<p>Hi all - Mac or PC? I’d love your thoughts. D is getting a laptop this week. Thanks!</p>
<p>My D did Pre-O, and made a lot of friends there. She decided too late to do the camping ones, but was able to go and do the Habitat for Humanity. She did have a blast, and made some good friends. We also had her sign up for a few other things they offer the first week, including a baseball game (I think). I think she blew off most of that stuff. There is a lot to do Freshman week.</p>
<p>My daughters laundry service was to wait until break and take it home for mom. Apparently, in Baltimore, if you leave clothing on the floor long enough it cleans itself and can wear it again.</p>
<p>My favorite part of move in day was a kind of fair they had for students/parents in the glass pavillion area. There was bank, housing, dining, security, all the campus services and some service groups present there to answer questions, say hello, etc. It gave me a chance to meet some of the people that would shape my kids non-academic life, and had me feeling a bit better about leaving her in the hands of strangers. Learned about the campus cops, the shuttles, a lot of things I am so glad to have learned. Oh, and they had Free JHU stickers for your car and other JHU swag.</p>
<p>MOM of 2 kids: DEF MAC! Macbook Pro. With cloud computing soon to include documents, what better way to insure that a computer crash or theft does not rob your kid of important notes/research/papers. Mac is stable v PC, it is used by about 80% of the kids I saw. So the things that can ruin a semester are a computer Crash or a computer theft. Mac’s seldom crash, and a good back up will not bring your computer back but it will keep your heart from breaking! (every week I said on the phone to my D “Did you back up your work”?)</p>
<p>Any thoughts on the mailing yesterday with the sheets/towels for sale? It seems sanctioned by JHU, but the skeptic in me thinks it must just be some smooth marketing. I think we will stick with BBB. Placement tests and physical done. Nest stop: credit union!</p>
<p>My mom said that you can get them a lot cheaper elsewhere (my sisters were offered the same thing at their state university), so we are NOT going with the mailed offer.</p>
<p>Someday I’d like to know why dorm beds can’t just be regular plain-old twin size. I suspect the answer has to do with creating a monopoly for the local laundry service…</p>
<p>…and yes, you can buy extra long twin sheets at the usual stores for cheaper.</p>
<p>New member here, but my S just graduated from JHU & my D will be starting this fall.
My understanding re the sheets is that they are not the best quality, you can do better price& quality-wise at many stores.
One thing we found when moving S in 4 years ago was that the local stores (Towson Mall: WalMart, Target, etc) were EMPTY by move-in day. So pre-order, have stuff sent to the dorm (mailroom opens the week before move-in), or schlep it there.</p>
<p>Orientation usually starts the Wednesday of the last week of August. Wednesday and Thursday are designated move-in dates for incoming freshman. If you plan on flying to Baltimore, you can take a taxi to the homewood campus from BWI. If you plan on driving here, you will wait in a long line starting from the AMRs to outside the University Prkwy entrance next to the stadium on those 2 days. If you plan on taking the train here, the train will drop you off at Penn Station, where you can either catch the JHMI shuttle (free) or take a taxi to Homewood campus. Giant and Walmart are all within walking distance (~20 minutes). JHU has it’s own cash called JCash where you deposit cash and it functions just like cash (i think it’s kinda stupid). For banks, there’s a Bank of America across the street on St. Paul’s street and I think JHU has it’s own banking system but i’m not sure. There are free shuttles to both the Inner Harbor, Townson Mall, and the Med School. Most kids here have a MacBook Pro. There is a laundry room in the basement of each of the residence halls. Each student has a mailbox (tiny). There is no wireless internet provided in the dorms but they give you an ethernet cable. You can have a TV and get cable (there are comcast people on the first couple of days advertising on the freshman quad) and you can also get wireless internet if you prefer that over ethernet. the FFC does not open until Friday so you might want to go to a nearby restuarant/fast food to eat b/c your meal plan won’t start till Friday. The only fast food places within walking distance are Subway and Chipotle (both of St. Paul’s street). There is a bar/restaurant called Maxies across the street on North Charles Street next to Homewood Apartments where students usually hang out. </p>
<p>hope this helps</p>
<p>Belated thanks, Osprey, for your very helpful post. D is registered for classes! She did some dorm room shopping this weekend. Booking flights for move in this week. Little bro was wearing his JHU Lax shorts yesterday. It’s really happening! Exciting stuff…</p>
<p>My D is registered to do the Habitat Pre-O this year. They have her moving into the dorm (don’t know which one yet) a week early. How does that work? Do the Habitat kids get put in one cluster? Are there RAs around yet? Just seems that being in a virtually empty dorm by yourself could be a bit creepy…</p>
<p>Yes, I believe there are RAs for all summer programs. A friend of mine is a summer RA for another program so im assuming there will be RAs for Pre-O</p>
<p>My D is also doing the Pre-O Habitat for Humanity. She will move in early but we were wondering about that move in process. Is there parking near the freshman dorms? I know there are upperclassmen helping with move in on the regular day but am assuming we have to do it all ourselves on the 19th. Hopefully we will get some info ahead of time and find out who else from her dorm will be there. Dadwonders, do you know what the move in/dorm situation was last year?</p>
<p>From the email my D got from Habitat, it sounds like there should be a few of them around to help (I hope). I’ll have to look again, but it sounded like they might actually be the ones with the keys/cards for the kids in the PreO program. Whether there’s parking depends on which dorm you’re in. My recollection is that Wolman is not on campus, and people just have to find nearby street parking. The other freshman dorms are on campus, so I’m hoping we can sneak into one of the parking lots nearby if we have to. I’m also hoping for a little more info.</p>
<p>Thanks dizzycat, My D said there was something on facebook from Admissions Daniel (someone from Pre-O Habitat had sent him the question) saying there would be a few people there to help with move in. That’s good news for those on the third floor! D is looking forward to the head start with “decorating” her room and the opportunity to make some friends that week. I hope they all have a great time!</p>
<p>I think they will! My S did the hiking PreO when he was a freshman, and stayed friends with several of the people he met there throughout his whole college career (he graduated last May).</p>
<p>Hi - hoping for some help with some questions
- When does the lofting happen? are the beds adjustable so student does it at move in or is there a request to make somewhere? Is a tool required?
