<p>Here's the deal... I'm trying to figure out how I'm supposed to get all of my stuff to MIT. It sounds really goofy, but I have so much stuff to take! My parents and I thought about driving up there, but the drive is probably just too long. So we're probably going to end up flying over there. It makes sense that they would each take 2 suitcases worth of stuff and I could buy all the other things I need there. </p>
<p>So here's the big problem that I haven't been able to work out in my head... At the end of the school year, how am I supposed to get all of my stuff back home? It took three people and let's assume multiple packages in the mail to get everything to MIT, so how am I going to get everything back by myself? I know dorms let you store some stuff, but they're not going to let everyone store their entire wardrobe and all of their furniture. Plus the cost of mailing everything to and from home is probably worth more than the clothes anyway. Do people at MIT just throw their stuff away, or is there a warehouse somewhere that you and a couple friends can rent to stash everything in?</p>
<p>solution looks simple.</p>
<p>don't go home over the summer. :)</p>
<p>a lot of students do it</p>
<p>I agree with emmittisgod. ;) </p>
<p>But if you do want to go home, yes, there are warehouses around campus that have deals for summer storage. My dorm, and I assume most of the dorms, also has hall closets that people put stuff in, as well as an entire section of the basement that gets opened up for stuff. Larger things, like fridges, TVs, and desk chairs, often gets loaned to people who are staying over the summer so they can take care of it.</p>
<p>My D goes to school on the opposite coast of our home and stored most of her stuff in a rented storage unit she shared with her roomates. One of her roomate's parents helped them move everything into the unit, and then I flew out at the beginning of the year and helped them more everything back. It can be done, but it takes someone with a car to get things from school to storage and back.
Discuss this with your parents and see if they might be willing to be the schleppers one of the ways, and then you can be on the lookout for someone to share the storage with during the year. My bet is that you'll find many takers, as a lot of kids are in exactly the same position - it will work out. :)</p>
<p>there won't be space in your dorm room for much of your own furniture in addition to what the dorm itself provides (bed, desk, dresser). And there won't be enough closet space for a huge wardrobe. So there may be less to store during the summer than you are imagining.</p>
<p>The "stuff" we're dealing with figuring how to ship cross-country are desktop computer (the laptop will travel with him on the plane); fancy flat-screen monitor; speaker system; stereo components; photography equipment; several boxed strategy board games. <em>This</em> year, he considers them all absolutely essential. I wonder how this holds for the following year...</p>
<p>We've had very good luck with UPS in shipping stereo's, etc. This year we even shipped some clothes and books home with UPS - they set up in the lounge of my D's dorm, which was very convenient. Things arrived home before she did!</p>
<p>I guess I'm really concerned about hefty winter coats and shoes. Those take up so much space and they're pretty essential. I'll probably need to bring at least three huge winter jackets (for different occasions) and a pair of rain boots and winter boots (for the snow and when that snow is melting). That will probably take up an entire suitcase or more. Four suitcases sounds a lot, but when you actually try and stuff your "stuff" in it... it's like nothing! I'm going through space withdrawal or something like it.</p>
<p>I think the rooms in Simmons are tiny, but the rooms in Baker seem large enough to fit all of my stuff. Maybe by the time I get to Baker, the room space will seem like it shrunk.</p>
<p>I know a lot of people stay on campus over the summer to UROP, some end up going to other places to intern, or they end up going home. Does MIT make it cost efficient to stay in an MIT dorm for the summer? It just seems like so much of the money you make from doing an UROP would go toward room and board and if you just lived at home and found a summer job... room and board would be free (for you but not your parents) and you could pocket your internship money.</p>
<p>My daughter brought her heavy coats back east when she went back after winter break. (wore one on the plane, packed one) and she stuffed her down jacket in her carry-on, as it scrunches up easily. She bought snow boots there, and stored them at school over the summer. She wore her other heavy winter shoes on the plane returning to school.
It doesn't make sense to let storage dictate whether or not you come home for the summer - other things, like where you want to work, or visiting home, should take priority. When you come home in December, bring the shorts and light clothing that you wore in September-October back with you.</p>
<p>Store stuff in your refrigerator. I have my fridge stored in the dedicated fridge-storage room at Baker, and in it is my down jacket and comforter.</p>
<p>It took me more time to pack to put things into storage and come home, than it did to study for finals :P</p>
<p>Here's the website that gives the summer housing rates:
<a href="http://web.mit.edu/housing/undergrad/summer.html%5B/url%5D">http://web.mit.edu/housing/undergrad/summer.html</a>
It looks like it's approximately the same rate per time as the normal term housing rate, but cheaper because summer is shorter.</p>
<p>Personally, my parents pay for housing, and I keep my UROP money for food/entertainment, so the cost isn't really an issue for me. The way my parents figure, if they made me pay for housing, they'd have to give me money for food. And I would infinitely rather stay here for the summer and do research than go home to Ohio and watch the corn grow.</p>
<p>
[quote]
desktop computer (the laptop will travel with him on the plane); fancy flat-screen monitor; speaker system; stereo components; photography equipment; several boxed strategy board games.
[/quote]
[quote]
<em>This</em> year, he considers them all absolutely essential.
[/quote]
^ that's mom point of view. from son point of view, those ARE essential :D he has my vote.</p>
<p>And it's fine with me that he take them all, no question! We just have to figure out how to ship them 3,000+ miles safely... any ideas, merc? :)</p>
<p>Wow, think of us poor international students! We can't bring any fancy stuff like speakers and furniture and board games!</p>
<p>I'm bringing clothes (duh!), WINTER stuff (sweaters etc.), some stationery, my GameCube console and games (yay!), and some other essential items.</p>
<p>our solution to shipping a computer is that Son is going to buy it when he gets to school and have it shipped there. He'll take the hard-drives (which are compact) from the old computer with him so he has all his files. Then I get the old computer with a new hard drive. Yeah!! He thinks his old computer is a dog, but it will be a big step up for me.</p>
<p>Since I got the dorm that I want, is it okay if I buy stuff over the internet and have it sent straight to my dorm... even if it is a temp room? Is there someone I can contact to find this information out?</p>
<p>At least at Baker, we just have things sent to Baker House with our name on it and they take care of it at the front desk. So what room you're temp'ed in vs what room you end up in won't matter. Even if they don't have your name in their directory at their front desk, or even if you switch dorms, it shouldn't be a big deal. They won't throw away your package and you'll be able to trace it down. So if you need something right away, just have it sent to yourself, at the address of the dorm.</p>
<p>I had my desktop computer shipped to me. Because all the stuff came in boxes it was pretty easy to put the stuff back into the boxes. As a precaution I took my hardrive and heat sink out of the case because I don't trust USPS to keep my fragile things from harm. all in all it took 3 boxes and 70 dollars though USPS so it wasn't that bad.</p>