<p>Hey guys,</p>
<p>My son will be going to Indiana University this fall. He's our first son to go out of state. We're from New York and we need some advice as to how to coordinate his move in day. He moves in sometime late August. Should we drive?Fly? What do you guys recommend? Is it a bad idea to rent a uhaul? Also, doesnt IUB have a system where you can order stuff online and it will be in your dorm when you get there?</p>
<p>sorry for all these questions but i am getting anxious!</p>
<p>Move in 2 days early. You will avoid all the traffic and save yourselves abut 5 hours throughout the whole move in process. It costs something like $25 per day, but it is worth it.</p>
<p>I would definitely recommend moving in at least a day early. We moved our student in a day early, late in the afternoon. Parking, etc. wasn’t an issue. Mornings tend to be the busiest time. Sometime this summer you will probably receive a mailing for a bedding/linens package that is picked up upon arrival (or maybe it’s delivered to the room). I’ve heard various opinions on the quality. It’s almost as easy to order at Bed, bath, and beyond and pick it up in the local store. I also believe you can order a fridge and microwave ahead from another company and it will be waiting in the room. If we were traveling from a distance, that’s what I would do. Flying/driving really is an individual choice as is the uhaul. If you wait until the official move in date parking the Uhaul will create additional headaches. As soon as you decide on a move in date, you should make hotel reservations. There are a few times a year when it’s nearly impossible to get a room–graduation and move-in days are two of them.</p>
<p>Thanks for this info. We are coming from California, so we will definately be flying! Are you saying that the dorms are actually open prior to the official ‘move-in’ day? Great advise about reserving a hotel room.</p>
<p>Definitely start calling for hotel room – You can call Bloomington CVB (800) 800-0037 and they will give you a list of hotels w/rooms avail then you can call and get rates. They do jack them up at this time of year.</p>
<p>As far as air vs. drive, we (from East Coast) found that flying beats driving in terms of cost and nerves. We made reservations on Southeast Airlines which allows two bags of 50 lbs per passenger. Between me, my husband, and son, that was plenty to bring all his stuff – we even had room to spare. We ordered ahead from BBB, which is right in Bloomington, although it was unnecessary b/c it is just as easy to go through and pick up everything while you’re there. Also, a good thing about S.A. is if the fare changes, or you want to cancel or change your date, you can get a credit, and do so w/no charge. That is really convenient.</p>
<p>At orientation you’ll learn about the fridge/micro service that delivers to the students room and picks up at end of year. Also nice to know, is at the end of the year there is a service (Guys and Dollies) that will pick up stuff from students room and store it over the summer for a pretty reasonable fee. In the fall they deliver it to their new room.</p>
<p>We shipped out our son’s bicycle to a local bike shop where they assembled it for us and was ready to pick up when we got there. A bike is a very useful thing to have at IU.</p>
<p>You can move in early. They will charge a small fee for that. I don’t know about the crowds at move in time because we moved our son in at end of July b/c he attended IFS. </p>
<p>Good luck!</p>
<p>I came in from Vermont. We flew, but we had a lot of my stuff shipped and stored before I got there. I moved in 2 days early and it is so worth the money. It gave me a chance to get to know people on my floor and walk around a couple extra times before classes started and I wasn’t completely lost on my first day.</p>
<p>Also, they have a really cool program at Bed, Bath and Beyond at College Mall that I used. You can order stuff online and have it waiting for you, all packed up at the BBB store in Bloomington. The mall is only 4-5 minutes away from any given point on campus. I ordered a lot of stuff and it worked out great! They had everything in a package for me when I got there, I paid and moved in.</p>
<p>When I moved out, I shipped my clothes home using a company called Guys and Dollies and I also stored a lot of stuff in Bloomington - the same company took my stuff to storage. I’m not sure of the name of the storage place, my parents took care of that.</p>
<p>Hope this helps!</p>
<p>I came from Boston. My family and I drove down with all my stuff - I am way too picky to use those pre-ordered linens sets, but that’s what happens when you’re a girl 
