My daughter is also a freshman and we live on the East Coast. She did the SPOT program and they would allow the kids to store 1 suitcase during SPOT so the rest of her stuff came with me. The Approaching Stanford packet said that anything that is mailed to campus before move-in date would be returned to sender. In fact, my daughter did not get her Stanford mailing address to the day she left for SPOT. My hotel allowed me to ship a box to the hotel. There is a UPS across the street in the Trader Joeās shopping center. You can mail to UPS and they will hold boxes for you. We did BBB in Mountain View but we wanted to wash the sheets and towels in advance so that was all brought with us. It was very difficult and stressful to get a girl across the country. They have so much stuff! Next time, I would ship to UPS
Any Stanford parents want to offer up any advice re: commencement? How early to arrive at the stadium, parking, how early to book dinner reservations (which is better - the night before or the night of?), any other tips? We already have our hotel booked. I am concerned about my elderly in-laws (particularly father-in-law who has a bad back and moves s-l-o-w-l-y) being in attendance. Truly hoping there isnāt record-breaking heat as there was last year!
@bwaygirl1 Good point about not shipping boxes ahead of time to campus!
I ended up shipping a box of nonessentials to campus after move in.
We got sheets and towels at the BBB in Mountain View and then washed them in the laundry room at our hotel (the Stanford Guest House).
While shopping and packing, I was the one who kept saying, āDonāt you need thisā¦and thisā¦and this?!ā My daughter was definitely the more restrained (and frugal) one!
When we placed our order at our local BBB (for pickup in Palo Alto) we went ahead and purchased a set of sheets and towels. We washed them here and took them with us so he had a clean start.
@VaMom123 did you get in trouble shipping a big box? I keep getting in trouble with care packages being too big. She thinks it is hard to ride your bike with big boxes. I suggested that she actually walk to the mail center. Itās not that hard.
@bwaygirl Yes, my daughter has also said itās difficult to ride a bike while carrying a package. So she will walk to get it when she knows she has time to do that. I guess it can depend on their dorm location how difficult that is. I have sent care packages, and try to keep them on the small side. I think there are wheeled carts the students can borrow for especially large/heavy boxes. My daughter mentioned something about ordering grocery boxes from Amazon with some friends in her dorm, which they have done a few times for snacks, sodas, etc. Itās apparently easier than trying to carry heavy things (like a case of soda) on a bus ride from Walmart and is a reasonable cost. I think they borrowed a cart at the shipping place on campus to transport those boxes.
@Hoggirl we attended commencement at Stanford both this past year (in the horrible heat) and the year before (which was also pretty hot, but not as bad). Both years we arrived at the stadium between 8 and 8:30 am and were able to find parking relatively easily as well as decent seats. Last year, we ended up moving to the shadier side of the stadium, which was behind the stage, part way through the ceremony when we couldnāt take sitting in the sun anymore. We booked dinner reservations for the evening of commencement, both years at the same Japanese restaurant. If I remember correctly, I did that a couple of months ahead of time. We didnāt have any elderly relatives attending, but it seems like that might be somewhat difficult at the stadium (Iām not sure what kind of accommodations they have). It might be easier for your in-laws just to go to the departmental ceremony, which will be held after the main ceremony at other locations on campus.
@Mom2jl - thank you for your reply! I appreciate your insights re: arrival time and a timeframe for obtaining dinner reservations.
Sadly, there are not really any accommodations on commencement day - no shuttles at all. It says so on the disability section of the commencement page. Fil would NEVER consider a wheelchair - he doesnāt use/need one, really. Heās just slow.
I couldnāt agree with you more about only attending the departmental/diploma ceremony. Not sure I can talk them into that. Mil runs circles around me, even at 79 years of age. And āThis is Usā is her favorite show. Heāll believe he can keep up. However, if dsās diploma ceremony for his degree remains where it has been the last two years, it is a 1.2-mile walk from the stadium. Iāve google mapped it. We tried to convince them to go out with us at Thanksgiving when we could set our own schedule and have more time with Ds. Fil would have none of it. He declares he is going to be the proudest grandpa there. Heās a stubborn old coot.
Hoggirl
We came in from NY for Commencement with two sets of ederly grandparents (10 of us in total). We were so excited to show them Stanford and for them to witness our sonās graduation, but I knew, as someone who is healthy and in great shape that theres no way that they could walk the school grounds. So we rented golf carts. I rented two 6 man carts. They were delivered to the Oval, and waiting for us when we arrived. They were the best thing since sliced bread. We were able to drive them anywhere on campus. So we had the best time! In addition, in case anyone also wants to think about it, we then rented a house via Airbnb and hired a private chef to come in and have a graduation party. It was the same price as the restaurant and super convenient, since we were a big group from NY. I would recommend all of it! But the Golf Carts are a must. Stanford is the largest University in the Northern hemisphere. Actually in the world, but the University of Moscow likes to make claim to being the largest. So if you want the visitors to see everything, this is probably your best and most convenient way. And they let the carts go right to the entrance of the stadium to unload, then you just have to park them on a grassy area which is super convenient. People were so jealous of us. I canāt tell you how many times, there were people who would be sitting in our carts, thinking that they got to them first and would then ask for a ride. I would have to explain every time that they were my personal carts and not the property of the school. It was GREAT!
Whatās Oval? And from where do you rent golf cart?
The Oval is the endpoint of Palm Drive, which is the gorgeous main entrance to the school from University Ave in Palo Alto.
Stanford has all the golf cart rental information on its website just googleā¦Golf Cart-type vehicles| Stanford Parking & Transportation Services
The actual company information is below:
(408)727-5543
jhl@turfandindustrial.com
Thanks. Will consider doing the same when we happen to have more elderly relatives accompanying us. Oh wait, that includes me.
One more graduation question - it appears that many restaurants in Palo Alto are generally closed on Sundays. Any parents know if they open on the Sunday of graduation because it is graduation?
The Japanese restaurant (Fuki Sushi) we went to both years is normally open on Sunday for dinner, so Iām not really sure about your question, @Hoggirl. However, Iām pretty sure there are several restaurants that are normally open on Sunday, like Resposado (Mexican), Nola (Cajun) and one of our favorites, Fish Market. These are all fairly casual places. I guess it depends on what kind of restaurant youāre looking for. There are tons of restaurants in the area (including in Menlo Park and Mountain View), so Iām sure youāll be able to find something.
@Mom2jl - well, my son provided me with five places to consider and three of them showed that they were not open on Sunday. I probably over extrapolated my conclusion.
@Hoggirl, you might want to call the restaurants that say they arenāt normally open on Sunday, and see if they are on that day, especially if these are places your son suggested. All my son requested was sushi, so he left it up to me to find the specific place.
@Hoggirl, OpenTable is your friend. There are tons of restaurants in the area, most open on Sunday. Just off the top of my head, for a larger group, True Food Kitchen in the shopping center is a fun choice and convenient. Left Bank in Menlo Park is another good option. Given the large population of the region, Stanford graduation doesnāt have much impact so I doubt that restaurants will change their hours for it. And definitely make a reservation, wherever you choose.
@riley2 - thanks for the tips. Iād prefer something that isnāt a chain. Perhpas thatās why I am seeing places that are closed on Sundays. All that Ds sent look quite good, but they may be more exotic than what my 82-year-old father-in-law is used to. Iām sure weāll find something!
When does the Stanford health insurance (if chosen) coverage start to commence? When the student arrives on the campus for NSO or when the student actually begins class? Thanks in advance.
I think it typically covers Sep 1 - Aug 31. Try the Vaden FAQ page.