Stanford Parents Thread

Called the Stanford office and found out the health insurance coverage begins on September 1, 2018 even though NSO is on Sept 20th.

Was going to have my kid get shots for Meningitis B before college but was concerned about side effects. Does anyone know if Stanford student had Meningitis B disease? Or is it better to wait until heā€™s registered as a freshman under Stanford Cardinals health and then get shots from the Stanford Health Center?

Finally dropped our kid off at Stanford NSO move-in. I think our kid will be too busy experiencing Stanford resources and outside class activities to miss us.

My daughter will be a new student in the Fallā€“Stanford Class of 2023! I am bumping up this Parents thread in the hopes of getting more great advice from other Stanford parents. I have already bought airfare on Southwest for my daughter and I to arrive the day before move-in, reserved a hotel for me for two night (there was no flight back home late enough on move-in day), and reserved a rental car. This morning when Southwest opened its schedule past Nov 2, I made reservations for Thanksgiving break and Christmas break and return to school in January. Kiddo has been working on the Approaching Stanford materials. We know to do Bed, Bath, and Beyond to choose things to be picked up in Palo Alto. I am looking at picking up some of these Samsonite Tote A Ton bags or the IKEA ones. Is there anything else that I should be doing? Any tips?

Congrats. Must be an exciting time for her (and you)! Have you considered a bike? Our S swore he was not going to get one, but after two quarters he decided that having one was a good investment. A fan was also a good purchase. He got one that fits in the window to move the cooler air in. Good move on the BBB pickup - that will save you lots of time. Iā€™ll ask our S (now a junior year) if he has any other recommendations.

One thing to think about for Christmas/winter break - she will not know her exam schedule until she receives her syllabi for her classes. It could be that she would not have an exam on the last day of finals such that she is finished a bit earlier in the week and could come home sooner. Southwest is so easy for changes, Iā€™d keep that in mind if that is something that matters to you.

Agree with bike and fan. Dsā€™s was tall and skinny so it took up little space in the room.

Congrats to you and your daughter!

There is usually a Stanford parents FB group per class if you have not yet found it.

Thanks @Rivet2000 ā€“ my D is also insisting she does not want a bike. I suspect she will change her mind like your S did! I had not thought of a fan in the window. Thanks for the tip. She has a small flat fan that has traveled in her suitcase with her to some summer programs.

@Hoggirl ā€“ yes, we made her Winter Break flight home on Saturday morning after finals on Southwest with the idea that we can possibly change it if she will be done earlier. I did not know about the Facebook pageā€“thanks for the tip, I will see if I can find it!

When did you buy the ticket home for Thanksgiving? Remember the Big Game is on the Saturday before Thanksgiving and it is home this year. Your student will want to be there. My child also flies to/from school. As much as I want to buy the tickets way in advance to get cheaper airfare, I have found it costs me money because we often end up changing the flight.

A fan is nice but do not plan on putting it in the window. My daughter was in Burbank (Stern) freshman year and her windowsill was slanted so you could not put anything on it.

@Bwaygirl1 Thanks for the heads up about the Big Game. I hope others new to Stanford see that advice and can plan accordingly. My D had not heard of it, but it was on a list I had come across of important 2019-2020 dates for each Quarter. So thankful I had that to guide me! I brought it to her attention the day prior to Southwest releasing flights, she researched it and decided she definitely wanted to participate. So I made her Thansgiving ticket on Southwest from San Jose to home on Sunday, the day after the Big Game.

Thanks for the advice on the window fanā€“I was looking at them yesterday. I guess we should wait on that until we see what her room is like/what dorm?

Do they allow SPOTlets to store a large suitcase or just a carryon during the trip?