I moved in two days early and it was SO worth it. My family stayed in a hotel during these two days. The dorms were practically dead, and seeing the chaos on the actual move-in day made me so happy I decided to move in early.</p>
<p>I’ve heard the pick-up program at BBB is pretty good as well, but I didn’t use it. I just picked up a few extra things that I needed at the local Target (which was very well-prepared for the masses of college kids!).</p>
<p>I used Guys and Dollies as well to move out. Shipped a few boxes home and put a LOT in storage over the summer, and they’ll drop it off directly at my sorority house next year. Great company and I would definitely recommend using them!</p>
<p>Thanks guys. I’m really a hovering parent but i want to make sure my kid is properly prepared. Another quick question, how do we notify the college that we want to move in early? when do we even sign up for move in day, or is it just assigned? </p>
<p>Eliza-How was the drive from Boston? Would you recommend it to others, I am really concerned about costs.</p>
<p>If I recall IU will mention the early move-in at orientation and tell you how to do so. You sign up through the your student’s one start account. I don’t think we signed up until August.</p>
<p>I highly recommend flying and moving in early. We are also from New York and flew Southwest which allows 2 free bags per person. We had 4 people so that was 6 bags which was plenty. My daughter took all her clothes on the airplane and we bought everything else in Bloomington. Bed, Bath and Beyond has pack and hold program but there is also a Target, Walmart and the College Mall. The 50 dollars it cost us to move in 2 days early was sooo worth it.</p>
<p>Thank you all for this great info. Sounds like moving in a few days early is the way to go! We have not booked our flights yet, but I will be starting to make those plans this week. I have heard about the BBB program, and that sounds like it would work for us as well.</p>
<p>indycarkid - the ride was…interesting. We split it up and drove 12 hours, stopped in Columbus, OH, for the night, and then drove the remaining 4 hours or so to Bloomington. It was an incredibly easy drive in terms of directions (once we were out of Mass., you stay on pretty much one highway the entire way). It was pretty boring and the scenery isn’t all too great, but I was expecting FAR worse. My parents didn’t mind too much either. On the way home, they stopped and did lots of fun sightseeing frequently to break it up and make it a little easier.</p>
<p>Coming from the San Francisco area I’d add my vote for flying Southwest with the two free checked bags and pre-ordering at BB&Beyond. My daughter and I did it with just the two of us, and she moved in two days early because that was part of the Kelley Living Learning Center program (they had events the two days before everyone else moved it). It was a relatively painless process.</p>
<p>A few other tips:</p>
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<p>I hope that helps. Have fun!</p>
<p>Any thoughts on lofts, rentals of refridgerators/microwaves vs. buying, and truly do you really not find your roommate out until August? It makes it hard to plan, I think.</p>
<p>Renting is easier - it’s there when you move in - if it breaks they replace it - they come pick it up at the end. I watched a lot of kids carrying them up/down many flights of stairs and was glad that I wasnt’ one of them! Plus my son wont need one next year. The way he worked it was his roommate got the fridge/microwave and he brought a TV.</p>
<p>Thanks for the tip on the Bloomington CVB. We’ve already called them to find a place to stay for orientation, and the person on the phone was quite helpful. Question on flying with S when school starts and bringing multiple bags: Is there a place to store the empty bags in the dorm (I went to a small college, and there was such a storage area in the basement of the dorm), or do they go under the bed in the room, or did the parents carry the extra bags back home with them?</p>
<p>There wasn’t a place to store bags at my daughter’s dorm, and under the bed was taken with shoes, shoes and more shoes. I left one bag with her for trips home and brought the rest back. Large duffels work well because they can be stuffed into one another.</p>
<p>Would anyone recommend moving in a day or 2 early if living close by? I live in west indpls and the drive is only one hour.</p>
<p>Move in days at IU… traffic is HORRIBLE. The local paper warns everyone to avoid certain streets at IU on move-in day. It’s a Big 10 school, so it’s practically packed with students. I would try everything I could to avoid the move in days, but that’s just me.</p>
<p>What time would you guys suggest moving in? It starts at 8 and ends around 2ish i think.</p>