<p>So, I checked for hotel rooms for move-in. No surprise there. Big lack of rooms and those that are available are jacked up rates.</p>
<p>So, just a couple questions here.</p>
<p>Rates in Courtland are much better. Any reason not to stay there?</p>
<p>There is an Econo Lodge with good rates, but I am guessing there is a reason why the rates are lower than anything else in Ithaca and they still have rooms available. Those with knowledge please chime in.</p>
<p>Regarding the process. We are going to be driving up (10 hours) the day before move-in (Aug 20). The day of move-in, what exactly should I expect? I am guessing I will unload my Ds stuff and help her get it to her room, but then what?</p>
<p>[ul]
[<em>]How long should I expect to hang around and help her get her room set up?
[</em>]Is there going to be space available to park the car and stay awhile?
[<em>]Are there activities that happen that day that I need to plan to attend?
[</em>]What about day after move-in, I am assuming I won't be needed or wanted by then
[/ul]</p>
<p>Any other pearls of wisdom would be greatly appreciated. My S went to USAFA so I just gave him a toothbrush, put him on a plane and told him they would issue him anything else he needed. Worked out great. Don't think that will be the case for D.</p>
<p>Also, she is planning to do one of the "pre-orientation" trips, so I am assuming I will have to meet up with her somehow on move-in day as well since that is when she returns from the backpacking trip. Does that sound about right?</p>
<p>prolly events are swim tests… they got the times on the website somewhere…should do that asap</p>
<p>i thought that those doing pre-orientation trips got the chance to move in a day early?
(not sure) </p>
<p>you can stay a day or two after (some parents will) but it might get in the way of your daughter socializing with her hallmates…</p>
<p>I think “some” of the pre-orientation programs let you move in early, like POST maybe. But the dates on the odyssey trip say she gets back on 8/21.</p>
<p>I’m definately not looking to hang around longer than needed. Just want to make sure I have a room long enough to be able to help her get all set up and then get out of the way.</p>
<p>cortland might not have rooms either (depending on SUNY-Cortland)…friend’s parent stayed at a sketchy run down motel but it was a room XD </p>
<p>at this point i think you should take what you can…a bed is a bed…besides you’ll be doing most of your activities with your daughter and not in the hotel room…</p>
<p>Wow…should parents be booking hotel rooms for move-in day this early? o_O</p>
<p>
</p>
<p>You should be booking your room for graduation! And no, I’m not kidding…there are people who do it.</p>
<p>yea my mom and i stayed in syracuse for a couple nights and then rented a car to drive down to Ithaca. But that was only because we booked late and they had cheaper rates at that time.</p>
<p>Is it best to book a room for the night before? My parents are kind of concerned about having all of my stuff in our van overnight, but I don’t know how we’d make it up to Cornell in time otherwise…</p>
<p>some people will time their arrival so that they dont even spend any time in ithaca…</p>
<p>drive, drop you off, drive back…</p>
<p>usually works if there are two parents…</p>
<p>my parents stayed to set up my room which took probably 2 hours plus another hour for activities like the swim test then they left. there is really no reason in my opinion for parents to spend the night unless you have to fly or live far away. i think we showed up at ten, moved in, had the swim test, walked around campus, grabbed lunch and my parents left by 2pm.</p>
<p>Mom my booked flights and hotel today. We’ll get there the evening of the 20th so I can move in early the next morning (whenever I get to) and then she’s leaving the 22nd, Saturday. The only way she found a decent room was because one place had a cancellation earlier this morning. haha. </p>
<p>Good thing she decided to start early…</p>
<p>Hmm. We’re about a 5 hour drive away so I guess we’ll have to book for the night before, unless I want to get up at 5am xD</p>
<p>you may want to wait to see move in times. they do it alphabetically. i am early in the alphabet so i started early, but if your last name is later on, you could be moving in in the afternoon. i think the last group goes at 3. you cant register/check in until your time.</p>
