<p>How does it work? Any tips for making it go smoothly? How long do parents typically hang around?</p>
<p>You will get an assigned day and time. There are plenty of RAs and other students around helping to unload etc. They have it down to a pretty good routine when you consider the number of people moving in.</p>
<p>If you are traveling a long distance from OOS and are attending the final C-TOPS you can request an early move-in which can make things even easier.</p>
<p>OOS parents usually hang around longer since they have driven/flown a distance but honestly after the orientation events officially begin, there isn't much reason to be there. As I recall we moved in on a Thursday and left town on Sunday.</p>
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the final C-TOPS you can request an early move-in which can make things even easier.
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<p>What is C-TOPS? How do you sign up for it?</p>
<p>Thanks</p>
<p>It is HOTTTT but there are organizations that volunteer to help you out. It actually was a lot easier than I thought it would be.</p>
<p>It's the student (and parent) orientation.</p>
<p>I think that they wait until RD decisions come out to begin sending out information.....I could be wrong here....there are numerous sessions throughout the summer.</p>
<p>They recommend (for cost and convenience) that anyone traveling more than 400 miles attend the final session which is right before move-in. My S chose to attend an earlier session even though we are from Texas because he had other travel plans late in the summer and also because CTOPS is also when you pick up your laptop and do scheduling etc.</p>
<p>Speaking of laptops. Can you bring your own? How good is the one you can get from them?</p>
<p>It is a good idea to get their laptop because htey load all of the programs onto it that you will need, and there is free help and tech support when you need it. I have not had a problem with the laptop they gave me.</p>
<p>what kind of laptops do they give?</p>
<p>They are Levano Thinkpads. They are good laptops at a pretty good price, but they won't do any PC gaming if you are into that sort of thing. I myself will probably be ordering a dell on my own as I want a laptop with higher specs than what they offer, and the free help/tech support is not really a concern for me as I can do most if not all of what they do.</p>
<p>I will probably order a MacBook for college because they seem to be the cream of the crop.</p>
<p>I like the Thinkpad they gave me (I also like it because it was free with the laptop grant, be sure to look into that if you applied for financial aid!) because although it's a bit ugly, I've never had any real problems with it.</p>
<p>how did you get the grant? Was it a separate application or something?</p>
<p>I'm pretty sure it was under the financial aid stuff on the website. Honestly, my mom is an accountant so she took care of all that stuff.</p>
<p>Back to move in day.
If you are from out of state come and spend a day or two getting your child settled. YOu won't see him/her for a while. You can buy stuff you need here. We arrived the night before move in day was scheduled and if you sign up for the freshman camp or service camp you get to move in even earlier.</p>
<p>The great thing about the laptops they offer is that they will give you a loaner if you have problems, they service them on campus, if lost, stolen or broken they replace them....whatever you bring you will need to have it set up for their network during orientation. Do pay attention to their specs.</p>
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if you have problems, they service them on campus, if lost, stolen or broken they replace them....
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<p>That is amazing! Is there bureaucracy involved in getting a repair completed?</p>
<p>Not a real big issue, you take it in (my D has done it several times) they check it in, give you a loaner if one is immedately available (she had to wait a day right after break bc the people who had loaners for break weren't back yet to pick up their fixed computers). Anyway, they called her when one was available and then she went back to get hers when hers was fixed. Her power cable went bad while at home. warranty repair/replcement. You do pay for insurance that covers the 4 years.... If money is an issue at all fill out the css profile/fasfa as they give out a ton of laptop grants for partial or full rides. If you get a grant yo uhave to return the laptop if you leave before graduating. Good program...my D's fell off her desk and hers was replace last year. There is a deductible of $250 for a total replacement with a new computer but we would have been out alot more without the program and she got a newer better faster cooler computer (if thinkpads can be cool).</p>
<p>**PS. Dont think they use vista on the computers so you really need to find out about stuff like that.....there is a ton of free softare you are given access to and it is probably geare to run with xp.</p>