<ul>
<li><p>Dorms are freezing (you are allowed to change the thermostat, the temperature of which apparently has been set women in the hot flash stage of menopause). If you need extra blankets, ask at the desk.</p></li>
<li><p>Bring a sweater/jacket with you to the events as those also can be chilly</p></li>
<li><p>If you want a snack for breakfast day #1, you can grab some granola bars from the credit union in the Ferg. </p></li>
<li><p>Lots of freebies in the Ferg Day #1. Stock up!</p></li>
<li><p>Staying in the dorms shows you why you need to buy your darling a decent foam mattress pad and blackout curtains.</p></li>
</ul>
<p>For street lights streaming in the blinds, try flipping the blinds in the opposite direction.</p>
<p>Yes, the dorms are “too air-conditioned”. I stayed once and was cold. </p>
<p>Yes, your child will need one of those 2" thick memory foam mattress toppers. </p>
<p>Sams Club now has a “gel” version which combats the warmth from the previous styles of toppers. I have also found that putting a good cotton mattress pad on top of the topper also prevents the “heat”.</p>
<p>My biggest take away from Bama Bound was that D needed a good mattress topper. I was glad I stayed in the dorms if for no reason other than learning that. </p>
<p>It’s not just the dorms that are cold. There were a few meetings where I had on my sweater and wished I had a coat. There was one meeting with the parent ambassadors where the room was so cold that the ambassadors had on jackets (outdoor jackets, not suit jackets). Bring your sweater, no matter how hot it is outside.</p>
<p>DS will be attending a June orientation. He must arrive the day before BB and leave the day after, so 3 nights in the dorm. Is there anyway on campus for him to eat? Do they take cash?</p>
<p>Wow, another reason to ping CC regularly. It didn’t occur to me that the mattresses would be more like summer camp than home. </p>
<p>S has a mid-range quality mattress at home. He’s no “princess and the pea.” He sleeps like a rock even on – well – rocks. I wonder if it’s worth it. </p>
<p>Maybe. If he likes the memory foam topper, he’s good to go. If not, it comes home and I can use it as a pallet when I camp, or when he brings the (distant) future grandkids to visit.</p>
<p>We purchased a memory foam mattress topper and a nice pillow for DS. His dorm bed is more comfortable than his bed at home. Maybe that’s why he is in the dorm this summer too!</p>
<p>I am disheartened that DS thinks his dorm mattress is more comfortable than his bed here, at HOME. I emphasize that because I hate when he refers to school as home. I’m just not ready to cut the cord. It is stretched very, very far, but not cut. I even bought super soft comfy sheets for home so he would be more comfortable. He thought the previous ones were scratchy. You can see I’m doing everything I can to stay in my happy little state of denial. BTW, when we stayed in the dorm last summer for BB I thought it was not too bad. True, lots of light came in the blinds and I like it pitch black, but DS couldn’t care less and had no curtains on his window.</p>
<p>I didn’t stay in the dorm, but when we walked into her room the first day, I took one look at the mattress and asked “do you want an 2” or 3" topper?" And this from a mom who was not sure she wanted to “waste” the money on one!</p>
<p>DD will be test driving a few options (thanks for the tip on the gel kind) when we get back home.</p>
<p>2 meals are included for students at Bama Bound and there should be some food at other events as well. </p>
<p>I’d think that $100 plus the limo cost would be sufficient unless he was staying extra days. I’d also highly suggest lending him a credit card for emergencies.</p>
<p>I use crown limo service for my son. Great service, never been late. I book the limo and put it on my credit card and the tip is automatically added on. Best way to do it so your son only has to worry about his personal expenses.</p>
<p>Longhaul, the Honors College shirt cost $15 and could be purchased at Nott Hall during the Honors College reception.</p>
<p>Several attendees also bought department specific shirts (engineering, etc), so you might want to plan for that as well…</p>
<p>I would recommend you still send along some $ for food. DD bought iced coffees at Starbucks both days, and bought late lunch/snacks in the airport (got there 3 hours ahead of flight home).</p>