They are ready for school. Well, maybe a few more things, but it is so much easier. You don't need the thermal blankets, the special light bulbs for dark gray winters, the coat, boots, etc.</p>
<p>paying3tuitions: Which college? If you are specific, we can give you even more info since you have never been here. This has been home for 50+ (gasp) years..........</p>
<p>well...one nice thing about Chapman is that the train station is right around the corner. Re: renting a car...yes..get a MEDIUM sized car. We rented a car last Sept, and asked for a small one. The car itself was fine and the trunk was big enough too...problem was the OPENING to the trunk was too small to get the big suitcases through!! We upgraded to a medium car...not very much more money, and with the way the (maniac) drivers drive in CA, I felt safer in a larger car.</p>
<p>Great choice for Film! Congratulations...... Will you be flying out for move in?</p>
<p>We know lots of kids there (and a few going to that program in fact!) I will get back to you with more details about the campus. Definitely consider the Bed, Bath and Beyond thing.....there is one fairly close. </p>
<p>John Wayne (Orange County Airport) is much closer than LA International and much less of a headache. There are fewer flight options however. Look into airlines that fly there. The cost is a bit higher than LAX but worth it.</p>
<p>However, you are totally in luck as Jet Blue flies in and out of Long Beach airport (it is their hub) and in/out of Buffalo! We love Jet Blue and LB airport. You can show up 45 minutes before your flight and no hassles! The drive from LB to Chapman is about 30 minutes, except at rush hour. Consider getting a American Express Jet Blue card or Capitol One.......points that convert to cash.</p>
<p>"You don't need the thermal blankets, the special light bulbs for dark gray winters, the coat, boots, etc."</p>
<p>Could someone explain about the light bulbs? I live in Florida and am going north so wherever I end up, I'll have to adjust to the grey winters. Every bit will help.</p>
<p>Find and listen to the Dar Williams song "Southern California Wants To Be Western New York". Clever, and not so wrong about some of the secret symmetries.</p>
<p>It's funny: a couple branches of my (very large) extended family wound up in LA, as did some other people I knew pretty well growing up. For me, Los Angeles has always been full of Buffalonians. (It's a one -way trip, though. None of them move back. Except my sister, who moved back to Buffalo from San Francisco, but there were mitigating circumstances.)</p>
<p>Everything you're saying is new to us. I didn't want to wear out campus administrators with a zillion questions, but CC parents are indefatigueable.</p>
<p>H would fly out with S for move-in; very resourceful H</p>
<p>For the NE or Midwest winters: I can't remember what they are called, but we were told to get the light bulbs that provide "brighter" sunnier light for the darkest months of winter. Most dorm rooms are not well lit from ceiling lighting. Get a really good floor lamp or desk lamp and get the better bulbs. They were not much more expensive and we got them at Target. Bed Bath and Beyond had a great floor lamp with 5 adjustable "arms". It can be taken apart for storage and wasnt too expensive. I think I saw at least a dozen on D's dorm wing. It iwill help with your mid-winter affect and help prevent the "blues."</p>
<p>AND FROM THE NORTH: dear Willow -- some people get "seasonal affective disorder" from lack of sunshine days over many days in a row. It gives them the blues, depressing. So they buy special lamps (or light bulbs, as I'm hearing from you now...) to sit and read under. Something about the radiant energy counteracts the blues.
Lest you think we all sit under such lamps, no, it's more of an elderly thing, although I have heard of one student who owns one. But I see blucroo's post above and he sounds more up-to-date re: dorm life.</p>
<p>Wait and see if it's needed! Friendship works just as well for some.</p>
<p>ALso to understand: when you read about those cold thermometer readings, those are sometimes the brightest, most beautiful blue skies of all. Cloud cover hovers when the temps are between 30-40 degrees, and those can be gray/rainy/mixed/snowy days. Places like Cornell or Syracuse have lots of these. But some places that are COLDER (such as Vermont, New Hampshire, Canada...) on average have brighter blue skies. A winter day is either gray and near 30 degrees so snow is possible, OR "too cold for snow" (highs below 25 degrees) which means a cloud-free, magnificent bright blue sky with the sun sparkling on last week's snow. These days lift your spirits, but in Florida it just sounds like "brrr...cold." It's more than the temperature, in other words. I love a bright sunny winter day! No blues. Oh, well, maybe by March I'm kinda tired of the season in general.</p>
<p>A video camera for graduation present! I told my long distance kiddos I expect at least an hour video at Christmas and June. First one included a tour of the campus with their comments, dorm room in all its messy glory, a few friends, birthday dinner shots, etc. They just told friends about their "crazy" mom and all seemed to be willing to indulge me.</p>
<p>Videocam is excellent tip -- and he's going to film school so can check one out from school! </p>
<p>You reminded me just now of an aunt who moved to another country in the l950's; her dad bought a reel-to-reel audio tape (the size of an oven) to keep everyone close. </p>
<p>Lovely idea, keepmesane! But, how did your S arrange a dorm mess, just for the movie :)</p>
<p>I just became aware of the shootings at VTech so all of this thread feels suddenly so trivial. Let's stop for now. I'll resurrect the thread with a "bump" in a few days; surely everyone's attention is elsewhere. Or use PM's if you prefer.
I'm too horrified and sad to moderate this right now. Everyone's heart must be breaking. -- p3t</p>