Packing Ideas for Out of State Students

Parents Forum
1

<p>I posted this on the University of Alabama Forum. Another parent suggested I post this for ALL parents of who's child/children choose to attend college far from home. </p>

<p>As many of the freshman Out of State students are gearing up for HS Graduation and Party, family and friends may ask you (or parents) what you need for college. Since you probably have'nt given this much thought, I would like to offer some ideas and shortcuts that will make move in a breeze. </p>

<p>My first two sons attended school FAR from home (Central Ohio). My oldest went to the US Air Force Academy his first year. First year cadets had very little freedom and could not leave campus without a pass and they had no transportation either. I got real good at preparing care packages for his situation. </p>

<p>My second son is at UA. We initially did not allow him to have a car on campus. He purchased a cheap bike at Wal-mart a week or two after classes started. He had lots of problems with the bike and had to exchange it twice. He settled on a higher quality bike but ended up donating it to a local program that refurbishes bikes from college students and gives them to teens in need. All he had to do was leave it unlocked and hang a provided tag/hanger identifying it for donation. This fall he invested in a high quality Trek bike from a cycle shop in the Downtown area just south and east of the river. </p>

<p>Since we live 11 hours by car (one way), we decided to send him to Alabama by plane. He took a shuttle from the airport to campus. This was pre-arranged. On his arrival day, he rode in a large passanger van with three other UA students. He checks only two large duffle bags with wheels and carried his backpack. His bags contained warm weather clothing, shoes and toiletries. I shipped two large items a week before he left to insure they would be on campus before he was. We confirmed that the "Package Delivery Service" in Paty Hall would be open on that arrival Sunday until 4PM. Paty Hall was about three blocks from Riverside North. </p>

<p>As soon as he got his keys, he dropped his luggage in his room and ran over to Paty Hall. I shipped one large duffle on wheels that contained his bedding and towels packaged in "Space Bags". The second container was an oversized "Rubbermaid - Tough Neck" Storage container that had wheels on one end and a molded handle on the other. This large molded plastic tote/bin is extra storage under his bed when raised up high. I strategicly packed non breakable items along with a collapsable hand cart and bungee straps. He was able to use the hand cart and bungee straps to transport items shipped direct from on-line stores. </p>

<p>This fall I was at Wal-mart in Tuscaloosa the first night of Move-In. Wal mart was completely sold out of small and kitchen size trash cans plus tension style curtain rods.
It is difficult to find a curtain rod wide enough for the front room in Riverside style buildings. I managed to build one by combining two rods however, any window treatment must be light weight. The first year I placed "3M-Command" hooks about 5" apart and hung stationary curtain panels with large grommet rings on each side of the window.</p>

<p>Items purchased on line and shipped to Package Delivery Service: </p>

<p>Printer (Staples)
TV/Computer Monitor (Best Buy)
Folding wood book shelf (Target)
Fan/Waste Basket/Lamp/Hangers (Bed, Bath & Beyond)
Kitchen Dishes/Glasses (Amazon)
Rechargable floor Vac (Sam's Club)</p>

<p>Items to pack and ship ahead: <strong>start collecting them now to spread out the expenses</strong></p>

<p>"Command-3M" picture hangers & mounting tapes
Lysol wipes
Window wipes
Detergent
Dryer Sheets
Kitchen size trash bags
Air fresheners
Cotton hand rags (cheap low quality wash cloths)
Shower soap
toilet bowl brush/cleaning wand
small waste can for bath *pack lots of small items in it before shipping
decorative shower curtain (optional)
green scrubby pads
sponges
Dish towel
magic erasers
paper towel holder
Glad Ware storage containers
silverware/utinsels
over the door hooks</p>

<p>first aid kit (make one with only the items you/they really use...dental floss,
Band Aids, Nail Clippers, fine tweezers, Neosporin, Anti Fungal Cream,
razors, Pain relief, Cold/Allergy relief, Anti Diarrhea, Tums, Cough drops, etc.)</p>

<p>tool kit (make one with small but higher quality tools...duct tape, clear packaging tape,
small hammer, screw driver with multi heads, eye glass repair kit,
bungee straps, needle nose plyers, wrench, batteries (AA,AAA,9V, C,D)
tape measure, etc.)</p>

