<p>What's the best way to get our D's "stuff" from the Northeast to WashU in August? We're trying to decide whether to rent a minivan and haul it out ourselves or use a shipping company.</p>
<p>I know that there is a WashU trucking company called U Trucking. What kind of experiences have people had with it? Are there any other good ways to ship stuff to WashU? Alot of people say that you can just buy everything at the Bed and Bath and Target in St. Louis, but I wonder whether those stores are zoos during move-in and low on stock.</p>
<p>I'll be attending washu as a sophomore this year (from new york)...last year i was a student at emory university so it was a similar situation</p>
<p>I basically shipped my stuff down via UPS, and they had everything there when i got there...This was an effective way to do things, as there as much on campus traffic and such at the time when i arrived.</p>
<p>No idea what i'll do this year though...I am more inclined to rent maybe a cargo extension for a minivan/truck or something and haul the stuff there...seems easier to me</p>
<p>You do not need to move your daughter to college in a minivan or hire a trucking company. We moved S to WashU from CA with three large duffle bags (he and Dad flew) and a box that I shipped by UPS to arrive a few days later. The Bed, Bath & Beyond tip is a good one because they have a program that lets you select the merchandise you want from the store where you live, have the stuff waiting for you at the store near WashU, where you can pick it up and pay for it. It's like a wedding registry. Go to a BB&B and ask for "Pack and Hold" and tell them WashU in St. Louis and they will look up the nearest store. You do your shopping for everything you want for the dorm and use a scanner to keep a log and total. We ordered mainly the big stuff --- comforter, XL twin sheets, pillows, trash can, bed risers, lamp, hamper, over-bed shelf (later rejected) and it was all waiting for S at the nearest BB&B to WashU. You do need to rent a car to pick the stuff up, of course, if you have flown in. </p>
<p>That way, you know they won't run out of merchandise because it's preordered. The other great thing is that BB&B will honor all coupons, without regard to expiration date, so you can start saving all the 20 percent off coupons you get in the mail (or go to the BBB website and have them put you on the mailing list) and use when you pick up the merchandise in August. We saved about $85 using the coupons. You can add to your order at the MO store, or delete from it if you've changed your mind or want something different after seeing the dorm room. This system worked very well for us. For his move out of the freshman dorm and to wherever he's living next fall, S did use the U-Trucking/storage and shipping service so he won't have to buy everything new again next fall.</p>
<p>Nervous1, last year we went to the Parents Orientation and we took our D with us to move our S, so each of us could carry an extra bag for him, and it was more than enough. He shipped his monitor by UPS three days before our trip, and we bought online a fridge to pick up at Best Buy (there is one five minutes away and another about 15 minutes away). We bought most of the stuff at Target and BB& B, and they weren’t crowded. Wash U has everything around, every store you’d wish to have close to home; there is no need to waste money in a moving company.
Freshman take too many things to college that they never will have the chance to use them; storage is limited even if your child is lucky to have a single, don’t pack too many things.
This year I have a sophomore and a freshman…I will have fun shopping for a couple of days.</p>
<p>Both jazzymom & Cressmom gave great advice. Use UPS or US mail to pre send anything you want from home. If you are flying out there - remember you are allowed 2 bags per person (take some of her things in your bags). You can pre-buy & pick up in St Louis for BBB - Best Buy - Target. Rent a car early - the better buys dissapear if you leave it for too late. All the local stores anticipate move in weekend - they are well stocked and keep on re-stocking. I talked to a BBB manager - according to him this was their busiest week of the year - much better than pre Christmas. They are well prepared. To avoid the crowds patronize stores a bit further away from WashU when you are shopping at the stores.</p>
<p>Most important - leave half the stuff home. All freshmen end up with too many things. The dorms are good size, but in all probability her dorm room (shared with a roommate) will give her less space than she is used to at home. She will end up with a bunch of free t-shirt during orientation. If she really needs something - she can buy it locally or in the worst case you can send it to her or take it with you if you visit during Parents Weekend (highly recomended).</p>
<p>"UPS, Federal Express, and other parcel services also deliver to the University, so you can send packages to your campus address. Just make sure to have your boxes arrive no earlier than 1 to 2 days before you do, and include your full address, depending on where you live.</p>
<p>The South 40
Student's Name
Campus Box #number
6515 Wydown Blvd.
St. Louis, MO 63105-2298</p>
<p>Also, look for our Orientation Late Night Event at Target on Sunday, August 26th, where the store will be open ONLY for Wash U Freshmen!"</p>
<p>orientation.wustl.edu</p>
<p>Thank you for posting this question; I'll be a freshman from New York this fall and I was wondering the same things as I started packing last night!</p>
<p>Important caveat: From what I understand, BB&B will honor multiple 20-percent off coupons --- even expired ones --- only if you have preordered under the "Pack and Hold" program I described. (We had 10 or 12 of these coupons.) I don't think they will give the discount on a stack of expired coupons if you are just purchasing through the register as a walk in, not having preordered. But it might be worth checking with the manager of the store either where you live or near WashU (get the local manager guy to call the MO store.) I had a friend do this coupon thing in Boston and she saved more than $100.</p>
<p>I always use multiple coupons when I buy at BB&B, you don't need to preorder. Not too long ago, the WSJ had an article about the BB&B coupons and they said that they count for more than 43% of all the purchases, so they know what they are doing and that works perfectly for them.
