<p>The sheets and towels I did buy locally and picked up the rest of the order by the school. That way I could wash them and we just stuck them in our checked luggage.</p>
<p>In response to a previous comment, my son’s college said when students install their own wireless routers, it can interfere with the university’s wireless system. In any case, most colleges have great wireless systems.</p>
<p>^ um no. the CU system at least has sucky wifi.</p>
<p>Mom 2424…with D, ordered stuff at home because she had to make sure the colors were appropriate/coordinated/felt soft/etc; washed and transported in our carry-ons.<br>
With S…yea, ummm, couldn’t be bothered to order in advance. He picked up at BB&B, threw on bed. Fairly confident that the fold lines we saw two months later on sheets were an indication that they still had not been laundered. Sigh.<br>
Oh yea, and the 2nd set of sheets… they came home in May—unopened.</p>
<p>mom2424:</p>
<p>I just bought and played with the Space Bag system from BBB (six bags for $16+tax after 20% coupon) and highly recommend them. DS’s pillow, parka, blankets and comforter, towels etc. flattened into a manageable, packable size and held the vacuum all night. Sheets and pillow cases (two each) are pretty thin to begin with. All pre-washed at home - I agree about not having time/access to laundry on campus.</p>
<p>what do you pack everything in- duffles or big boxes that can be tossed??</p>
<p>We did a combo for my son of duffel bags and boxes. We wanted him to be able to move stuff back himself and the duffel bags, for the most part, could be squished up and tucked away. Our son had his car at his college and he moved himself in and out after freshman year. Also, his was one of those colleges where volunteers actually hauled the stuff to his room so it didn’t matter so much, they all just grabbed a couple of items and took it away.</p>
<p>hlsess: Are you driving? If so – use garbage bags (seriously! And I got that tip here on CC years ago). </p>
<p>Best advice: Anything already on hangers, keep on hangers. Put the clothing-on-hangers in a garbage bag, load into car, get onto campus, hang directly in closet. </p>
<p>Use plastic under-bed storage boxes, too, for packing. We packed things in her pop-up laundry basket.</p>
<p>fireandrain- thanks- we are driving and had planned to keep clothes on hangers but someone going to state school said someone told her not to keep on hangers- can’t remember why
we will pack also in underbed storage and laundry basket - we are one of the last to go so i am sure I willget more tips from friends</p>
<p>Costco: space bag combo pack. I think there are 10 in there for $17.99</p>
<p>I got the 14-bag assortment at Costco for $23.99 with a $5.00 rebate at the register for a total of $18.99. 5 vacuum-seal cube bags (2 jumbo, 3 extra large), 6 vacuum-seal flat bags (4 large, 2 medium), and 3 roll-up bags (1 suitcase size, 2 carryon size).</p>
<p>We’re going to take the pickup truck–my compact car gets much better mileage and was fine for the orientation/registration trip, but I think adding the move-in cargo will be beyond its capacity. Also a more comfortable drive for DH, who grumbles that my car was made for midgets. Either way, economizing on space will be helpful in the vehicle-to-room process, I think. Gotta corral that stuff.</p>
<p>Charlieshm-The anecdote about my son installing renegade wireless in his dorm hallway goes back to 2006. At the time, the Freshman dorms didn’t have wireless. Thus the ethernet cable discussion. Yes, it was agianst the rules.</p>
<p>w00t on the Costco Space Bags, thanks!</p>
<p>I bought four 30" rolling duffles that will fold flat and fit under the dorm bed. We’re flying.</p>
<p>Update: UC Berkeley’s Roommate Assignment website it still down since Friday. Student’s still don’t know their assignments. August 20-21 is Move-In Day. </p>
<p>[SF</a> Mom3 - A Mom’s Guide to applying to UC schools](<a href=“http://sfmomof3.blogspot.com/]SF”>http://sfmomof3.blogspot.com/)</p>
<p>If traveling by car I like those giant fabric shopping bags that you can buy at Marshalls/ Homegoods for $1. Nice long handle straps so you can pile them up on your shoulders & haul it all. Great for dumping pillows, towels, shoes, etc. I use them all the time.</p>
<p>Dorm Carpets-- fyi BBBeypnd has 6x8 feet for $50. Best price & they sell out. We might be tight on space so I had my D’s shipped to the BBB by campus. You don’t pay until you pick it up.</p>