<p>Our DD did a pre-orientation trip. We sent her by plane about a week before move-in day with what she needed for the week. We then drove up and stayed in a hotel (for us it was Elmira) about 30 minutes outside of Cornell. The roads heading up to campus were completely fine on the morning of move-in day and the “traffic” only began as we got very close to her dorm.</p>
<p>We met our D by communicating by cell phone after she had made her way to North Campus after the pre orientation trip ended. We met her at a bus stop on the main road to North Campus and then parked our car on North Campus but then walked with our D over to central campus where she went to registration (no parents) and we went into a large hall where some parents congregated and numerous informational tables were available. Our D met us and then we quickly got something to eat and went back to North Campus to move in.</p>
<p>Cornell assigns each student a specific time slot based upon the first letter of your last name - and we had the middle time slot (which I think began at 11:00). We got in line at the very beginning of the time slot and waited in line for an hour or so, although my D and I checked in and moved small things into her room. By the time my husband got to the unloading point, only the large heavy things remained and those were brought up very quickly by the hoards of older students available to help. There seemed to be plenty of space to park after we dropped our D off. I went up to help her move in and by the time my husband had parked the car, we had most of the room unloaded. We brought a lot of things in XXXL ziploc bags - and packed all of the closet items on hangers in those bags. We also brought one of those things that makes a closet double hanging, which helped out a lot.</p>
<p>By dinner time, D was ready to head off and meet new people. Orientation Leaders came around that evening and picked up members of their groups for orientation activities. I think there may have been some programs for parents, but it was clear to us that it was best to leave as quickly and cleanly as possible. We went back to our hotel in Elmira for another night.</p>
<p>Thanks for the tips, jcas and cornellgrad. My last name begins with a B so I’m sure I’ll have one of the earliest check-in times. Tomorrow, we’ll try to book a hotel for the night before.</p>
<p>We stayed at the Econolodge in Cortland both before and after move-in, since no motel rooms in Ithaca were available by the time S turned in his acceptance to Cornell. The Econolodge was not great, but certainly adequate, especially given the prices in Ithaca. An unexpected plus for staying in Cortland was that we did not have to fight other first year parents when shopping for last-minute supplies. Our schedule was as follows:
- Thursday - fly into Syracuse, stay in motel near Syracuse airport.
- Friday - pick up rental car, drive an hour or so to Cornell. Stopped at the registration center for S to pick up his ID card and verify that his file was complete. Ate a quick lunch, drove to dorm where S had 11-2 move-in time (although move-in times are assigned alphabetically, they are not alphabetical - you may have an early time even though you are at the end of the alphabet) Student volunteers unloaded car and helped with carrying stuff to room. Looked for a parking spot (since we were in the middle group, the campus was most crowded with cars coming and going, and getting to the lot and parking took us an hour). Returned to room, helped him unpack. H went with him to watch his swim test (test time was reserved a few weeks in advance) while I finished unpacking. When they returned, we made a list of things to pick up at WalMart in Cortland (the Ithaca stores must have been jammed), and left S in his dorm. Drove back to Cortland, shopped, ate, and fell into bed, exhausted.
- Saturday - returned to Cornell bright and early to drop off purchased items and for convocation (I think that’s what it’s called) and parent orientation. The message from the orientation staff was loud and clear - orientation programs would break around 5:00pm so students could have a good-bye dinner with their parents, and would resume around 8:30 for students only, at which time parents should be gone. As we said our good byes at 8:25, I noticed there were a few parents around, but not too many. Returned to Cortland.
- Sunday - back to SYR for the flight home.</p>
<p>It’s alphabetic? Thank goodness. I’m a Ca, so hopefully I’ll be before my roomie (if I have one) and get to choose the side of the room I want. Not that it’ll matter, but whatever.</p>
<p>i knew it was alphabetic but dont they go out of order? </p>
<p>like As wont always be first</p>