<p>school/desk supplies
surge protector/octopus extension cord
camera/extra digital card
USB Drive
Gallon size ziploc bags</p>

<p>Well that is enough for now. If you are fortunate to make contact with your roommates ahead of time, you may be able to divy up the communal items or prevent duplication.</p>

2

<p>Wow you are amazing…I don’t think I sent 1/3 of that to my oldest 3 years ago. I did send a “medical” kit which is great because freshman tend to get sick once exposed to all those “new kids” and all those “new germs.” I seem to recall much of the items in your top list were available in the dorm even for the “suite dwellers.” Another option is to send money with the student so they can pick up the extras they need. But I stand in awe of your preparedness. I did use those rubbermaid see-through containers, but I bought the “flatter” ones that could be stored under the bed. Clothes went into a large duffle and sheets/towels/sundries went into the under-bed ones. Pillows and winter coats squished into a vaccum bag. Athletic gear just went as-is. He went far, far away so we took a week’s vacation and took our time driving out. He stored everything in a store and lock between freshman dorm life and sophomore off-campus apartment life. I guess now that number 2 is winding down senior year I better start thinking about him!</p>

3

<p>I seem to remember that Bed Bath & Beyond lets you shop at your local store and pay for the items, but pick them up at a different store closer to the college when you’re ready. (Likely there are other stores that do this too) You can shop early for the best choice, but not have to store things anywhere or ship them yourself. Doing this will save a bunch on shipping, especially of heavy things like liquids, sheets, towels. </p>

<p>Another option is “window shop”, figure out what you think you need, and the cost. Then give your student gift card(s) for that amount to the store(s) that make sense. They don’t need <em>everything</em> on day one, and may find that they don’t need some of the things at all.</p>

<p>If your student doesn’t have a car, many colleges now have shopping shuttles, which go to the types of stores college students need (Staples, BBB, supermarkets). We’ve also found that students who have cars at my son’s campus are often willing to take my son along for shopping when my son pays for gas. It’s a win-win.</p>

<p>The things we DID prepare ahead of time and send directly with son were the same sort of first-aid kit and tool-kit you did. He has used some of the items several times so far!</p>

<p>A couple more things to consider adding to the list:
thumb-tacks and/or magnets
mark-and-wipe board with pen and eraser
sharpies
gatorade powder (when you’re sick enough to be throwing up, you’re too sick to go shopping for it…we learned that the hard way)
small pencil sharpener
pop-up laundry hamper</p>

<p>And this is just my personal opinion, but I think it’s critical for college students to have their insurance card in their wallets! When my kids started carrying wallets (probably the beginning of high school) I gave them their own cards. It really helps if they need to see a doctor or have a medical emergency, especially far from home. A friend of mine didn’t do that, and got a frantic call from her S who was in the hospital emergency room near college, and it was a mess for her to fax the card to the hospital. My S’s also have copies of their birth certificates and passports (kept in the locked desk drawer).</p>

4

<p>Great thread, great ideas. I have been dreading starting this list. </p>

<p>Thanks, Moms of 3 (x 2)+ ax!!</p>

5

<p>Remember that some students have to travel as far in state as others travel to go out of state. Some states are huge. Others are very small.</p>

6

<p>Yep. My D drives 6 hours and never leaves the state…</p>

7

<p>Great list and great suggestions! Most helpful, momof3boyz!</p>

<p>A couple of additional items some might want to consider:</p>

<p>Towel clothes dryer (foldable)
broom and dustpan
shower caddy
thermometer in the first aid kit</p>

8

<p>Has anyone ever tried those Purex 3 in 1 laundry sheets? They look like a thick dryer sheet, but each sheet contains laundry soap, fabric softener and dryer sheet. I have used them for out of town baseball tournaments, but not for everyday. Just wondering if they really work and if they would be a good option for college kids.</p>

9

<p>The Purex sheets are great for college kids. My S uses them all the time.</p>

<p>**Take note, not all schools will accept shipments before the student moves in. This was the case at my kids’ schools, so we shipped boxes to a local UPS store in the college town. For a small fee, they will accept and hold them until you arrive.</p>

