30 minutes for move-in seems pretty crazy. We were told 45 minutes and even that sounds bad, especially since they’re not providing move-in helpers like normal and the student can only bring 2 people. There might not be enough time to do much more than dump his stuff in the corner if we have to loft the bed or do any other small “construction” projects.
For move in, Tulane has a 30 minute time slot for student and one helper, but on further questioning it meant that was your arrival window. They are trying to limit people in halls and elevators at the same time in the dorms so they only offered a certain number of slots per hour per dorm. The helper can stay until 6 pm the day of move in and then cannot return to campus again. No guests after that, for now.
One helper, leave by 9pm day of move-in, no returns to campus after leaving (if before 9pm). Told to pack lightly, no outside furniture allowed (no chairs, futons, etc). While the testing/quarantine plans seem fairly well thought out, as with every school’s plan, I wonder how it will survive inevitable first contact with the virus. Everyone has a plan until they get punched in the face.
Just finished buying toiletries and medicine kit. It adds up so quickly, especially for stuff that takes up relatively little room. We may have gone overboard with the medicine kit but I was concerned with the idea of a (barely) sick child going to the health center during a pandemic for cold meds. Trying to cover any eventuality in the kit made it a bit bigger than originally planned.
i read somewhere (here?) about making an emergency “quarantine” bag for your kid which they can grab - or their roommate can - in case they get sick on campus. I liked that idea. my dear sweet son is also very scattered, so I’m making a file for him on his google drive with all sort of things - including phone numbers and passwords in case he breaks his phone or something happens to his computer. all of these things sound slightly apocalyptic . . . . sort of feel that way now.
I posted on another thread but D20 decided on Monday to take a gap year as the restrictions on her campus just became too much. No guaranteed freshman housing spring semester; need to move out by Thanksgiving (same week as finals!); and her preliminary class schedule would be all classes online. With no real extracurriculars such as acapella club, limited greek life, not likely any D1 sports (certainly not in person), limited in-person interaction with professors and grad students (Flunch/Grunch program), only small group gatherings, and who knows if the Duke Engage this summer will be an option?
Instead, she will continue to work and save money; take an online community college class of her choice, likely volunteer/community service, and possible travel next spring (if conditions allow it).
There really are no great options but we thought this is the best decision for our family. I really hope this fall goes smoothly for your students. I’m rooting for you!
DD20 finally gets to sign up for her move in appointment on 8/1. Of course, the parent town hall with lots of info about how things will really work on campus this fall is not until 8/3, after we are unable to change housing commitments. They have provided some info on the website but I still feel like the timing is all in their favor. Let’s hope there are no big surprises.
Long radio silence here, but I am back. D20 is moving to her dorm at UNC in one week. Stuff is procured, but not packed. Healthcare POAs will be finalized on Monday.
@socaldad2002, it must be a relief for you and your daughter now that a decision has been made. Is she deferring admission or reapplying elsewhere?
Our D is still set to go online as her school won’t allow for deferrals unless there are extenuating circumstances (as if COVID isn’t, lol). She is also toying with the idea of being an online tutor for a few elementary/middle school students from her old school in the fall.
My D is deferring for a year and will be in the Duke Class of 2025 as a 19 year old! Believe it or not, there is some sort of relief because the whole process has been getting more and more stressful and each day (it seems) that there were more surprises, from trying to get hotel rooms, no direct flights, no actual test dates for move-in to the dorms, to now have to move out on thanksgiving, no in-person classes, etc. that we waved the white flag and will try again next year.
I think some of these colleges have been much too conservative but we are the consumer and if we don’t like what they are “selling” we have options.
Tutoring for your D would be great experience and great for the kids!
DD20 is planning to attend WKU (Western Kentucky) this fall. She has a date next week just to move her stuff into the dorm and then comes back home that day. Up until yesterday she would have been returning for their H4 honors opening retreat the following week (8/10), but unfortunately it was cancelled yesterday (in person version at least). So I think now she will be at home until 8/20. Classes still scheduled start 8/24. For now…
So I was wrong about the signup date for the move in appointment. DD20 has made her appointment and got the date and time she wanted. Our list of questions for the parent town hall is growing. I am completely prepared to be told one thing and have it all change before move in. Classes start on 9/7 which we all know is a LONG TIME away in COVID-19 world.
