Well, this will be the difference between D who happily went to the local BSU and S who is traveling far away! What words of wisdom do you have for move in, Family weekend and Christmas (all of which we were hoping to do freshman year because we will want to be a part of it and he has already asked us to go). Thanks for the hotel suggestion. Do folks spend the night before move in and then drive off the next day? What is good to do Family weekend?
For both my kids we arrived the night before. Their personalities are such that they like to get to events early to get the lay of the land. Then if we need a last minute Target run we won’t be pressed for time. They could watch the dorm hallway fill up and meet one person at a time rather than a sea of faces. We always wanted to stay far longer than they wanted us to stay.
I don’t know if St Olaf has summer storage rooms available. If so, go ahead and bring things in whatever is the legal sized Rubbermaid tubs. They can stack and store under the bed.
Minnesota culture has shoes coming off as you enter a house or room. I think it comes from the Scandinavian culture and practicalities of farm life. A small mat or carpet square will be useful to put shoes and snow boots on.
Christmas concert and family weekend might be worth starting a new thread for tips.
Thanks!
@listener76 - Thanks for the thoughtful post about your son’s experience during his visit, about the recent racial incidents and concerns, which led to this past weekend’s protest. Hopefully the response by the students creates a more positive and welcoming atmosphere on campus for all students. The students and alumni we know were horrified by the behavior directed at students of color.
And your sage advise is always welcome on this thread, @Snowball City!
There is summer storage, but I’m not sure how much is allowed (how many suitcase/trunks). Our D is storing everything and anything that doesn’t fit will go in a storage room off campus that is being shared by a bunch of friends. Bikes can be hard to store, but I got her a folding bike with a cover (actually not that expensive on Amazon). When winter came, she folded it up and put it in her closet.
Speaking of Amazon, you can buy stuff (furniture) and have it shipped to the St Olaf post office on campus. On move-in day the campus post-office is full to the ceiling with boxes! There were about 10 other bike boxes too. D ordered all her books on Amazon too and had them shipped. They were a lot cheaper that way; though some students return books at the end of the year for credit and I’m not sure how that works if they are bought on Amazon.
On move-in day, the parents’ part was done fairly early, like noon? Definitely get your hotel sooner than later. I waited and we had to stay Fri night in MSP. It was fine; only a 45min drive.
During the year, there are the following breaks: fall break (mid Oct, 4 days Fr-Mo), Thanksgiving (Tu-Su), Christmas (only 10 days last year), interim (late Jan, 1 week), spring (late march, 1 week), Easter (Fr-Mo). Our D came home for Thanksgiving, Christmas and spring break. The other breaks she stayed on campus or went to stay with friends in MSP. It is quiet on campus during breaks, but there are certainly others around. Interim break was esp dead, but the interim session of Great Con was tough and she just wanted to sleep for a week. Transport to/from the airport is easy as there is a shuttle from Buntrock Commons.