10

<p>The wisest move as a parent is to get on the web and check out the list of can have and can’t have in the dorms…every college has this list posted. I just ran across one this week that says the kids can’t bring a powerstrip to increase the outlets so be sure to check for your kid’s particular college. Also wise is to find out from the housing department what is supplied in the dorms/suites. Many provide brooms, dust pans, vacs, mops, etc. Some provide toilet paper, others don’t, some provide desk lamps others don’t, some provide window covereings, some don’t, some showers in suites have doors, others require shower curtains…no need to send anything more than what the kids need since the storage space and floor space is incredibly limited.</p>

11

<p>My freshman D is across the country and I have just a few comments to add. First, preording at your local Bed, Bath and Beyond and picking it up at D’s new location is a fabulous option. Yes, if you really watched all summer, you could get some things less expensively but the convenience (and lack of shipping cost) was invaluable. The one we went to allowed us to use as many 20% off coupons as we had.</p>

<p>Anything D needed for the first 2-3 days was in one of the two suitcases she took with her on the airplane. We shipped things she wouldn’t need for awhile (i.e. boots, warmer clothing, second set of sheets, towels). My point here is that she had in her suitcase a set of sheets and towels. Even though we shipped her boxes well in advance, I didn’t know for sure that they’d be there when we arrived. As it turned out, we ended up moving her partially in the night we got there when the mail room was closed anyways. Being able to make her bed, etc. and not have to wait (or hope the boxes had arrived) was great.</p>

<p>Bring a tape measure–we ended up buying some under the bed storage that was too tall so I had to go back to BB&B and buy shorter ones. Same goes for length of rod for the closet or curtain rod, area rug or whatever else might be needed in D/S room.</p>

<p>Only other thing we didn’t think of that I can think of right now is that the lighting in D’s room was terrible and we needed to buy both a desk light as well as a floor lamp. Oh, and those 3M hooks in the closet were great to add additional places to store/hang things.</p>

12

<p>In our case, Bed, Bath & Beyond does not have a store in Tuscaloosa, AL (yet). Our local store agreed to pay the shipping costs. </p>

<p>Good point about confirming what is and is not allowed in your particular dorm/apt. As for desk lamps, more schools are restricting the hallogen bulbs due to fire risks. </p>

<p>There are many good reasons to eliminate the need to shop for odds and ends once your student gets to campus. Time is money. The lines at the Big Box stores are long. Everyone in town is looking for the same “last minute” items. Granted, most of us use debit and/or credit cards for everyday purchases but students have been known to bleed cash the first month of school because they have not had much experience budgeting cash flow. Once they are settled into school and realize they have no cash, the thought of spending money on cold meds, cough drops, batteries or razors is added stress no one needs. </p>

<p>Before I shipped the large rolling tub with much of the misc. items, I showed him what he had, reminded him how expensive certain items were, cautioned him about “loaning” items to others and being responsible about getting them back.</p>

<p>We to rent a “climate controled” storage locker for the summer months. Even though my son now has a car on campus, it is very convenient not having to pack everything in his car. There is no reason he needs to bring his printer, lamp, book shelf, dishes, winter clothes, closet organizers, wall art, etc… home for three months.</p>

13

<h1>3 : when you use the BB&B option, you do not pay until you pickup the items at the other end, and you can change your mind about them at that time.</h1>

14

<p>Much depends on the family. For us, both our kids are 2500 miles from our home (a 5 hour plane ride). We all flew up to drop S off & were able to each bring along a bag for him, as well as our bag of clothing for us to wear for the two weeks we were vacationing with him. We could even have brought up more (had extra luggage allowance), but were fine anyway. We rented a car & drove him around to get the things he wanted/needed for his dorm rather than lugging things. We bought an all-in-one printer/scanner/fax up there, as well as a lamp, fan, paper, and other bulky items.
I did give him a “desk kit” I made him, with all those little items he always wanted/needed off my desk that I thought he’d miss–it was the 1st thing we opened once he moved in; had tape of different sorts, scissors, marking pen, hole punch, stamps, envelopes, etc.
We found it much more useful to buy the big, bulky things there than ship everything. We did buy sheets on-line and wash them & bring them up with us (they were so cheap & then he didn’t have to wash them there).
BB&B seems much pricier than we’re used to, so we have never used them.</p>

15

<p>Kajon,
My D says the Purex 3 in 1 sheets are great! She loves not having to deal with 3 different products! She too is one of those in state but 8 hours away!</p>