<p>I am already thinking ahead to August when we need to move our Freshman D from our home near Philadelphia to campus. Options, as far as I can conjure, are:
Renting a van, driving to Tuscaloosa and flying home</p>
<p>Flying down and shipping the bulk items</p>
<p>Flying down early and doing all of our shopping in Tuscaloosa.</p>
<p>If we ship the items does anyone know where I might have them shipped? When we’re down for Bama Bound in July, I plan on renting a P.O. Box, but the timing would be tricky. I doubt that her mailbox on campus will be activated yet. </p>
<p>Since you are most likely flying into Birmingham, you can use Bed, Bath and Beyond’s store pick up. You shop at your local store and order it to be picked up (and paid) at the Birmingham store (there isn’t one in Tuscaloosa).</p>
<p>Regarding the PO box, it should be activated. When daughter got her box at Bama Bound, the clerk had her go check to make sure the key worked on the box. I don’t see why it wouldn’t have been ready to accept mail the next day.</p>
<p>I believe some have used a combination of the two. Shipping some items to Paty, flying into Birmingham and picking up preordered items at BB&B and taking them to the dorm during your move-in time and then going to Paty for the other items.</p>
<p>Pros: Shopping at your leisure, getting everything on your list, running towels and linens through the wash a couple of times to get the starch and fuzzies out, bringing clothes on hangers, not having to deal with stickers, tags and packing materials in chaos, and a long, enforced car trip with your DD.</p>
<p>Cons: A long, enforced car trip with your DD… ;-)</p>
<p>I vote for the car trip as well… everything packed neatly at home. If your daughter is doing AA or OA, you could send her early (by plane) and then drive down, you will have more room to pack items in. This worked out well for us.</p>
<p>Bed, Bath and Beyond will let you order from your hometown and pick up in the B’ham store (T-town doesn’t yet have a BBB, but I would bet there will be one soon!)</p>
<p>Walmart, Target and some other stores will also let you order from home and pick up at destination. </p>
<p>If a child is doing OA, AA or rushing, then I think sending the child down with minimal items is best, and then parent(s) arriving at the following weekend with all the stuff and to help with Move In. The child then has WOW week. (week of welcome). </p>
<p>If the child isn’t doing any of those early obligations, then drive down together with what you’re bringing from home, and then when you get to B’ham, pick up stuff there. When you get to T-town, you’ll have Target, Walmart and lots of other shops for other things.</p>
<p>Warning…if you do send stuff to Paty…I wouldn’t do it too early. The longer things sit there, the more likely there may be a problem. I would time delivery to be right before I got there.</p>
<p>We moved from Oregon so driving wasn’t really an option. I made a list of all the things we needed. The things I thought we could’n’t find there we bought at home. We shipped four large boxes to Paty (they arrived about two weeks before we got there and it was fine). We also bought a chair on Walmart.com and had it shipped to the Tuscaloosa store. We flew in (my daughter checked 3 large suitcases) and arrived 2 days before move-in day and spent the first whole day shopping. It was exhausting but we got everything on our list. The next day my daughter was signed up for the last Bama Bound session. We also picked up our packages from Paty and signed up for P.O. Box on that day. The next day was move-in day. We had rented a minivan from the airport and by move-in day we had the back half of the van full (there was barely room for my daughter to sit in the back seat). I was worried that Friday night the van might be broken into but we had WAY too much stuff to move it all into the hotel room so we took a chance and it was fine. We arrived at the dorm mid-morning and unloaded. After unloading, unpacking and decorating the dorm room away we made a grocery store run and then dropped our daughter off to spend the night in the dorm with her new roommates. I cried all the way back to the hotel. The next morning we stopped by the dorm briefly to say goodbye and then headed to the airport for our flight home. All in all our plan worked well - but I was pretty organized.</p>
<p>Bluehen85 we are also from outside of Philly. After a lot of debate, we have decided to fly our son to UA and to mail stuff to him via Paty. Our oldest son is at a school that is only 400 miles away. Even there lots of students fly in and mail stuff to themselves. (We decided to fly our son to UA after listening to one of our oldest son’s friend tell us a story about the family van breaking down in the middle of PA. While the story is funny a year later, it clearly was not at the time.)</p>
<p>We are planning on driving down from Rhode Island. Twice! The first for Bama Bound in July with all 3 of our kids so the younger ones (14,16) can see the campus and area. We will rent a minivan. My husband thought of maybe renting a storage unit then and leaving some stuff there that we drive with. Then in August we will drive down with DS and the rest of his stuff. The first trip we will maybe see some stuff on the way to Tuscaloosa. We did the drive last year for our college road trip and went down to Florida and up through Georgia and Tennessee. We drove right down 95 and right after the tornadoes. Literally, one had crossed the highway and traffic was backed up for hours. When we finally got past it we could see all the debris on the road and a mangled trailer on the side of the road. Very scary. I’m still looking forward to the drive though. Well, the trip. ;-)</p>
<p>we are only 700 miles away and we drive it. we also drive straight through without stopping to spend the night on the way. depending on the type of car you have, you may be able to fit most stuff she needs in the vehicle. all our daughters stuff fit in her ford escape the first year, but since then we have added a few things like a big tv and a tall bookshelf and decor items for the living area, so it will not all fit in her car now. if all her stuff will not fit in the car you are taking, leave some things to buy there. they all probably “need” way less than they take.</p>
