<p>What can we expect on move-in day? Are there set times for moving in by dorm/floor or is it first-come, first-serve? How long can we expect to be in a carpool line waiting for our turn to unload the car? What time does the process begin and do people line up in advance? Is there adequate time to get fully unpacked and set -up before orientation activities begin? Lastly, any advice on making the process smooth, uneventful and without stress?
Thanks in advance to those of you that have been through it and for sharing your advice and wisdom!</p>
<p>It’s been a while since my daughter moved in (she will be a senior this year), but I recall move in day for freshman was extremely well organized. There was an assigned time for move in and we waited on a line for maybe an hour, it was all very festive with orientation volunteers answering questions and keeping everything moving along. Once you pull up at the dorm upperclassmen immediately unpack the car and bring everything up to the student’s room in 5 minutes flat. There is plenty of time to unpack and attend all the orientation activities for both students and parents.</p>
<p>It has been awhile since my daughter’s move-in day. I don’t recall set times but we were in line to pull up to the dorm before 8 AM. The driver must stay with the car. It was very organized with upperclassmen assisting in bringing up your stuff and there was important information and forms handed out to be completed while online in the car. Given that we were the first in her triple room to arrive, we were done and unpacked in plenty of time to leave campus and go out for lunch and be back, plus doing all the student ID registration and so on. It will be hot at the end of August, hopefully not raining so plan accordingly. Everyone is in the same boat, unpacking and introducing themselves and in the case of being in a triple, figuring out how best to configure the room. In our case that was literally one of two times the entire year my daughter ever saw her RA, who happened to live across the hall-talk about missing in action.</p>
<p>D2 will also be a senior and my recollections about the day are pretty much the same as laris’–assigned times (morning or early afternoon), cars waited line about a hour while the new student filled out forms and received room keys (all while waiting in the car), tons of helpers to schlep stuff up to your room, cars had to immediately move after unloading and parking was very challenging to find. </p>
<p>Student registration/IDs done in field house across from Quad dorms, activities fair going on during registration so plenty to do there.</p>
<p>Expect a l-o-n-g line at the post office if you mailed stuff to yourself ahead of time. But there are big carts available to transport numerous or bulky pkgs across campus.</p>
<p>Also had plenty of time to dash off to Target/Walmart/BBB or wherever to pick needed stuff you didn’t or couldn’t bring before the freshmen had dinner with their hall.</p>
<p>I remember I did a couple of very smart things involving move-in. IIRC, move-in was split into 2 large groups, the first were people from within an hour or 2 of campus, and they moved in at 8 (had a blue car-tag) and then the people from farther moved in at noon (with a yellow car-tag). Move in will be the 23rd or 24th this year I believe (2 or 3 days before upperclassmen.) Arrive earlier than the time assigned to you, it will save you a good amount of time on a hectic afternoon.</p>
<p>You will be waiting in line at a big parking lot at one end of campus. Based on whether you live in SBA or ResQuad, you will drive around campus in one of two directions. D’lions, Freshmen Fellow, Orientation Leaders and RAs will help unload your stuff into your dorm room. Even the Elevator process is pretty strict in move-in (and kind of sets a tone for the rest of the year.) If you are on the first three floors of SBA they have you use the stairs. 4-6 use the elevator (and as the year progresses you think lowly of the 2nd and 3rd floor kids who enter the elevator and hit those buttons).</p>
<p>If you are arriving to the Rochester area the day before move-in and staying at a hotel, and arrive before around 4 o clock, DRIVE TO CAMPUS. You can gain a huge advantage to your whole orientation week by spending an hour or so on campus before move-in. Stop at the booth at the main entrance to campus, as for a map and a parking token, explain you will be moving in the next day. Go to Susan B Anthony Hall and find the ID office on the first floor. It is open til 4, but if you get your student ID before the day of move-in you will save yourself atleast an hour later. BRING YOUR STUDENT ID NUMBER WITH YOU. </p>
<p>This is to save you the time you will have to wait to get your picture taken with every other freshman the next day. If you do not do this, its not a big deal though. You will get your student ID and post office key on the day of move-in at Goergen Athletic Center.</p>
<p>Another good thing to do the day before is open a bank account with Chase in Todd Union if you are going to want a Chase account. There are 2 Chase ATMS conveniently located on campus (in Todd, and Outside Rush Rhees). The line will get very long opening accounts the first couple days of orientation.</p>
<p>There are a handful of events going on this first day. Make sure you meet your RA. The Technology fair thing in Goergen can be interesting if you have any questions. Make some friends, meet your hallmates, unpack, etc. I’m still best friends with the kid I made awkward eye contact with across the hall as we were unpacking clothes.</p>
<p>Huge thank you to all the suggestions!
