<p>The BBB in Bham is very easily accessible right off the highway at a very nice shopping mall / complex. Although, beths mom it sounds as if you’ll have plenty of storage space on your way down.</p>
<p>I recommend a backout curtain and tension rod for a student’s bedroom. My son got his at Wal-Mart for about $10. Yes, the rooms have blinds, but my son likes his room dark.</p>
<p>Maybe I’m clueless, but where do you put the blackout curtain? Are they black? Does it go on top of the blinds? Do you then put another curtain over it? I assume the blinds don’t do an adequate job of blocking out the light-correct? Our house is window treatment-challenged (i.e.,for the most part our windows are bare), so this is unfamiliar territory for me.</p>
<p>I think the blackout curtains go over the blinds.</p>
<p>[Blackout</a> Window Liner Pair - White (27x60") : Target](<a href=“http://www.target.com/p/Blackout-Window-Liner-Pair-White-27x60/-/A-10887690]Blackout”>http://www.target.com/p/Blackout-Window-Liner-Pair-White-27x60/-/A-10887690)</p>
<p>Since you are not allowed to put up curtain rods outside or above the recessed window if that requires the use of screws, then tension rods are warranted … And … They are HOT items at Target, etc. As for what material is necessary to block out the light, I’ll leave that to the decorators. My W and D were able to fashion drapes that keep out the morning sun.</p>
<p>I just scrolled thru some dorm pics, and it looks like the blinds are installed very close to the windows, so there is a few inches in front of the blinds to put in a tension rod. </p>
<p>Off topic…I see that Riverside now has more pics on the website…</p>
<p>How wide are the windows?</p>
<p>I think the window sizes vary. If you go to the housing website and look at the residence halls, there’s a place to get the Room Details, and window sizes are listed there.</p>
<p>A few tips from when my S went off to college…he’s currently a college junior:</p>
<p>I made a document of important numbers and passwords emailed it to him so he and I both had it on our computers. It included numbers for checking/savings, his ID cash account (he didn’t go to UA), FAFSA, driver’s license (i actually scanned it and saved it as an image file). </p>
<p>Also, he actually got his school ID at an early orientation, I also scanned that and saved it as an image.</p>
<p>The summer before he left we also did a city orientation, where we went up for a long weekend and found the nearest grocery store, oil change place, drug store, wal mart, barber shop, etc. to campus. </p>
<p>My son got in a fender bender 2 months after starting his freshman year. One thing I wish I had done before the heat of the moment was to locate “preferred providers” of auto repair shops that work with my auto insurance. From the time my son first called me about the wreck, I was luckily able to look up online the local Better Business Bureau to locate a body shop, but I would have saved myself a lot of headaches on the backend had I found the preferred providers. I wished I would have them on a business card for my S’s wallet or cell phone, or at the very least in that document of important numbers!</p>
<p>So, I’ll be doing that before my D goes off to college in fall of 2013.</p>
<p>I used copy of my son’s driver’s license in dealing with insurance company after the wreck.</p>
<p>I used copy of my son’s school ID in writing to request jury duty excuse.</p>
<p>I also sent him with a folder of important papers, including an original copy of his birth certificate. I had several originals made.</p>
<p>Hope this helps someone!!!</p>
<p>^^^Great idea! I take care of my elderly mother, and I have a paper with all her health and ID cards scanned onto it.</p>
<p>We did make a copy of son’s ACT card to take with us to the storage facility last year so we could get the student discount.</p>
<p>Once your child gets their ACT card, you might want to make a copy for yourself to have handy at home in case you need it!</p>
<p>If your child will be working in T-town…either work-study or a regular job, then he may need to bring his SS card…and a voided check.</p>
<p>Don’t forget to have your child register to vote if they haven’t already done so. They can legally register six months prior to their 18th birthday. If your child is already 18, order their absentee ballots for the upcoming elections. There are particular deadlines for doing this so check on it soon. The ballots can be sent to the home address or to a PO box in Tuscaloosa if your student chooses and can usually be tracked electronically to assure delivery.</p>
<p>Thanks Bamagirls. That’s another one I would have forgotten!</p>
<p>Mom2Them, that’s great advice!</p>