<p>“If a child is doing OA, AA or rushing, then I think sending the child down with minimal items is best, and then parent(s) arriving at the following weekend with all the stuff and to help with Move In. The child then has WOW week. (week of welcome).”</p>
<p>M2CK - DD told me that the dorms will be open for sorority rush… sounds like she has some mis-information and it sounds like this puts another twist in my plan</p>
<p>I would drive. We are 11 1/2 hours away (Missouri) and I have driven to Tuscaloosa A LOT!!! I personally, as a mom, liked having the chance to talk with our DD “one more time” before we left her for recruitment (My husband calls it “The Road to Righteousness” speech…all 4 of ours has heard it ). We actually borrowed a friends mini van, picked up her brother in St. Louis (we brought him along to put stuff together) and we were packed to the ceiling but it was a nice trip.<br>
We also shopped in Tuscaloosa (we arrived a day early). since our DD and her roommate had coordinated all of their bedding ect (she lived in Tut) we didn’t have a lot to buy but we picked up a little bit (shampoo, laundry soap…Publix run). We also had ordered all of her books from the book store and so we helped her get those as well.<br>
So…I vote drive :)…</p>
<p>The dorms WILL be open for sorority rush (move-in the weekend of the 10-12). I think M2CK meant your D could fly down with her suitcase and essentials and you’d follow with the “stuff.”</p>
<p>“If a child is doing OA, AA or rushing, then I think sending the child down with minimal items is best, and then parent(s) arriving at the following weekend with all the stuff and to help with Move In. The child then has WOW week. (week of welcome).”</p>
<hr>
<h2>M2CK - DD told me that the dorms will be open for sorority rush… sounds like she has some mis-information and it sounds like this puts another twist in my plan</h2>
<p>Yes, the dorms are open for Rush. </p>
<p>It’s just that some find it easier to send their kids ahead of time with just the stuff that they need for Rush/OA/AA/band and then the parents arrive for “official move in” the next weekend. </p>
<p>The reason is this…Sunday morning is “move in” time for Rush/OA/AA students. And, then they quickly have activities that same day which makes it hard to have time to “get settled.” By having the parents come the next weekend with the rest of the stuff, the “complete move in” is more relaxed with more time.</p>
<p>When parents come the following Friday for Saturday move in…y’all just have more time.</p>
<p>are there any parent activities that are suggested for the “official move in” weekend? We were planning on moving S in the weekend of outdoor action, and not coming back the next weekend. Do we need to re-think that?</p>
<p>For parents of girls going through recruitment …It’s probably best to bring everything with you when you move your daughter in for Recruitment. After or on Bid Day the sororities will take their new pledges on retreat. It depends on the sorority but some go the evening of Bid day and return the following evening while others will go the morning after Bid Day and return the following day by noon. Remember Bid Day is Saturday and so your daughter may not return until Monday…classes start on Wednesday. that’s a pretty short time to set up a room, get book and be ready to go. In addition your daughters sorority most likely will have several “events” or “rituals” she will need to attend so I would really suggest you move in during the time allotted for move in.</p>
<p>are there any parent activities that are suggested for the “official move in” weekend</p>
<p>I don’t think this year’s WOW schedule has been made yet, but usually there’s a couple of things (not lots) for parents to attend if they want. </p>
<p>On the Friday night before, there is usually a “Family Dinner”. Sometimes on Saturday there is a Family Breakfast. Some of the church’s might be sponsoring breakfasts on Sunday. </p>
<p>After the Friday dinner, there is usually “Movie on the Quad” but I think that might be for students only. Pizza is served.</p>
<p>During the rest of WOW week, there are OOS socials, Pool parties, Comedy Night, etc.</p>
<p>Naturally, most of the WOW activities are for the students only.</p>
<p>We’re also from the Philly area! DH drove DD down for rush, did the move in, helped with the room set up and took care of the Publix run. I flew down for bid day. Not very efficient, but it worked for us.</p>
<p>I think she should be able to pack up her dorm belongings and get them to a storage unit herself so she could fly home after exams next month. But DH wants to go get her. I know, we need to work on letting go.</p>
<p>We are also planning on driving from AZ mid July for BB (making it a little family vacation) and filling our SUV to the top with D’s stuff and most likely renting a storage unit to store it in. Maybe we will even do some of the shopping while we are there so that we don’t have to do it all when we arrive for move in. My D is hoping to do AA, and I thought that we would move her in that weekend. Am I correct after reading all these posts that it would not be the weekend to move in? Would she be spending her nights in her dorm, or are they all together somewhere else? So I guess I would let D arrive by herself and we would arrive the following weekend with the rest of her stuff? Thanks for these boards, they are super helpful!</p>
<p>haha - my DH likes to tow DD’s car to and from school. we don’t particularly think this is necessary, but we just go along with it. </p>
<p>DD’s living situation is changing next year, so we are not sure what she will or will not need/have room for, so i guess we will just pack up and bring it all home like we did last year. then a bunch of the stuff (kitchen and decor) will go to another college with DD2.:)</p>
<p>Is move-in for AA definitely the Sunday that the activities start? I thought that i had read the kids moved in Saturday and then activities started Sunday. I was just planning on moving D in that weekend and not coming back for WOW.</p>
). We actually borrowed a friends mini van, picked up her brother in St. Louis (we brought him along to put stuff together) and we were packed to the ceiling but it was a nice trip.<br>