With freshman move-in day in 3 weeks I thought it might be helpful to start a thread to give some advice from those who have been thru this both emotional and potentially stressful life experience and answer any questions anyone might have regarding freshman moving in on August 29th.
I will start it off by recommending that once everything has been moved in and the room set-up that it probably would be in the student’s best interest for parent(s) to leave ASAP to allow the new students to begin to interact with one another and begin to form friendships. I realize this can be very gut-wrenching for many parents to do, especially for parents who are moving in a son/daughter for the first time, but in most cases it really would be best for the student. Usually each dorm floor gets together to go as a group to dinner on move-in day so it would be helpful for students to begin to have some time to begin to develop some friendships even before this.
Do you recommend arriving on the early end of move-in window or anytime but last-minute?
Meaning, if daughter has 8-11 window, should we plan on arriving at 7:50 and getting in a line of cars or arriving later and perhaps not having to deal with as much waiting?
We moved our Frosh D into Gilbert last year. Arrived at 9:30. We were greeted by a very organized drop off of all her stuff and then directed to park in a certain spot. We then went back and and waited a short time while she checked in. once that was done we carried stuff up on our own and and were assisted by blue hen helper with those big laundry bins. It was very organized and we were all done in about 2hrs. That area has since added the “New” Rodney complex, so there will be a much larger crowd. I would assume they have a plan, but will it flow as well? I would get there on the earlier side to be safe. It will be a crap shoot as to when the bulk surge of people will get there. But I will agree with Mwallenmd when he says setup and get out. While its difficult, you couldnt be dropping your kid off in a nicer place. So be prepared to roll once they are set. Good luck to all!!
My suggestion is get there early. Seemed to work out good for us last year as the line of cars builds quickly. It is very organized but just the shear volume is overwhelming. Blue Hen helpers were wonderful. Especially with a 4th floor walk up. If you are bringing an area rug, bring it in first and set it up before anything else. We learned the hard way last year after squeezing everything into D 8x8 room and realizing we had to move it all out into the hall to put the rug down! Avoid Target in the mall. It will be an absolute zoo. Last year we had to run in while husband drove around parking lot because not a space to be had. was worse than Black Friday. Hopefully they will do the bus trip to Target for freshman again this year. They restocked before they arrived and it was a good bonding experience for D and floor mates.
I agree with not hanging around. They are very busy with floor meetings and activities and are eager to be on their own. Do not be surprised if it takes a while for that first phone call…or text. Looking back, that was harder for me than saying goodbye on move in day. I spent a full day sobbing while cleaning her room the first week she was gone. They do realize they still need you while working on their independence. I also found winter break was a big adjustment as she was used to doing her own thing and we had to realize she was used to her new independence when she came home. By this time next year you will be looking back on what an amazing experience year 1 at UD was.
Bring disinfectant to wipe off room areas (even in new rooms you don't know who has been in them).
Bring a tool kit-especially if you may elevate the beds.
Pack clothes in plastic storage containers with pull out drawers to be placed under the beds. Saves space as well as time unpacking.
Bring an electrical surge protector unit which also provides more electrical outlets.
Bring plastic trash can liners-small as you can find (trash cans are not big-we ended up buying a larger one for our D with a lid).
Wi-Fi is available thru-out campus so Ethernet cables are probably not really needed (unless you really feel you want a back-up system). A Wi-Fi printer also is nice to minimize computer connections.
Thanks for the tips, all…while she’s our first to go to college, we have lots of experience with moving kids into dorm rooms (boarding school) and being empty-nesters. That first week when both kids were out of the house was a tough one…I can’t say I didn’t cry.
Another question for the experienced UD parents…meal plans. Since daughter had been at boarding school, I think she’s used to getting all her meals from dining hall. So I was thinking that the 12 meal + points plan might not be enough. Considering upgrading to the unlimited + points (not that much more in terms of $). Would appreciate thoughts/input. Daughter will be in honors housing.
IMHO I would go for the plan your D is most familiar with for the first semester, allow her to gage whether this is too much Dining Hall use for her, and then she can switch plans for the second semester once she gets a better feel for whether she wants to change plans or not. She could always purchase additional points if she finds she needs them for this first semester. Freshman do tend to have a lot of early classes and if she is a breakfast person she might run out of Dining Hall credits for the rest of the daily meals for a whole week with just the 12 meal plan. Dining Hall credits are allotted on a weekly basis so you can’t borrow credits from the next week once you have used up the ones you are allotted for a particular week (unless things have changed). Just my perspective. Good luck.
@Mwallendmd: That’s what I was thinking…if you eat breakfast (as one is required to do at most boarding schools), then that’s 5 meals off your plan right away…leaving only 7 for the rest of the week. Tx.
Best wishes to everyone moving in tomorrow. Looks like the weather will be good with little chance of any rain. I suspect there will be some traffic jams (Academy Street will be mobbed) with most all the freshman students now moving in and living relatively close together on the East Campus (in past years traffic was spread out more with many students moving into West Campus dorms - which have been eliminated). Try to be patient. It is quite an experience. Again good luck to everyone.
Indeed the traffic was dense around campus, but once in the queue, we were able to get in and out without much fuss. I personally was surprised about how much stuff MANY kids seemed to be bringing…including large (40+ inch) TVs. Aren’t you going to college to study?