<p>I agree with 07DAD that there is no reason for the parents to stay thru the Monday of New Student Orientation. However, it is worth staying Sunday to hear the welcome from President Celeste. Hearing him talk about CC is something special -- he studied at Yale and Oxford, has been ambassador to India, Governor of Ohio, and Director of the Peace Corps, but says being president of CC is the best job he ever had. </p>
<p>Like others have already mentioned, the transition for my freshman S was very easy.</p>
<p>Are there shops like Bed Bath & Beyond nearby? I live across the country so I'll likely be flying out there and I'm thinking it'll be cheaper to purchase.</p>
<p>I'm wondering about what the rooms will need. I heard that we don't get the packet of info till June, and it would be nice to buy stuff on sale now. Are the beds normal twins?</p>
<p>Canadianmom: The bedding is not standard. I forget what it is called but I'm sure one of the student posters knows.</p>
<p>Also, there is some variation in room sizes, but generally the males (at least) seem to loft their beds. That means elevating them to allow the desk to go under the bed. It's like a bunk bed, but only the top bunk. Both beds are usually elevated if one does it.</p>
<p>That means there is room for a decent sized rug and a small couch and/or reading chair. As another poster mentioned there is a second-hand store where many kids buy couches/chairs and the Walmart had futon couches at a fairly reasonable price.</p>
<p>The rooms seem dark and I suggest getting lamps (halogen bulbs are not allowed). WE found a pole lamp for the corner.</p>
<p>Also, per a previous post, SEND fans. There is no airconditioning and it gets hot in the rooms. I once again suggest looking at the virtual tours of the rooms on the CC website to see what a general layout looks like.</p>
<p>The school limits the refrigerators to school approved units and they can be rented fromthe approved sourse (and maybe purchased, I don't recall). I think there is a list already on the CC website about generally what to bring and what is excluded.</p>
<p>There is a bed, bath & beyond about 10-15 minutes away from campus. I also live far away from CC, so the "how will I get all my stuff out there?" was a big issue for me and my family this summer. We ended up buying everything from our local BB&B, and had them ship the items to the store in Colorado Springs. The day before move in day, my mom and I went to the store in Colorado to pick everything up. It saved us the hassle of having to travel with all of that extra stuff. I would definitely recommend not buying everything when you get out there, since the store is a mob scene that weekend due to all of the CC kids moving in. </p>
<p>The bedding is twin extra long I believe, but you may want to double check on the CC website. I think that's pretty standard for college bedding.</p>
<p>Thanks. I found the right sites. Glad to see that their virtual tours seemed fairly realistic, despite the fact that you could actually see the floor.</p>
<p>PeaceOut,</p>
<p>That's brilliant. Neither my S nor I are really shoppers, so the scene at BB&B would be guaranteed to be unpleasant for us. I have never shopped online, either (OK, I'm a bit of a Luddite about some things) but I checked BB&B and it looks perfect.</p>
<p>I really appreciate all the info and suspect there are plenty of lurkers here who feel the same.</p>
<p>If they follow the class of 2007 schedule, the dorms open for new students (freshmen) move-in at 8:00 a.m. Sat, there is a welcome speech on Sat in the chapel (at 4:30 +/-) that students and family can all attend, followed by an outdoor buffet at approx. 6 p.m. There is a **students only **dorm meeting at 8 p.m. on Sat.</p>
<p>The tours and parent specific stuff starts on Sun and goes through approx 11:00 am on Mon. The Sunday-Monday events/schedule is on memory from what the schedules looked like, not from having attended. </p>
<p>I started the drive back home at 10:30 a.m. on Sunday. S was moved in and I felt I knew all I needed to know. He was "home."</p>
<p>Although my son was well settled on Saturday, we were glad we stayed to hear President Celeste's welcome speech on Sunday afternoon. We didn't see much value to staying through lunch on Monday.</p>
<p>If I was driving, it would be so much easier to play this by ear. However, probably that is what I should plan to do anyway.........make plane reservations to leave on Mon evening, but figure on enjoying some of the surrounding countryside if hanging about the school turns out not to be a good idea.</p>
<p>I talked to S who says I should do what the other parents do........but I know some parents stay till the end and some leave early. We are thinking of going a day early to buy stuff for his room before the stores are swamped, thanks to the info here. I told him my payoff is that he has to put up with me at all the parent-student functions. We’ll see........ </p>
<p>I’m actually thinking of driving (at least 3 days) to give myself maximum flexibility. There might be a meditation retreat a few hours away during the following week. That would be a perfect way for me to handle saying goodbye to my baby.</p>
<p>BTW, the retreat is in Crestone, which I had never heard of before. Turns out that is where the Bacca campus is, along with a plethora of Zen, Advaita, and other centers.</p>
<p>I encourage the drive to Colorado Springs with your S. </p>
<p>First, depending on your route you may be driving through some unbelievable scenery. Second, the automobile will come in handy for the shopping and logistics of getting moved in. But, I found the biggest plus to be that last time shared with my S as a little driving/traveling adventure. Shared experience at this point was wonderful to me and I vowed to myself (and was successful) not to use it as one last chance to tell him the how, when, where and what of life.</p>
<p>It was wonderful when he brought up stuff to discuss and many hours were spent on the small conversations about music (HE loaded the ipod) and just "stuff." And actually, having the car allowed me to read the situation and my feelings (as well as his) and act on these feelings.</p>
<p>Friday night we went to a restaurant with Moroccan food where we sat on the floor to eat. He and I had a ball. </p>
<p>When it is time to part, GO. There were already some families who were having a rough go of it even by Sunday morning. The retreat is a great solution/balance to the pain of driving to LEAVE your S. I found a gym and worked out Sat and Sunday morning and used the Internet and located plant nurseries to visit on the trip back home by myself. That trip back solo is a transition in itself and helped me know that the change had defeinitely occurred.</p>
<p>If you like mexican, there's a wonderful place about 20 min drive out of CC called Senor Miguels. During our visit, one of the locals recommended it to us, and it was seriously the best mexican that i've ever eaten!</p>
<p>Garden of the Gods was GORGEOUS... you can't go visit CC and not see it!</p>
<p>I just got an email from S. The 5th block ended at noon today and he is off on break. He's going skiing at Steamboat with his roommate whose folks have a place there.</p>
<p>I had asked in a previous email how things were going. I asked because there is a lot of "2nd semester" letdown, etc. that I see on the College Confidential threads. From what I gather, the multi-vitamins have helped him avoid catching a cold from dorm living, and he is still pumped about his courses and ec's as well as his freedom (he doesn't ask about breaks, he can do what he wants so long as he pays).</p>
<p>To me, this is another example of an easy adjustment. Several parents I know already complain about their student at a semester school still acting as if they were in HS as far as "spring break" goes. Their kids want "permission" to do something and they want mom and dad to pay for it. CC seems to provide the situation where a student can make a series of small decisions (at each break) that he can reasonably be expected to pay for. </p>
<p>Since I equate paying for it with S's right to make his decisions of where, what and with whom, this has been a very easy adjustment for both of us.</p>
<p>"Since I equate paying for it with S's right to make his decisions of where, what and with whom, this has been a very easy adjustment for both of us."</p>
<p>Sounds like we went to the same school of parenting, 07DAD.</p>
<p>This all sounds great. Thanks for letting us know.</p>