- When does student order micro fridge?
- If kids is going to Pre-O and coming in the night before, how does pick up at BWI happen and where do they sleep the night of the 17th (instructed to fly in the 17th for morning of 18th departure)? Can student leave one bag somewhere while at Pre-O?
- Is there any wiggle room on move in? D gets back from Pre-O before AMR II move in day of 8/25.</p>
<p>Thanks in advance for any help. D and I are both checking various web pages, etc., but haave not found these answers posted.</p>
<p>Hey mnmomof2, your best bet for PreO questions is the Outdoor Pursuits office. They can be reached during business hours at 410.516.4417. Here are some answers to your questions:</p>
<ol>
<li>You can loft your bed yourself, but the housing office prefers if you schedule it with them once you’ve moved in. Lofting request forms are accepted in the first weeks of the Fall and Spring Semester. </li>
<li><a href=“http://www.jhu.edu/hds/incoming_frosh/PDFs/2011%20pdfs/MICROFRIDGE2011.pdf[/url]”>http://www.jhu.edu/hds/incoming_frosh/PDFs/2011%20pdfs/MICROFRIDGE2011.pdf</a></li>
<li>There are some Pre-O FAQs here: [Frequently</a> Asked Questions](<a href=“Ralph S. O'Connor Recreation Center | Student Affairs”>Ralph S. O'Connor Recreation Center | Student Affairs) You should have provided flight information on the Pre-O application, so make sure to tell us if any of your travel plans change.</li>
</ol>
<p>I can only arrange to arrive the day before Pre-O. Where can I stay?</p>
<p>You can stay with us! We will be either camping out under the stars on the (fenced in) practice field, or inside the Recreation Center in case of bad weather. We can still pick you up at the airport, train station, or bus terminal. Please arrive no earlier than 12pm the day prior to your trip.</p>
<p>Where will I be picked up if I’m arriving at the airport/train station/bus terminal?</p>
<p>Outdoor leaders will pick you up once you arrive here in Baltimore.
-If you are flying into BWI airport, pick up your luggage and look around for someone with a Pre-O sign in that same baggage area. We will come to the baggage claim area for the airline you tell us you are flying on, so make sure to tell us if any of your travel plans change.
-If you are arriving at Penn Station, the train terminal, a leader will be waiting by the center information and ticketing desk with a Pre-O sign.
-If you are arriving via bus, let us know if you are coming from the downtown Greyhound station or the Bus Terminal. A leader will be waiting inside either station once you have arrived.</p>
<p>If you have any trouble finding the leader, please call the Pre-Orientation office at 410.516.4417.</p>
<ol>
<li>The Outdoor Pursuits office coordinates early move in so that participants are able to move into the dorms when they get back to campus.</li>
</ol>
<p>Can I move in to my dorm room before I leave on Pre-O?</p>
<p>University Housing will not allow students to move in before Pre-O, but we do arrange it so that you can move in the day you get back from Pre-O, regardless of what dorm you’re living in. This means that you can’t store your things in your future dorm room while you’re on Pre-O. However, we do have a small amount of room per person - about two or three bags’ worth - for you to store some things while you are on Pre-O.</p>
<p>What usually works well, logistically, is if you come down to Baltimore with a couple of bags and store them while you are on Pre-O in our available storage space. Then, your parents can meet you at the end of your Pre-O trip with the rest of your things, and help you move in to your dorm room. Your parents can then stay for some of the programs that the University runs for them during the first couple days of Orientation.</p>
<p>Thank you! So very helpful!</p>
<p>It is discussion threads like these on College Confidential that make me see this site as a valuable resource. More of these and less of those darn “chances” threads!!! It is great that there are current/former JHU parents and current/former JHU students willing to help out and answer questions that are sometimes not the easiest to find. </p>
<p>Since it seems the questions have all been answered I did just what to share a few links for Parents of the JHU Class of 2015:</p>
<p>1) If you didn’t already know, you can access a carbon copy of your student’s New Student Portal Freshman To Do List here: [Parents</a> To Do List](<a href=“Orientation & First-Year Experience | Student Affairs”>Orientation & First-Year Experience | Student Affairs). Though you are not able to gain access to their portal as we want the student to be in charge of this process, you are able to see the dates and required actions to help nag them at times.</p>
<p>2) If your son/daughter is not using the JHU Class of 2015 Facebook Group you should strongly suggest they join and check out discussions every few days. There are about 20 current JHU students answering questions and providing advice, and many of the questions answered here have been asked and answered there as well. </p>
<p>3) And remember as new parents you should keep up with the Parents Programs office: [Parents</a> Programs | John Hopkins University](<a href=“Office of Family Engagement | Student Affairs”>http://parents.jhu.edu/)</p>
<p>Thanks, Daniel. You’ve been so helpful throughout the process, and your blog was great to read last year. Who knows, maybe my D will get to work with you this year. She mentioned that there was something about applying for the SAAB on one of the pages, and she’s thinking about it.</p>
<p>That is excellent. Glad I helped out. There are details about applying to SAAB posted in the Class of 2015 Facebook group … it is a great group.</p>