<p>Now that DD has chosen a college I want to start planning the move. I know that move-in day can be quite hectic so I want to compile a list of the best tips, tricks and hints. One concern I have is how you move all the "stuff" from your car to the room. Does anyone have advice on the best hand trucks, carts or other methods used to move large quantities of things? Elevators are always an issue!! How do you avoid this?</p>
<p>My wife and DD are in charge of furnishing & decorating. I am in charge of engineering the move!</p>
<p>It is possible that there will be a lot of undergrads running around helping you out. That is fairly common at the smaller schools. At our local large university, they use the large laundry carts that the school has to move larger quantities of stuff. So a lot really depends on the school. </p>
<p>If you traveling far, take as little as possible and buy stuff there. If you are closer, don’t take everything at once. Winter clothes can be brought on parents weekend, for example. Make sure you have some basic tools readily available as well as some power strips. Your daughter may very well want you to hook up her computer and make sure it is working. You may need to adjust bed heights or bunk or unbunk beds. </p>
<p>The most important thing to pack is patience. It may be hot, or rainy, and everyone can get easily stressed out. So take a deep breath…</p>
<p>Have a contingency plan in case of rain, ie, rain gear, umbrellas, tarps or plastic to cover stuff you don’t want to get wet. Like a wedding, I always assumed move-in day would be sunny, but that wasn’t the case!</p>
<p>First, check to see what the school has planned. Freshman move in at D’s school (state U) was astonishingly well organized and easy. We were directed to a spot and met by about 10 kids with hand carts who literally unloaded my car within 7 minutes. I then parked the car and walked into the room with my purse - that’s all I carried that day. It was important that all bags and suitcases were marked with the room number - that’s about it.</p>
<p>If you are driving, bring a handcart to help carry stuff. As noted above, many colleges provide carts and student help, but I would still be prepared for none of those showing up.</p>
<p>DS’s college also had a squadron of upperclassmen to unload my car and carry stuff up. We pre-ordered dorm stuff at Bed Bath and Beyond and it was pulled for pick-up in another state saving us from having to transport that stuff. I did forget basic tools and had to run out and buy some. My new graduation party gift is going to be a set of tools</p>
<p>See if you can find out what that particular college does for move-in day. UCLA provided enclosed rolling carts that fit on the elevators and it made moving in a breeze and we didn’t use the hand cart I brought. At UCSD I used the hand cart and those who didn’t have one struggled more. I’ve used both a collapsible hand truck and a platform type cart with the platform type one being a bit easier to use. These are pretty inexpensive to buy if you don’t have one. Of course, UCLA and UCSD are both large campuses so it’s a bigger production for move-in/move-out.</p>
<p>Another tip - don’t bring too much for the size of your kid’s share of the dorm room. I saw people who had brought recliners and other large pieces who ended up just loading them back in the car to take back home because there wasn’t enough room in the dorm for them. It all depends on the size of the dorm room and how many people are in it. Bring less rather than more - you can always bring or send more stuff later or they can acquire it locally. Don’t forget that it’s always harder on the move-out since they always seem to have more stuff then and things just don’t pack as well on the hectic move-out day.</p>
<p>More - Make sure D coordinates who’ll bring what with her roomies once she finds out who she (or they) are. It’s best to avoid everyone trying to bring a TV, fridge, microwave, etc. and ending up with multiples of each and no place to put them. The best option is to either rent a microfridge combo and share the cost or for one person to bring one thing, the other person another thing, etc. It’s best to NOT try to combine funds to buy any of these things since there will be an issue a year or two later when they split and try to decide who keeps it.</p>
<p>There are lots of older threads on this subject - some quite long and thorough so you might want to search for them.</p>
<p>We use clear totes that we store at home to move our kids in and out of their dorms. At my son’s school one of the parent volunteers at admitted students day told me the hot tip was to volunteer to be a move-in helper. So he moved in a couple days early when very few kids were moving in, rather than the regular move-in days when 1,000s of kids were moving in. So you might check to see if that is an option.</p>