Couple of quick questions not related to move -in…is there a dry cleaners on campus or nearby? Seems we have a lot of dry-clean only sweaters. Also, is their a large sink by the washers to do hand wash? We already have the drying rack for the room. Please no comments on how we should only get stuff that can be put in the washer/dryer.</p>
<p>No dry cleaner on campus. And none within easy walking distance of campus. Nearest would be in South Wedge (Maytag Laundry & Dry Cleaners, 800 Clinton Avenue South) or the 19th Ward (Empirial Dry Cleaning, 260 Arnett Boulevard).</p>
<p>No sink in the laundry room–though that may depend upon which dorm you’re in.</p>
<p>You can buy a little kit that lets you do basic “dry cleaning” in a dryer. They sell it at the supermarket, Target, Walmart, etc. Most use a bag, but some don’t. Google home dry cleaning or the like.</p>
<p>Home dry cleaning kits don’t work very well. They really don’t remove stains. (You have to pretreat any stain in order to have any hope of it coming out. Something you can do yourself without ever buying a kit…) And the dryer bags/cloths basically add a bit of steam to help release wrinkles and some “freshening scent” to mask odors.</p>
<p>It might work for something you’ve worn once, but home dry cleaner kits don’t work well for something that’s soiled or has been worn several times before cleaning. Mostly because no actual solvents or cleaning agents are involved in the process.</p>
<p>[HowStuffWorks</a> “How Home Dry Cleaning Works”](<a href=“How Home Dry Cleaning Works | HowStuffWorks”>How Home Dry Cleaning Works | HowStuffWorks)</p>
<p>Exactly, but if you have a sweater that needs airing or a dress that needs refreshing this is a good thing. I’ve done it. The stain removal part is nothing much compared to a decent dry cleaner.</p>
<p>If drycleaning is a concern, a possible solution might be to sign up for Zipcar. I think its $30 a year +$7 an hour. Combine the trip with lunch with some friends and the $7 for an hour won’t seem like much.</p>
<p>Edit: Realized drycleaning involves more than one trip, but zipcar is still cool</p>
<p>WOWM- you are so right. Dryel and other products like it do not work very well. My d is going to really miss her car and the things she takes for granted that she has at home. I told her she needed to find a good looking and nice upperclassman boy with a car (LOL).
URMBE13 - the zip car is a great idea. I see my d heading down to the public market and Wegman’s to supplement the little food she will likely eat in the dining halls ( unless they have significantly improved the amount of truly healthy options available), dry cleaning runs, and a side trip to the mall, Target, etc…unless of course she does find that boy with the car 
I really need to write a guide about things you didn’t think about when looking at a college that impact the quality of life for some…but I am sure she will love UR and work all these things out. Move-in day is quickly approaching!</p>
<p>There is a shuttle to the shopping in Henrietta. There is also a shuttle to Eastman. Those are the most commonly used routes but they run a bus to just about everywhere, including the huge Wegman’s in Pittsford and the Public Market (though not in winter).</p>
<p>One caveat about the Zipcars—there are only 5 (?) on campus and they are in high demand. Your D will probably need to make her reservations about 3 days in advance to get one.</p>
<p>BTW, D2 has a car at home, but because of distance (2000+ miles) it didn’t make the trip with her. She either takes the shuttles, city buses, rides her bike, or gets rides from her friends. Getting where she needs to go really hasn’t ever been an issue.</p>
<p>I’ll second what WayOutWestMom said: you don’t need a car to get where you need to go. It might be an adjustment for students who are used to having their car all the time, but most everyone I know finds the school shuttle buses very convenient. Combine that with city buses, bikes, and your own 2 feet… it’s really not a problem. If you want to get a better idea of just where the school shuttles go:
[Buses</a> and Shuttles :: University of Rochester](<a href=“http://www.rochester.edu/parking/options/busesandshuttles.html]Buses”>http://www.rochester.edu/parking/options/busesandshuttles.html)</p>
<p>lavender12, your daughter might not need a zipcar to get to 90% of those places :)</p>
<p>Because Rochester is not very dense, most everything is actually 10 minutes away by car. Even the Pittsford Wegman’s in traffic is 15 minutes. </p>
<p>Because parking at UR is tight, not as many kids have cars as you might expect given the number of kids from the region. There are cheap express buses to NYC, which probably helps some kids.</p>
<p>Also UR runs special [free] shuttles to the airport (and the train station if there’s enough demand) during peak student travel periods. (Start of classes, fall break, winter break, spring break, end of finals)</p>
<p>Also unlike many western and southern towns/cities, Rochester has a plenty of taxis. Parking & Transportation has arranged discounted taxi service for UR students. Flat rates to most of the popular destinations; 30% off the metered fares everywhere else.</p>
<p>[Taxi</a> Service :: University of Rochester](<a href=“http://www.rochester.edu/parking/options/STS.html]Taxi”>http://www.rochester.edu/parking/options/STS.html)</p>
<p>With regard to the shuttles can you get off/on anywhere along the route? Like could you go from campus to a destination along the route of the Park Ave shuttle(but not one of the listed stops) and then take it back to campus from there?</p>
<p>If you tell the driver where you want to get off, yes at least for the drop off. I think you have to ask about pick up. I don’t know how that works. So you know, Park Ave stuff is not far from Eastman by foot.</p>
<p>D did just fine all 4 yrs without a car–campus buses will take you to all the destinations others have mentioned.</p>