<p>I actually dread the thought of having to run to the store during move in time. My H keeps saying to get it when we’re there- but he hates shoppong & with emotions running high & a long car … I am trying to do it all before we get there.</p>
<p>Buy a Brita water for the dorm fridge & bring cups. All the kids end up using them. Water bottles last only so long. My son had disposable coffee cups w/ lids & would bring it to the dining hall in AM & leave w a cup to go for class… Not sure if that will work at all dining halls.</p>
<p>This is the greatest thread! I move in next week and all of the bits of advice are going to help my parents and I a lot (especially since I’m the only one). Thanks everyone!!</p>
<p>I’ve read through this thread and haven’t seen this tiny tip yet: over the door hooks free up a ton of space, but the widths of doors vary so you either have to know what size to buy (dd put them over her bathroom door, closet door, and sink cabinet door) OR better, pick up the self-adjusting hooks at BedBathBeyond. That will save you from having to return the ones that are too wide for the door!</p>
<p>Also, if you plan to loft beds you might not want to buy a lot of underbed storage containers. DD put her luggage and storage boxes toward the rear, as well as one big plastic bin with extra personal care items, light bulbs, water filters, etc. and used the front for storage towers and a place for her collapsible laundry bin. You could also fit a short dresser or file cabinet there. Kept everything accessible and pretty neat looking.</p>
<p>Last tip: if the dorm accepts packages in advance of move-in, send your purchases directly to the dorm (most stores ship for free these days). Color me happy not having to lug all that stuff from the car! We had tons of help from the student staff on move-in day, but it was still great not having to trudge out to the car in the heat, or make another trip to the store! We did pick up a few things at BBB that we had pre-ordered at
home.</p>
<p>If you’re flying and renting a car, think about what you have to fit in it once you get to your location! I knew I’d be picking up a microwave, file cabinet (one of the best purchases…organization and locking drawer) and some storage towers, so a compact wouldn’t have worked for me.</p>
<p>Try to relax and go with the flow, even if you hit a glitch or two. You will leave your kiddo with a memory of a great transition and a positive start to the year. Good luck to all the freshmen!</p>
<p>Some colleges prohibit anything from being hung on the door because of fire codes. If there is a door for a closet, you can usually hang things from that.</p>
<p>Yes, she put the over-the-door hooks on her closet door, not the room entrance. I think that would have prohibited it from closing, and of course if hooks were against the fire code that would definitely be a reason to not use the main door! Dd had a connecting bathroom, so it was OK to hang hooks there, and she had an in-room sink/vanity with little cabinet doors. Hooks over those doors allowed her to hang her bath towel and face towel. Be sure to either buy a hook rack long enough to share with roomie, or buy single hooks so roomie has a place to hang things, too. </p>
<p>Removable stick on hooks inside the closet door are great for belts, scarves, etc. Those hooks really do hold well yet come off easily; I think they are the popular Command brand.</p>
<p>Not sure if anyone mentioned bringing cleaning products. We bought (among other things) Lysol or similar wipes and used them to wipe down the bed, dressers, etc. before unpacking, even though I have to admit they looked perfectly clean. She asked for a little vacuum after a couple weeks and the little Dirt Devil was perfect for her. </p>
<p>For lofted beds, BBB sells a collapsible footstool that really came in handy, and is easy to pack away at the end of the year. I think it was $10-14 before coupon. Bring all of your BBB coupons; they will let you use a bunch at once!</p>
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<p>Find out where packages will end up if you ship them. At DS’s school they end up at a mail service center farther from the dorm than the car will be. This is why we did site-to-store at Walmart for DS’s mini-fridge, rather than having it shipped straight to him.</p>