Does anyone have any experience with moving across the country (Arizona to Maine) for college? Packing your life into a suitcase? I’m not sure that I’ll be moving there, it is at the top of my list, but my parents say I can’t go that far because it would be so difficult transportation-wise. Thoughts?
You need to listen to your folks and work with them, especially if they will be paying the bulk of the bills. Transportation IS expensive, especially if you want to be able to come home for winter break and summers.
Our kids each moved 2500 miles to go to college, but we were ok with it and could handle the transportation. Their school was near a major airport, LAX and there are many fairly reasonable fares between HNL and LAX. They were able to fit what they needed in suitcases and we didn’t need to pay extra.
Check out the net price calculator to get an estimate of how much the various Us will cost you and your family and get a realistic idea of what your family can contribute. Be sure you apply to some Us that your family can afford and you will get accepted at.
@HImom I’m looking at Maine because they offered me a full scholarship haha. I’d be saving my family money, not costing them more.
My son went to college in Texas, and we live in Maine. We looked at different options. It turned out to be cheapest to send some of his stuff via Greyhound bus. It wasn’t very expensive!
That;s a good option, I’ll look into it! Thank you! Could I PM you some questions about Maine??? @MaineLonghorn
@elijaheliot definitely! It’s a wonderful state.
My D is at college in Maine. She has classmates literally from all states and all over the world. It’s obviously manageable. It probably helps if you are relatively close to Portland.
Some of my friends whose kids have gone to college a plane flight away have used a service at Bed Bath & Beyond where they order stuff at their local store (start saving those coupons) and then pick it up in the store location closest to their college. They have been very happy with that arrangement.
One of my kids is almost 3,000 miles away. Flew out (Southwest lets you check 2 free bags and a carry-on). We shipped a few boxes. Kiddo brought a few other things back when returning to school after Christmas break. During summer, stuff goes into a storage unit rented with some friends for the summer. No issues.
D just finished her first semester away at a college 2,000 miles away. We have an Alaska Airlines CC and each got a free bag when we dropped her off, so that took care of all but the big, bulky stuff like storage bins and basic supplies that can be found anywhere. We had a list and went to a shopping area close to Target, Walmart, a dollar store and many more, got all the remainders in one trip. Bed Bath and Beyond is far more expensive than Walmart or Target for many things, but if you like convenience, that works. There is a storage place a few blocks from D’s school where we’ll store everything over the summer.
Be sure to factor in travel, as others have said. D’s already had a friend at school flake out on her twice for airport trips, and Uber adds up. Then there’s the cost of airfare. It will depend on where you are, but in our case, our Alaska miles have been a huge savings for us. Also, it turned out that fares actually went DOWN as we got closer to the winter break than if we had bought the tickets months earlier. You get a feel for the fares as you go.
If you’re not near an airport, you may also need a bus or shuttle and that CAN get complicated, and that might be what concerns your parents. If they can’t even afford a few plan tickets while your scholarship covers everything else, then you’ll want to make sure they can afford to pay for you to go somewhere closer than won’t be giving your a scholarship. It might be cheaper even so to go to Maine. D has many friend who have gone far away to college. Some just don’t go home at all until the end of the school year, staying with relatives who are closer. It works for them, but that’s a long time to be away from home for some people.
We managed to bring everything needed on the plane with our regular luggage allowance among all 4 of us, plus make a run to Target, Costco, Office Depot and Frye’s electronics. When living in a dorm, much is already provided and mainly you need clothes, footwear, and a FEW linens. S’s dorm even provided a fridge and microwave.
If you have to fly a plane to get there, then what matters isn’t the total number of miles from home, but the accessibility of the school from the arrival airport.
@MaelstromMonkey makes a really good point- once you have to deal with air travel, it’s not the miles it’s the ground connections that make it easier or harder. Like many of the other posters our collegekids have all gone far (including overseas). You really do not need that much stuff for college!
Also, there is a thriving used market at pretty much every college: that’s where one of ours got a dorm fridge, bicycle, bookcas, etc. etc. When she graduates in June she will sell it all on.
When DD decided on Boston University (we live in CA) the first thing we did was get a Jet Blue credit card. ALl purchases go through the card, which gives miles per dollar. She now lives as a graduate in Boston. LEaves her office at 5, arrives at our doorstep by 10 our time. Typically returns on the red eye…leaves our house at 8:30 PM, and goes into her office early on arrival. Actually takes less time than a number of her friends who went to school in CA away from airports.
BBB was a net savings for us vs shipping or going multiple places. Because we preordered in the CA BBB, we knew a car was unnecessary. Took the T to the BBB from our rented condo, a taxi home from BBB an hour later after receiving 20 percent off on everything. Took one more taxi to Target (much more frustrating as shelves were nearly empty), and then washed and repacked everything at condo. WHen move-in time arrived, we called an airport shuttle van. They came to the condo, loaded us and the stuff in the van, drove us to the drop off point, and unloaded everything into the University bins. All DD brought was clothes, personal items, and electronics which fit into our three suitcases. Easy!!! Not sure how it would work for Maine, but for Boston it was a breeze.
After our expensive experience with my D attending boarding school in a very remote area with quite pricey airport shuttles, I checked out each college she was applying to, to see what airport transportation would be like.
Quite a few colleges arrange airport shuttles at low cost for students. Search “airport shuttle” on the college’s website.
As to belongings, keep it simple. Don’t take your winter stuff till Thanksgiving break when you bring home your summer stuff. Buy your bulky bedding there and leave it there over summer. Don’t accumulate much stuff and make sure anything you buy will fit in a suitcase. My D’s college actually offers free summer storage which is great.
At her boarding school there was a nearby company who would come to campus, provide (really big) boxes and tape, then come back in a few days and take away the boxes for summer storage. I think they charged $50 a box for the whole summer which I considered a fabulous deal. She usually needed 3 boxes plus she brought home a checked bag. This same company serviced many colleges in the area, so there might be something like available to you.
During most of her breaks she traveled with 2 carryons - a daypack and a soft duffle not stuffed full, so it would fit the overhead bins.