Is it normal to have 2 suitcases full of luggage for BS?
Is that all? It took a minivan to get all my kids’ stuff to school.
@GMTplus7 But I heard that you would have to bring all your stuff back home during the summer in some boarding school’s…
Yes, and then I rented another minivan.
I took two suitcases and shipped like 5 boxes of stuff over, and bought whatever I needed as I went along.
Daughters usually roll with 1 medium suitcase, 1 medium/large trunk, a few garment bags, and miscellaneous bags/crates. Younger one also has fencing bag.
Last year we knew ahead of time that her dorm room would have a rather large armoir. With this info we brought most of her clothes already packed up in stacking drawers which she uses at home (got them at the container store and they fit perfectly), we had one medium size luggage with her outerwear that we would hang up. The medium luggage stayed with her for long weekends back home. Our minivan was packed.
One thing to keep in mind is not just where you might store stuff over the summer, but where you are going to store the suitcases during the school year. 7D1 used the area under her bed (putting mattress frame on highest setting) and 7D2 had a loft area above the built-in closet/bureau area. I think most schools have a dorm storage room for these sorts of things as well.
Prior to freshman year, FormerCK shipped a box of bedding (which also cushioned his trumpet/case) and a box of his electronics a couple of weeks before school began. He checked one large suitcase at the airport and carried a rollerbag and a backpack on the plane. Each year, he stored his bedding, printer, winter clothes, and room “décor” with All Campus Storage over the summers. Each subsequent year, he would ship his desktop and extra monitor back and forth, but the suitcase arrangement stayed the same. Regrettably, the trumpet came home freshman year for good. He just didn’t have time for lessons or play in his schedule.
Like Former ChoatieKid, I started BS with a 26" checked suitcase, a 22" rolling bag, and a backpack. My dad carried some items in his luggage. I shipped nothing due to expense from overseas. Winter clothes/books/bedding/furniture/sports equipment were stored over the summer. However, after 4 years, that summer storage unit sure accumulated a lot of crap. 
Southwest allows 2 checked bags. We checked 3 (2 allowed for parent; 2 for student), and did not need the fourth. Plus the usual roll-aboards. We found that “Medium” packing boxes from Home Depot or U-Haul exactly meet the maximum dimensions for luggage, and used a scale to make sure none exceeded 50 pounds.
For trips home, we picked up a large-capacity wheeled duffel at TJ Maxx.
There are often summer storage solutions- storage lockers for rent in town if nothing else. Also, bulky commodities like lamps and shower caddies, etc. can be picked up locally cheaper than they can be shipped.
A la GMTplus7, we are still wondering how we will get all the stuff into one minivan. My son’s bike is the complicating factor. Daughter’s bike and son’s big ugly desk chair will wait until family weekend.
@twinsmama: if you have a hitch not the minivan, the Thule hitch mounts are awesome…some even swing to the side allowing access to hatch. Not cheap, but well built. We’ve had the same one for years. FWIW, we are waiting until a later date to bring 7D1’s bike to college, which she had for most of her time at SAS.
@mrnephew What I decided to do is just keep the two large pieces of luggage and buy the rest of the stuff I need when I get to boston as there is still lots of space in my luggage (Chinese airlines have pretty strict restrictions on how much your luggage/carry-on should weigh…). Hopefully everyone here will enjoy the first few days of BS 
mine is starting in 3 days
@twinsmana, we too will have stuff that we’re saving to bring up Family Weekend. We’re less than 2 hours away, so the most important stuff will go in the van next Sunday; the less important stuff (winter coat/gear, etc) will wait until 9/25.
@SevenDad, my husband’s current plan is to tie the bike to the roof rack I insisted on getting that we have never used.
When I was driving nephew to his BS, I couldn’t roll down any window, lest stuff start falling out of the window from the rented Chevy Yukon filled up to the ceiling.
We picked up a lot of things locally; hangers, shampoo and toiletries, desk organizers, binders, a desk lamp and a bed lamp, a fan and a chair!
Is the OP’s question really:
How much total stuff should I bring to school?
– or is it –
What size/quantity of suitcases should I keep at school to use during breaks?
We checked 4 bags on Southwest - 2 big rolling duffles and 2 medium duffles plus 1 wheeled carry on. Worked out great - kid kept carry on bag for breaks and I flew home with the empty bags. Smaller duffles fit inside larger wheeled bags so I only had to check 2 bags coming home. Ordered mattress topper, pad, pillows & fan from Amazon and shipped to school. Bought detergent and various other sundries when we arrived.
That was for college freshman son this week - I just hope it works as well for boarding school daughter! We are in the “whittling down” phase now…
Bed Bath and Beyond has a great program where you are and they ship it to the store closest to school for you to pick up. A good alternative for those of us who are flying. (But you do need the name of the college closest to your boarding school.)