<p>Can I ship stuff to my dorm instead of carrying it with me? There is no way I can drive there since I live over 1000 miles away.. So I will have to take the plane, and I don't feel like having 20 suitcases... so can I ship my stuff through USPS, UPS, or FedEx? Is it a hassle to not have a car on campus because I probably won't get one for all 4 years?</p>
<p>normally, any packages you get by ups, fedex, or similar services are addressed to your campus mail box and you have to pick them up at the campus mail room which is in the union and they’re only open on weekdays. (when you get your campus address, you should note that there is a PO Box for your dorm community that you use as part of the address for USPS; but you use the university’s street address on Vestal Parkway for all other delivery services. In addition to that PO Box, you will also have your own BU Box Number that you always use as part of your address.) </p>
<p>you should probably check with office in charge of new student programs ([Binghamton</a> University - Beginnings: About: Contact Us](<a href=“http://www2.binghamton.edu/orientation/about/contact.html]Binghamton”>http://www2.binghamton.edu/orientation/about/contact.html) – note, in general the orientation site doesn’t seem to have been updated for 2010, but you can get an idea of how things have been done in the past) as to whether there are other arrangements that can be made for an OOS move-in – be sure to explain your situation. most people will be driving here since most people come from within NYS or neighboring states. </p>
<p>something you can do – if you are buying a lot of stuff from bed bath and beyond (for example), you can arrange to pick up the stuff at the store near your school – so you can pick the stuff up after you are here. </p>
<p>freshmen aren’t allowed to have cars so no need to worry about that right away anyway. it’ll give you a chance to see what a winter in binghamton is like before you decide if you want a car. there are buses run by both the campus (OCC blue buses) and municipal buses that make getting around fairly easy (and both are free).</p>
<p>So the winter is so bad that a car would be useless? And one more thing, are there heat and air conditioning for all the dorms and suites?</p>
<p>there is a lot of snow over the winter. but they know how to deal with it. there have been a couple of times this year when classes were canceled early or delayed due to bad weather. there was one day this year that the OCC buses didn’t run because of the snow, even though there were classes. the roads are usually cleared pretty quickly once the snow ends - depends just how bad the snowfall was. but then you have to dig out your car. and no matter how well they clear, there will be patches of ice and some places where you have to maneuver around the snow. </p>
<p>so i wouldn’t say it is useless to have a car because of the weather – plenty of students do have cars – but it is certainly different having a car in binghamton than in a climate without the amount of snow binghamton can get. i know you’ve posted that you are from mississippi - and i don’t know how cold or how much snow you get, but i’m willing to bet it just doesn’t get as cold or have as much snow as binghamton – so all i’m saying is its different and you’ll see what its like freshman year before you decide if you’d want a car there. the snow can start in october and go at least to late march – and it often won’t warm up enough between snows for a lot of it to melt.</p>
<p>You sounded like Binghamton is super, super cold… It doesn’t snow much in mississippi… even if it snows, the snow will never stick on the ground, so it just feels like raining… However, due to climate change, it snowed once earlier this year, for a whole half day… I would say we had about 6 inches of snow, and that’s like the biggest snow in the past 18 years.</p>
<p>its all relative – for people living in upstate NY, binghamton isn’t unusually cold. for people living closer to NYC (southern part of the state) its a little bit colder than they are used to. its a matter of what you are used to. i knew an OOS student from a warmer state who rushed out to stock up on winter wear in mid-Oct. because they just weren’t used to it – whereas most people thought there was nothing unusual.</p>
<p>this past winter was a lot snowier than last winter. but that one big snow you describe of 6 inches isn’t at all unusual. but the big difference is, the 6 inches probably shut everything down where you live since they’re not used to it and, i assume, don’t have the equipment to deal with it. whereas, in binghamton, they know how to deal with it. the only times when things are really bad are when the snow is coming down heavy, especially with strong winds, and they haven’t cleared the roads yet – then people sit back and wait for the snow to end and the roads to be cleared and life goes on.</p>
<p>it rains a fair amount in binghamton – so when its cold, it means it snows a fair amount.</p>
<p>you should just be aware of what you are getting into. the place usually doesn’t shut down in the snow – they’re too used to dealing with it. and it can be really pretty. but you should expect the weather to be quite a bit different than what you are used to.</p>