<p>We, too, use clear totes and now break clothes up into fall/spring, extra bedding and towels. Bed risers make it possible to slide totes under the bed. We also used the Bed, Bath Beyond service to pick out items locally and have them delivered and held in the college town. You’re going to be doing a run to a local Target or Wal-Mart as you just can’t plan for everything. We picked up throw rugs, light bulbs, plastic bin on wheels, and a few other items after seeing the room (it was small). Usually upper classmen are available to help move. Consider a desk organizer for scissors, pens, tape, etc. A tool kit and 3M stickies for mounting posters. Some have suggested duct tape in colors as a nice extra to have. The one problem with pre-packing in plastic tote bins, for us, was that they would not fit easily in the car or roof rack, so we used a lot of plastic garbage bags to haul things up to the room and had to stack some of the tote bins to fit into the car. Plastic bins were useful to unpack and organize once in the room, for under beds and on top of shelves, for a nightstand, etc. When DS returns for a brief visit, I have his ‘home’ totes in one spot, and all winter stuff is in one; and all summer stuff goes in the other so there’s less stress in finding the shorts, flip flops, etc for spring semester (if spring ever comes). Our son has a summer job on campus again this year so we move him home for three weeks, then back to campus; then home for three weeks in Aug, then back to campus in the fall. I’m trying to streamline the process for these moves. By the time he graduates, I should be a moving pro.</p>
<p>Good advice about the garbage bags. They make good covers for hanging clothes, too. And no luggage to store.</p>
<p>If you have the room #, write it in BIG on outside labels or right on boxes. It’s amazing how alike piles of dorm stuff looks on the curbside.</p>
<p>Bring some basic tools, duct tape, paper towels, spray cleaner, extension cords and an extra power strip.</p>
<p>And dont forget a small cooler with some water bottles. Those are for you to sip as you sit in the shade and watch those with the energy of youth lug everything up 3 flights of stairs.</p>
<p>Son lived on a top floor of dorm without an elevator. We did NOT lift a finger. Freshmen and their parents were well cared for, and everything ran as smooth as butter. Orientation leaders and other upperclass students unloaded everything from our car. My son was directed to get his student ID, sign in for his key, etc. Bottled water was available for anyone dying in the heat. By the time my son was done signing in and such, his belongings were waiting in the front of his dorm room. We got there VERY EARLY. This really helps! A hand truck is usually very helpful. This year we did not even use it because students did all of the work for us.</p>
<p>Our daughter’s school also has big wheeled laundry type carts (with sides) and students to help, so finding out what the school does for you is probably the best first step to take. DD’s school also has adjustable bed frames, so the two sets of risers are still in my garage (I bought a set for her roommate as well).</p>
<ol>
<li><p>Label everything.</p></li>
<li><p>If there are student helpers, do not let them take anything that is particularly fragile (such as a musical instrument or your laptop) or that you could not live without for a day or so if it went to the wrong room (such as prescription medicine). </p></li>
</ol>
<p>The student helpers are wonderful, but their priority is speed. They’re supposed to get you in as quickly as possible so that the next family can have your parking space. So mistakes get made, and things are not necessarily handled as gently as you might hope.</p>
<p>I think that lots of sororities and frats help with move-in as a community service project.</p>
<p>I was absolutely flamed for mentioning this two years ago, but you might want to bring some clothes other than your “move in” clothes. Lots of schools will have multi-day parent events, or a reception at the president’s house, or a special chapel, or the like. </p>
<p>Anyone remember that thread from '09? People jumped on my case for either 1) suggesting that you dress up to move in, or 2) criticizing the wardrobes of poor people. </p>
<p>I was doing neither. It’s just that it’s hard to remember to pack for oneself when you’re all about making sure your student has everything. It is easy to think “move in, shorts and t-shirt” then having nothing a bit more formal and not sweaty to wear to a reception, nice dinner, etc.</p>
<p>missypie - great tip! I know I would have forgotten nicer clothes for myself and I just checked school’s website. Sure enough, there is a luncheon for the parents. Thanks!</p>
<p>When labeling-include: Last Name, Room#, Dorm Name. </p>
<p>I printed out several sheets. Slapped them on items we brought, and the new items we picked up at the local Bed Bath & Beyond/Apple Store. Both of those stores we “ordered” at stores close to our home-then picked/paid for in the college town.
Start saving the BBB 20% off saving coupons now. We were able to use several-even though the cards said only one per transaction. I figured I would share them with other families if they were strict about that rule-but-they let me use them all!</p>
<p>Bring a camera!.. Extension cords, duct tape, electrical tape, hammer, wrench, pliers. We left them for our daughter’s use. </p>
<p>Have a fan ready to take into the dorm w/the first load of stuff. It was 85 degrees at 7:45 am when we started moving S2 in last year. No A/C in the dorms. He texted that night that it was 91 in the dorm at 9 pm.</p>
<p>Bring a small cooler with cold drinks and energy snacks to recharge while you are in the process of moving in.</p>