The BB&B in Brentwood has lamps, towels, blankets, baskets and other stuff with the Wash U logo.
Renting a car isn't a problem either, we didn’t book in advance and we got the car we wanted with GPS at the same price with the discount from the AAA. Do hotel reservations as soon as possible. If you are going to the Parents Weekend, do it now, they fill up very quickly (the Knight Center gets full the same day they announce when will be the next Parents Weekend, same for graduation, exactly one year in advance, pre paid reservations start at 8 in the morning and an hour after that there are no more rooms.
Kids are very busy after four or five the first day of orientation, so plan to have most of the shopping with them done by that time, after that, you will have to shop alone. Have the last dinner before orientation begins or you would be disappointed, they are busy, sometimes until midnight. Try to get the books before the upperclassmen get to the campus, the bookstore gets very crowed and lines are eternal.</p>
<p>I'm a little confused as to when we should plan on leaving at the end of parents orientation in August (I need to book flights). On that last day, Saturday, the 25th, should we plan on having dinner with our D or are we expected to leave in the afternoon after the "official" program is over?</p>
<p>You can stay there as long as you are willing to pay for a hotel room; we leave on the 28th so we could have an extra time before becoming empty nesters. Kids are busy until the last day of orientation; they have free time between the orientation program and the residential colleges meetings and floor meetings, but they will be watching the clock during dinner and their minds will be focused in their activities and new friends. Last year we were a little upset because we didn't expect our S to be so happy to go on his new life, we didn't understand that having a last dinner wasn't in his plans, so this year we are planning to have a last celebration at home and something quick the last night there so they can do their things. Remember that all the kids have the same free time on the last day of Parents orientation so if you don't book something in advance, you won't find a table nearby.</p>
<p>S is going to be attending Launch at Pre-O. We are going to send him with some duffel bags. We're going to come down with his younger brother on Wednesday, Aug. 22nd with the rest of his stuff and we'll stay until Sunday, Aug. 26th. Going to try and pre-order on-line as much as possible and pick up when we're there. As for computers, he'll bring his notebook. Any other hardware, we'll let him work out with future roommate and then pick it up in St. L. As for dinners, etc., our attitude is not to forget that we once went to college. He's going to be meeting a ton of new people and, in all likelihood, will be spending time with them. So, we're going to try and work around him as much as possible. Definitely agree with having the scheduled family dinners at home before we all head down there!</p>
<p>nervous1, welcome to WashU! I just want to add some comments about getting your d's stuff out from the east coast since the comments posted are by mothers of sons! :) I don't know what your d is like but mine seemed to think she had to bring every possible article of clothing and personal belongings that she owned. Boys tend to have a much easier time packing light. We actually drove out from the east coast freshman year with the car packed to the gills then made the wonderful trips all week to Target, BB&B for the storage bins, TV, etc. Yes, the crowds were crazy but it wasn't too bad. Our trip is about 13 hours or so but you can save a lot of money by driving and not flying. It can get very expensive shipping items out. Just a suggestion if you think your daughter isn't capable of packing light. Then you also have a car with you for running the many errands you will have while moving in. Also, if you haven't already booked your hotel, you might want to do it now to make sure you get a room.</p>
<p>From what I remember of orientation - there is a lot of activity for both the parents and students. One of the highlights is Convocation, which takes place Thursday night. We found most of the shopping took place during the daytime (BBB-Target-Best Buy-Sports Authority-Office Depot). Although we ended up with several family dinners and even a brunch on Sunday morning. Definately plan on working your schedule around the student's schedule - it makes everyones life easier and more pleasant. Any larger items should be purchased in St. Louis - although I reccomend roommates deciding prior to arrival who is buying the mini fridge and who is buying the microwave.</p>
<p>Consider arriving on Wednesday and departing on Sunday. That way you have a chance to get settled in and are there at the end in case there are any last minute details. If not, you can have a leisurely Sunday breakfast and catch an early afternoon flight home.</p>
<p>Thank you all for your words of wisdom. Mom of Alex, your post made me laugh! Girls do pack much more stuff. I think my D's idea of packing for school is basically bringing everything she owns! </p>
<p>Based on all the advice in this thread, we have changed our travel plans and will stay until Sunday morning so that we can have dinner with our D on Saturday night and help her with any last minute needs.</p>
<p>I'm also going to start squirreling away those Bed Bath & Beyond coupons!</p>
<p>Thanks again. I hope to meet many of you in St. Louis</p>