Orientation

Colleges and Universities A-Z Vanderbilt University
1

I’m very excited for my son to be starting in August. Can anyone give info on Move in weekend? I would just like some general info.

We want to plan and we are trying to decide when to arrive and when to leave. It seems like they start activities right away on Saturday. We will be flying in so we need to do some shopping locally. will we have time on Saturday? There is a breakfast on Sunday that is the last activity that parents can go to. Is that worthwhile or can we skip it and get an early flight on Sunday?

2

Your son will receive a mail from Vandy Housing in July that will give him all his housing information including his residence hall, room number and roommate information. This same mail will tell him his exact move-in time which is usually early on Saturday morning and other very helpful details. You may want to do your shopping on Friday. The Sunday breakfast will be a good way to say goodbye to your son but you will not miss much by skipping it. The entire move-in process is very well planned and you will get plenty of help from the fabulous volunteers.

3

Thank You!

4

If you search on the web site or through google, you will find the schedule for last year’s move-in. Saturday is pretty packed with activities if I recall correctly. I remember checking it to get a sense of the timing and opportunity to shop, etc a figured out it made more sense to arrive on Friday early enough to pick up what we might not be able to carry with us or ship.

5

Realized it is a little tricky to find… here is link to schedule from last year and you can find information on the page dedicated to the Commons.

http://commons.vanderbilt.edu/studentlife/2014CommonVUschedule.pdf

6

Disneydad;

If you are doing the majority of your shopping (frig, microwave, power strips, command strips, bedding, school supplies, etc.) in Nashville, then I would recommend doing the large majority of the shopping on Friday. I would also strongly suggest getting your visit to the Vandy bookstore over on Friday–if you need some textbooks, other supplies or Vandy apparel. Note that the Vandy bookstore is probably not the most economical place to buy textbooks.

You will have a move in time assigned for Saturday am. Move in is fast and smooth. It will take a few hours to unpack, make a list of things you need/forgot, and do installs of frig/microwave, printer, TV, etc. Then basically 1600 freshmen and their parents all descend upon the local Target and Wal-Mart in the afternoon–it is insanity. To prevent joining the insanity (worse than day after Thanksgiving)–simply google the other Targets and Walmart in the area–there are many about 20 minutes away and that’s far enough to get to a calmer store that still has merchandise all 1600 students want.

You’ll end up back at the dorm, finalizing/putting away the last things, and then after a dinner on the lawn, you leave your student there for the night to have a dorm meeting, party, etc. Either its goodbye then, or the next morning during the breakfast. Breakfast is juice and a muffin, and for a lot of families, a dose of tears too. It is a “good bye” session that you could easily skip. It simply depends on how comfortable you are in saying goodbye the night before.

Remember to sign your son up for Amazon Student Prime, free overnight shipping, he can order anything and everything from there that you forget. You can order your bedding and supplies from Bed Bath & Beyond, Costco or Sams in your hometown, and they will secure it in Nashville for you to pick up there if you wish to “pre-shop” before you arrive.

You can also ship packages to Vanderbilt about 2 weeks before move in, they will be stacked in a tent on the Commons lawn for you to pick up on Saturday. We shipped some things, and even had someone to take it to her room for her on Saturday.

With good planning, move in can be very painless. Its the saying “goodbye” part that’s a little more challenging.

7

You can definitely skip the Sunday breakfast. It’s nothing formal–just some muffins set up in the lobby of the Commons.

8

Shopping in advance and shipping, and shopping on Friday are your best bets. Saturday is very busy and it all happens so fast. We went to Target Saturday night after leaving our student at the dorms to get a few things. There were a ton of parents wandering around Target with glazed looks on their faces! Sunday morning breakfast is a continental breakfast, and is not a group activity. We went to it, but then left with our student to go out to breakfast together. There were other families doing the same. After breakfast we took a short drive together before going back to campus. It was a great way to step away and say goodbye. We laughed and cried (and made one more trip to the store). After that we were able to go into the dorm to drop off the things we picked up and check it out one more time. It is so exciting and heart breaking at the same time. Brace yourself!

9

Congrats to your son, Disneydad. I would suggest making hotel reservations early for every Vandy event. There are several new hotels near campus, but they are all still expensive during move-in, family weekend, and commencement. Enjoy your family’s new Nashville adventure!

10

You can join the Vanderbilt Parents Club for hotel discounts. I still found it cheaper to book the Embassy Suites though.

http://www.vanderbiltparentsclub.com/

I also heard about this place… $50 night. Looks interesting…

http://www.scarrittbennett.org/

11

Thanks everyone. Very helpful info.

12

No matter when you do your shopping, be prepared for some emotions - that have nothing to do with your actual purchases. This may be different with a son than with a daughter, but they have to let the emotions out somehow… Expect it when the Walmart in Nashville doesn’t carry his brand of deodorant, or something equally foolish.

I have stayed at Scarritt-Bennett. Very economical and an easy walk to the Commons, but most (if not all) rooms are single occupancy. It was great for a Mother-Daughter weekend, but probably not the best for Move-In.

13

Your son or daughter can walk to a CVS near campus to pick up things. There is a tent on the Commons lawn for picking up books you have ordered as it is burdensome to carry heavy things to Commons. Vanderbilt’s PO will hold packages for your student. I would suggest using the bookstore first semester just to keep things simple.
Husband and I lived near vandy for grad school and first jobs. Therefore we had our own middle aged friends to visit after we settled Vandyson in Stambaugh. This is our excuse for standing across of West End and watching the March into Vanderbilt with the bagpipes. Students who are on campus early (Band, Football, Sports teams, RAs, VUCeptors, Greek leaders, Writers etc) line up on each side of the entry to Vandy on West End and cheer as each Freshman Commons House (each group carrying their House banner) walks through the gates. Then they are marched onto the lawn where folding chairs are waiting for only the new class. More band music and a warm welcome by the Chancellor with direct words for the new class.

We should not have seen this-- and we left campus as the student march wound its way to the lawn for their formal address by campus administrators and leaders…(son glimpsed us watching the march into the school entry and was a tad embarrassed)…

You can watch the traditional bagpipe march and the Chancellor’s address on Youtube when you get home.

The brunch is entirely skip-able as stated above. Should you save money catching an early flight…just go. More than half the kids still seemed to have parents milling about sipping OJ and Coffee in front of the Commons center…but we were def On Our Way OUT. showing up again on Sunday evening or Monday will be intrusive…but feel free to explore Nashville if you like to stay over a night.

14

You’ve received excellent advice and I really have nothing of value to add and you’ll read (and see on youtube if you search) some excellent things about freshman move-in.

And however quick and easy and fun that it looks like it will be - multiply it by a thousand! Vandy had move in down to a science! D’s stuff was out of the car and into her room within 15 minutes. And every single person, student & staff, were just so HAPPY! Happy to see us, happy to help, happy to answer questions … just so welcoming!!

It’s really a great experience for the whole family! Congrats!!!