My D will be starting in the Fall from way far away, and I know many others will be coming from even farther. Today, she received mail from the University of Arizona housing office with a mini-catalog that allowed parents of incoming students to order dorm linens and supplies through a company called Residence Hall Linens*. The catalog was branded for UA, but the company has a web site you can order directly from as well.
Are there similar service offerings that CMU sends out for things like this, fridges, lofts, etc? It would make packing and moving so much easier.
From memory, yes. I don’t think that info is sent out for a few months, though. While we didn’t use them I’ll ask my daughter if she had any friends who did use them, or another service, and post her reply.
You can buy many things at Bed, Bath and Beyond and they’ll have it waiting for you when you arrive in town (at a local BB&B). They call it Pack and Hold. It’s far better than trying to shop when you arrive and finding items that you need out of stock.
My daughter said none of her friends used the service the university referred them to. Instead, most arrived a day or two early and hit the local stores. But after my wife reminded me of her experience with trying to buy some last-minute supplies in Pittsburgh I think @NJCornellMom has the best idea - order in advance. Pitt students move in about the same time and the shelves can go bare at the stores closest to campus. I also heard there were long lines…
I don’t know about CMU, but at Pitt you can rent a minifridge. I would think sheets would be easy to bring, I do not plan on buying them there. But we are driving. Are you flying in?
There is a service run by student services that sells the sheet sets. There is also a service for a mini fridge/micro combo for $200 for the year. My son is coming from California so can only bring so much in person. Another good option is to SHIP the stuff to them either a big box from home or have stuff you buy from Amazon etc shipped right to the school. Each student gets a mail code, and the USPS runs a post office on campus and the shipments will be there waiting for them!
Assuming you’re flying, give as much of the suitcase space of the other family members to your son. Rent a car. Pittsburgh has several Target stores, a couple of Costco stores, an Apple store, etc. Buy the fridge and/or microwave at Costco. Much cheaper than renting. There are options for storing things, and many students store things with friends who rent off campus. Ship everything else. Get twin XL sheets (recommend Garnet Hill) and a nice mattress pad (we used Costco.com). Most CMU students have this issue…it will work out.
Pitt and CMU move in on the same weekend. BBB and Target are a MADHOUSE. STEAR CLEAR!. We bought all our stuff at BBB in our hometown and did a “pack and hold” and picked it up at BBB in Pittsburgh. It’s fast and easy and no fighting the lines.