<p>I thought I would start a post specific to movein advice for incoming freshman coming to BU while they are fresh in my mind! If I were advising a friend, here’s what I would say:
- BU is very efficient - it is not as painful as it sounds!
- Wash sheets, etc before coming. Pack all bedding in one trashbag with Febreze on top in order of use (e.g. put the mattress pad on top and the pillows in cases on the bottom). That way, you can quickly make the bed - that stuff takes up a LOT of space!
- Make sure you have scissors, duct tape, cleaning products, batteries, extra extension cords, 3M wall hooks, pen and paper, and your receipts for items purchased at the ready. The fridge was already delivererd - bring sodas! Do not send your fan by mail - purchase here or hand carry. You will want to set it up FIRST.<br>
- The closets in West Campus are small, but not as small as we feared. To give you a guideline, I believe our daughter now has 40 hanging summer weight shirts or dresses, and they are not crowded. We could have saved ourselves $80 in shipping if we had realized she had more space than we thought! There is plenty of space below most of them for a standing laundry bin or sliding drawer set. Shelving above is well sized - measure and buy storage containers. If I had it to do again, I would have suggested she measure them at orientation, as I believe the shelves are probably the same in all the rooms in West.<br>
- Our Costco has a great magnetic dolly for $30 that weighs 7 pounds and fit in my suitcase. It came in very handy for retrieving items shipped to the mailroom - much easier than the large laundry carts that BU issues for moves. We left under her bed for future in and out moves - collapses to nothing, and I bet will be a popular item among her friends for borrowing. The Boston Costco does not have these at this time.
- The walls in Sleeper are almost completely cinder block, meaning you can’t nail/hang ANYTHING up except to the small strip on the wall. Good that we did a very decorative bedspread. Lots of kids were looking at decals from Etsy or other decal companies.
- Consider a clear deskpad (e.g. from Staples) to put pictures under since they can’t be hung on the walls except with tape.<br>
- We did not rent a car, but rather took the T to the stores, then taxis home with our stuff. We hired Greyline (an airport shuttle company) to take all the stuff from the condo we rented to the spot on Babcock where the stuff was unloaded. This worked GREAT! I stayed by the stuff on the sidewalk, while our daughter and her sister got the cart and loaded it up. We gave our daughter a 30 minute headstart to BU (during FYSOP - not the big movein day) and she had the key to the room and the cart waiting. No parking - no problem! BU police were all around - had things well in hand.
- We did not realize that cafeteria meals on movein weekends for the family are free of charge! Had I known that, we might have stopped downstairs when the move was complete and our daughter had left for FYSOP to have a meal before heading back to the condo!<br>
- The bookstore was absolutely EMPTY the day after FYSOP/Athletics movein - they said they were swamped on movein day. If your student needs something from the bookstore, buy it, box it, and leave it for them in the mailroom the next day! (Note: we didn’t do this, but I would think it would work.)
- BU issues wristbands to parents and others for movein day so you can come into the dorm. These expire at midnight. Therefore, if you need to return things or buy additional items the next day, you will have to figure out a way to meet your student as you won’t have independent access to their room.<br>
- If your student is in FYSOP, REJOICE! It is a terrific start to a terrific university career. Be aware that once FYSOP starts, there will be no time for anything but the program until it is over. The students were all aware of this, and were working like maniacs to make sure they had unpacked all their things by the start time. Be SURE your student picks up all packages from the mailroom before FYSOP starts - their next opportunity will be after FYSOP is complete, as the mailroom is not open 24/7. It paid off, as then they had a comfortable spot to land at the end of long but fun days. PSSST…they say packages can’t be delivered before movein day, but they actually tolerate it for FYSOPers…many people were picking up items at the mailroom. Only the student can pick up items at the mailroom, and they must have their ID as well as their email notification that a package has arrived. </p>
<p>Hope this is helpful!!! Other additions???</p>