<p>Now that DD has decided on BU, we are beginning the move in idea list! </p>
<p>So far, the ideas I have gleaned from other parents are
-We are getting a JetBlue credit card, and charging all tuition and school expenses to it to get free mileage. Hope this adds up to some low cost trips home!
-We will be collecting Bed Bath and Beyond discount coupons and ordering merchandise at home to be picked up there
-We will be signing up for the free Amazon Prime account for students so she can order online
-We will each take a big suitcase on the plane for move-in, and may end up shipping some items to Boston as well
-She will be doing FYSOP, which will make move in day a week sooner and hopefully less frenetic
-We plan to arrive a few days early and do some sightseeing,etc as a family before dropping her at the dorms the last day before we leave. Is this a good plan? </p>
<p>We know that driving in Boston is tough, and that parking is tougher. One parent at another school in Chicago advocated getting a hotel outside the city in an area with Costco, Target, etc more easily accessible. We were thinking about doing this, and simply taking the T on all trips to the city EXCEPT the movein day. Is this a good idea in Boston? What city near Boston would be a good fit?</p>
<p>We are moving my daughter in from South Florida and are doing most of your list, except we are driving. We also will use our existing sky miles credit card, rather than opening a new account. We are staying at the Marriott by the airport, not sure what’s around there, but we will have the car, so it will be easier to get where we need to go. We plan to do the Duck Tour, the aquarium/whale watching trip and the Freedom Trail while we are there. </p>
<p>We will probably ship the bulky stuff like comforter and winter coats later, when she has had a chance to settle in. She won’t need them right away anyway and it would be a hassle to have to deal with bulky stuff while traveling. Anybody have any suggestion for a fan?</p>
<p>I HIGHLY recommend the Jetblue card. I am a freshman Engineering student from the Sacramento area and I have the Jetblue American Express card and it works great! :)</p>
<p>Yes, getting there early is a good idea! I would say to spend one full day driving to get the needed essentials (Bed Bath & Beyond stuff), Target, Walmart, etc. I would say that if you wanted to go to a target then to also have all the Bed Bath and Beyond stuff sent to the store by the target. It is located in Everett Mass (about 20ish minutes from the airport). The Target is a Target Greatland, and there is also a Costco in that parking lot with a Bed Bath and Beyond as well. I would say that you could get a hotel in Everett, MA but also if you get one near Boston Logan (my family got a great deal on the Embassy Suites at Logan) that that is also fine. This allows access to many of the main freeways because it is by the airport to easily get onto the Mass Pike and go other places. Yes, Boston driving is crazy, but if you aren’t driving as much on the surface streets and rather the toll roads and the highways it is not nearly as bad.</p>
<p>Our D will be attending CGS in Fall as well. Coming from N. Calif. We are following most of Shoot4Moons suggestions as well. We have not had too terrible a time parking in Boston on two previous trips (good karma?). I am wondering what move-in day will be like though. D will be doing the FYSOP, it seem a lot of Freshmen choose to do this. Will it make move-in day just as difficult as it will be for the kids/families coming a week later?</p>
<p>Move in day for FYSOP is a bit easier but there will still be lines at the elevators and such to get stuff onto the floors from the parking garage (this is in terms of Warren). On move-in days almost all parking at BU is free and you can normally drive your cars up to as close as you can get to the dorm buildings and take everything out of the car while a parent drives the car back to a parking area. As long as there is good weather it isn’t problematic at all. I would say that, though, if it is forecast to be raining then get there as early as you can in the morning to avoid the long elevator lines to minimize the time outside.</p>
<p>just a suggestion: remember that everything you bring to school must be taken out of the dorms at the end of the year so bringing an excessive amount of items could mean baggage fees going home or storage here in boston over the summer. i only brought two big suitcases each 50 pounds each at the beginning of the year and always make it a goal to take that much back to california at the end of the year. however, i am a guy and i probably have less things than girls.</p>
<p>Can you use American Express to pay tuition/room & board at BU? I was going to use it for the tuition deposit but AmEx was not an option for credit card payment.</p>
<p>No I do not believe so. That was the problem that I ran into when I need any extra convenience points for laundry and whatnot. I end up calling my parents and asking for another card or I use my atm/debit card. The nice thing, though with the Jetblue AMEX card is how easily you can earn free flights coming from California…I mean, just in the initial points for signing up, flying for orientation and to school at the beginning of the year and back home for Christmas I had earned my entire spring break flights for free.</p>
<p>Move in day for FYSOP can get a little frantic, but is definitely better than the regular move in days. The FYSOP staff (like me last year & again this year!) will be everywhere to help the process flow as smoothly as possible. I suggest trying to get in a little earlier than the time that they list. I think they usually say move in begins at 4pm, but it certainly is better to be a little bit earlier rather than later. We have opening ceremonies and everything the same night, so it is better to try to move in around 2pm or 3pm or so if you can. Even if the room isn’t ready yet, you will be able to register in the student union and be ahead of the game. </p>
<p>I also should say that FYSOP is such an awesome experience for freshman! I am so excited to staff again and participate in my third one.</p>
<p>Everett and Watertown sound great…thanks for the ideas! I need to research this further, as i was hoping for a town that I could take the T or an easy transport method on a daily basis to the Boston fun stuff (harbor cruise, Freedom Trail, etc) for the first three days and leave the car at the hotel. </p>
<p>Boston is actually not that big a city, in terms of area. But, yes, traffic can be killer. So, as you plan when to head where, try to avoid obvious traffic jam times. If you stay wherever makes most sense- and just don’t like it that much- you can always stay elsewhere on the next trip.</p>
<p>Here’s what would have concerned my kids about your plan: this is the most extraordinary time in their lives- and can be stressful. My girls would not have done well with coming in “a few days early.” For us, the day before would be one thing. Mine would have felt “suspended in time” to be touring AND anticipating the first day of college. So, be sure you check with her. With each of mine, what we did was check them in to school early on that first day, then go exploring for a few hours, then return them. By then, more kids had appeared, we had extended the goodbyes just a bit and they were ready to trot off. (Both times, their roommates had done the same.) All that is just IMO and what worked for us- and granted, not such a long distance from home. And, not BU. Good luck in this happy time.</p>
<p>Everett and Watertown sound great…thanks for the ideas! I need to research this further, as i was hoping for a town that I could take the T or an easy transport method on a daily basis to the Boston fun stuff (harbor cruise, Freedom Trail, etc) for the first three days and leave the car at the hotel. </p>