<p>There are stories about families showing up at first year dorms with a Winnebago full of stuff. Of course, they couldn’t even park it on move-in day. There have been other stories of students showing up with king sized water beds or huge Lazyboy recliners.</p>
<p>For UVa’s first year move in day, the student helpers made up Tshirts that said “We’ll move it, even though you’ll never use it.” The shirts had a drawing of a grand piano.</p>
<p>Oh god, as a student my face burns for all y’alls kids 
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<p>Also, I don’t understand having to need help to move in- I mean, what’s there to bring besides clothes and a laptop? :/</p>
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<p>LOL. I’d have just not paid, but clearly she saw that you were pushovers. </p>
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<p>Having lived in both Central Florida and Southeast Michigan I haven’t noticed any major difference, but I can’t speak about the Northeast.</p>
<p>Re cleaning the dorm room: I have been a summer camp director for 15 years in Texas and I have never had a parent clean the room or bathroom at drop-off. And these are 10 year olds! And those cabins are far from sanitary! I really can’t imagine doing it for an 18 yr old who is perfectly capable of doing it himself - if he really even cares (and mine doesn’t!)</p>
<p>MynameisCorey, you obviously have no appreciation for the size of my daughter’s shoe collection.</p>
<p>I know one obsessive-compulsive Northeastern couple, where the dad cleans and scrubs (one of his favorite tasks at home) and the mom decorates the room–color coordinated, accessories, pictures on the walls etc.
They came home from dropping their daughter off complaining how tired they were and what a lot of work it was but also how “impressed” the suitemates were at all they had done. At least these parents didn’t charge for anything but have to wonder whether the suitemates were dismayed rather than impressed.</p>
<p>crepes, both D2 & D3 have color coordinated, accessories, pictures on the wall, mirrors, command strips galore, etc. </p>
<p>I didn’t drive it, they did. I’m just along for the ride. D2 had a dismayed room-mate freshman year, but her suitemates were just like her. Sophomore year, her room-mate was much the same, but with very different taste.</p>
<p>We’ll see about D3. ;)</p>
<p>Hmm, I sort of forget something I did when dropping of D1. Her school had an “all day” drop off process. Settle them in the dorm in the morning, an activities fair and lunch in the caf, parent sessions in the afternoon while the students did some other orientation activity, then a final parent “tea” before saying goodbye late in the afternoon.</p>
<p>My D hunted for weeks before going to college for the right pair of shoes to wear around campus. It rains quite a bit at her school and snows in the winter, so she wanted something she could wear in that weather – but not boots because they are not comfy in class. She finally found some she loved a few days before she left (some Clarks). But… they needed to be sprayed with waterproofing stuff (silicon? Can’t remember now…). And we didn’t have time before we left, so I tossed the stuff in the car.</p>
<p>When we moved her in the dorm, I wanted to take that spray home with me, so decided to just spray her shoes in the room on a newspaper before we went out with her roommate to the activity fair and lunch. Thought the smell would go away while we were gone. Uh… no. 
It smelled terrible, and still did when we got back after lunch. D told me later it took a couple of days for the smell to go away. And the roommate was a good sport about it (at least while I was around). I have been forgiven, I think. But just in case anyone else is thinking about this…</p>
<p>I think the decorating stuff is more girls than guys. DS room FB msged that
He had a rug and wanted to know if DS had a fridge. DSsaid he would bring a
Fridge. Yup thats it on decorating.lol. As far as needing help moving in IThink
The fridge is a two person job.</p>
<p>I had a discussion with D this week about how maybe she ought to at least start ‘thinking’
about packing and getting ready. She’s hasn’t budged an inch getting ready.</p>
<p>But I did talk to her whether she wanted me to just drop stuff off and go, or help unpack and decorate her room. She wants me to stay and help!!! Yeah, I’m so happy (although this could be her usual sly way to get Mom to go and pay for all the stuff that ends up missing… she has a large suite with a living room). </p>
<p>Two of her suitemates are flying in and really cannot bring any of the key things that are still needed. In fact, as far as I can tell the only thing the one girl who is driving is bringing is 4 plates and a full length mirror.</p>
<p>I figured that if I made the bed when DD moved in, it would look nice once during the year. ;)</p>
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<p>Oh wow, that’s quite hilarious. I wonder if the husband slumped lower in his chair.</p>
<p>For people who are flying into a college, some chain stores offer a service where you can pre-order merchandise online, and then pick them up in a package at the nearest store, on move-in day. I believe Target is one of those stores.</p>
<p>At my daughter’s college, Target is providing free buses to take all the students to their store during orientation. It is late at night, after the store normally closes.</p>
<p>OK I’ve got one. Just moved DD into her freshman dorm. While we were getting the necessary parts to loft her bed from the RA, a mom comes stomping down the hall – “excuse me excuse me we have a big problem – my daughter was promised a private bathroom. This is unacceptable. You will be finding her another arrangement Who do I tlak to, and now?” In the most imperious, “I’m better than thou” attitude that I have seen in a while. This in a dorm where not even the RA gets a private bath. In a dorm where the floor plan and living arrangements are easily available online. DD and I hope that mom promptly went out and bought Paris Freshman a condo or something.</p>
<p>and please refrain from asking “what are the dates of parents weekend” during the Q & A after you’ve been given a flyer about parent’s weekend. and please don’t ask the VP of student affairs to repeat stating the dates again. We will mock you.</p>
<p>Wow mid50sfan, mom must have never gone to college or she would know no one has a private bathroom.</p>
<p>And Krlilies, I guess the parents could invest in a Gopro camera and set it up if the really wanted to.</p>
<p>Just to be charitable, it is possible that the daughter needs a private bathroom for medical reasons. That’s the only circumstance under which I can imagine any freshman having been “promised” a private bathroom. Of course that doesn’t mean the mother had to stomp about advertising the problem to the entire dorm…</p>
<p>Thanks so much for that tidbit, mid50sfan!!! I think we all know that promises made about the residence halls in the Spring, can often be unfulfilled come move in the in the late Summer or Fall.</p>
<p>Personally, I am already a bit of a wreck as I anticipate moving Lake Jr. into his residence hall next week. It’s likely that I’ve already purchased too much stuff for the room, including things he now tells me he doesn’t want. Sigh. You might see me on You Tube…I’ll be the forlorn looking parent holding the sign on the steps of the dorm stating “unwanted dorm room stuff for sale…no reasonable offer refused. In fact, no offer refused at all. Just help yourself!”</p>
<p>^^Surely you can return most of the unwanted items? I’ve learned the hard way to be fiercely minimalist with college residential purchases. It’s much easier to add more than it is to get rid of the surplus.</p>
<p>“For people who are flying into a college, some chain stores offer a service where you can pre-order merchandise online, and then pick them up in a package at the nearest store, on move-in day. I believe Target is one of those stores.”</p>
<p>Bed, Bath & Beyond also. We ordered dorm room stuff the other day and will it up at a store nearby campus when we get to town. You pay for the order when you pick it up.</p>