<p>Hi all! I am moving from Pittsburgh to Boston for college this fall. My parents and I will be making the long drive in our small car and taking whatever we can possibly fit in the trunk and spare back seat, which will not be much. I will have 2 suitcases of clothing, a few large shopping bags of other clothing items (shoes, snow/rain boots, my parka, some other winter clothing) and 5 expensive gowns (I am an opera major) along with my TV (already out of the box), DVD player, a bed in a bag set, some bags of towels/shower items, a mini fridge, and then all the other various and assorted dorm room necessities (storage containers, silverware, backpacks, school supplies, desk chair, room decorations and "home-y items").</p>
<p>The people on my college's facebook seem to go with the "whatever you fit in your car is what you bring" method, but with three people in a 4 person car, that won't work for me. And also, as a transfer student who has packed up for a dorm room before, I know I am not bringing "too much stuff." I have narrowed it down to what I absolutely need for my year in Boston as an opera major.</p>
<p>Does anyone know of any good ways to ship items across the country to dorm rooms? What are good, cheap, reliable services that aren't rip offs? And how do you ensure that the items will not arrive to your campus before you arrive? (My college has a STRICT policy. They will not accept shipped items that arrive to campus before move-in has officially begun.)</p>
<p>Thanks!</p>
<p>Have you considered driving in a bigger car? You could rent a U-Haul, for example.</p>
<p>If you want to ship, your best options are the major couriers: USPS, UPS, FedEx. Shipping a 40-pound box would cost about $23 with USPS, $24 with FedEx, $28 with UPS. UPS also offers a free “hold for pickup” service where they’d hold your mail in a designated service center until you pick it up in person. That would make sure that your items won’t get to campus before you do. Otherwise I would ship your items so that they arrive after you, and bring essential items in the car.</p>
<p>Stay clear of “move-to-college” companies. They’ll charge you an arm and leg for packaging materials and you’ll have to pay for regular USPS/UPS/FedEx shipping on top. </p>
<p>Your last option would be real moving companies that would hire a truck for you. But that’s way too expensive for your purposes. You might also be able to buy space on someone else’s truck, but then you’d lose control over pickup and delivery dates.</p>
<p>I know you’re going to Boston and you will definitely <em>need</em> you snow boots and a parka, but you won’t need them in August. That’s the kind of thing you don’t need to bring in your car with you. If you’re short on space, put only the things you’ll need immediately when you arrive (your sheets and towels, clothing, laptop, etc.). If it makes you feel better, you can pack extra items before you leave and have your parents ship them to you when they return. That way you know you’ll be moved in and able to receive your boxes.</p>