I am curious how students coming to the Boston area and their families are going to manage this mandatory quarantine starting August 1st. Also curious how much support MA colleges will give quarantining students - will they deliver meals to dorm rooms? Here in MA test results are taking longer due to a big push from the state “Stop the Spread” free testing. It would be impossible to obtain a recent enough negative test here within the 72 hour window. https://www.mass.gov/info-details/covid-19-travel-order#massachusetts-travel-form-
I’ve lived the waiting for test results nightmare twice now in the past few weeks. One time took 6 days, one took 7. Very unhelpful. Both times I had to pack up and work from home again and just wait. DS almost had to cancel a dentist appointment 6 days after testing because he didn’t have results, but they called just a couple hours before his appointment and he was able to go…which is good because I never would have gotten him in again before school.
@Happy4u not for my student, but I have been following specifically how Northeastern’s return to campus fits with the MA quarantine policy. All my opinion, but I think this is how it will work for the student I know who will be traveling alone. 1) Student will have to fill out the MA travel form since coming from a high risk state (as defined by MA); 2) the test that Northeastern requires upon arrival to campus, will remove the need for a negative test result received within 72 hours of arrival (MA requirement) since student will be required to quarantine until that test comes back negative and will have 2 more tests within the first 5 days on campus, 3) if the first test is positive student will be quarantined until 3 negative tests are achieved—likely reaching the 14 day standard required by the state. If a family is traveling, this gets more complicated. My suggestion to you is to read the school requirements closely to see how they intertwine with those of the state.
Crazy question for those of you whose kids will be on campus for the fall semester only: What are some of the items you are less likely to send? Will you send fewer coats/shoes/sweaters? Forego the decorations for the dorm room? Just leave it all up to your kids to decide?
@socaldad2002 - you have made me feel better about our decision. My D chose not to take the option to study at Duke this semester. Although we live 3 hours away, so would not have as much stress with getting there, she did not see the value in spending an additional $8.5k for a semester there rather than just do classes online. We are now in the process of cleaning out the storage room to give her a bedroom/study area of her own since she will likely be taking classes very late at night or early in the morning since they will be on DKU’s schedule (China time).
@Auntlydia for 90 days in MA, S20 will pack 2 suitcases full of clothes and linen. Weather is expected to still be mild until Thanksgiving when he returns home. Minimal decorations other than 8.5"x11" pics/quotes.
Being able to experience freshman seminar face-to-face and take classes in tents is welcome after this unfortunate senior spring w/o prom or graduation. His campus will be closed off like the NBA bubble so care packages are likely.
Our daughter will be on campus for just a little over 100 days (if all goes well 1st semester).
One bag:
Bedding (sheets, duvet, mattress pad, pillows, bedside caddy)
One bag:
Toiletries/towels/med kit/bathrobe/shoes/laundry bag
One bag:
Clothing (including midweight jacket & light weight sweaters for intro into fall but no real ‘cold weather’ clothing) She will have to layer as it gets colder or we will send more clothes, but we are hoping it will still be quite mild when she comes home at Thanksgiving.
One bag:
Decor (some posters and fairy lights)/room fan/electric kettle/dishes/electronics (cords, batteries, etc)
In addition, she is bringing a 6’x9’ rug for the floor. It really ties the room together.
Right now, her classes are evenly divided between remote and f2f. Understanding that her classes could switch to remote on campus, we tried our best to combine packing as lightly as possible with making the room comfortable to be in for long periods of time. She will most likely be spending quite a bit of time in the room, she needs to be able to live in it and have what she needs.
My children have gone to sleep away camp since they were 7 years old. She is packing less for her 1st semester than many campers packed for 4-6 weeks away. I think we are doing pretty well. 
DD’s assigned move in is 8/17. Her packing list looks a lot like @beebee3 . For now, 3 out of 4 classes are f2f, but I want her room to be comfortable in case her courses move online and she spends more time in her room. Also, she has missed out on so much already that I want her to at least experience the joy of decorating her dorm room. We’re fortunate that her college is only 4 hours away. If there is a repeat of last spring, we can drive up and move her out without any problem. I can imagine students that need to fly to campus have additional packing concerns.
We are struggling with deciding what to do about cold weather items like sweaters, especially since D gets cold easily. She is headed to upstate NY where temps can easily drop in October and November. She will take a few cold weather items, but we plan to just ship more if needed.
Careful. You may want to include a sweater or two. I live in MA and we are known for an occasional ice or snow storm late October/early November. It’s not uncommon at all. Halloween is often a challenge for trick-or-treaters. 
Let the online ordering begin! Just ordered D’s comforter and sheets, plus towels and a brand new robe that’s plenty warm. Also grabbed a small rug. Next up: bath stuff and organizers and a lamp for her desk.
I figure she will skimp on sweaters for now. I can always ship her a few in October when it cools down.