I had written this in a PM to another member but realized others may find it useful. Please fill in additional ideas.
Logistics and More:
In the summer Smith will send you some stickers for the boxes that you ship. During check in time at the gym, there will be an area where the boxes are. You will need to take them to your rental car and then to the house. Considering the distance and box weights it may be cheaper to do most of it as suitcases, even if the airline charges. USPS Medium flat rate boxes are a terrific value for care packages.
Double check the packets you get at check in. My daughter was given the packet for a different student with the same last name and vice versa. Ultimately we had to go up to the office of the first year dean to get the correct packet reordered, which she received later. In the packet was the information about her advisor. MY daughter really liked her advisor but during sophomore year changed to one that was better versed in her interests.
We set up banking before she left. She ended up using GreenField Savings. The ATM is convenient downtown and the office is walking distance. There is a branch of Bank of America and a couple others.
While parents are still around there is a large outdoor reception. Faculty stand by department signage ready to answer informal questions.
At some point in the summer the information comes about any orientation programs such as hiking or local foods. My kid was in off the grid during the sign up time. Staff let me phone in and arrange her program.
I don’t remember when she put in her preference for first year seminar (writing class.)
At the house will be a team of older students to help move in, answer questions, and socialize with the first years. During the first week you draw up a room mate contract and an older student goes over it with you to help you consider aspects of it. Before registering for classes a different student will go over your schedule and talk you down from taking too many classes. They seem to value balance. Earlier this year my daughter took 22 credits and she says Never Again! Most of the time she takes about 17/18 credits.
There will be a giant fair with all of the organizations represented once all the students are back.
Any items that are stored in the house over the summer will need to be in Rubbermaid type tubs, no cardboard boxes. (You get 5 stickers and need to hand in any that you don’t use, not give them to a friend.) The size limit on the tubs is here: https://www.smith.edu/reslife/break_storage.php I ended up sending tubs via Amazon but it was a pain to get them to the house from the mail facility. I would recommend getting some during family break or some other visit and storing them under the bed. Don’t get too many that are the largest allowed. They can get very heavy and she needs to be able to lug them to the basement.
She stores her comforter and pillows in one of those space bags that you use a vacuum to suck the air out. This really saves space.
Other:
Fall break happens kind of soon. My impression is that campus empties out. My daughter has come home for a quick visit. Other people go to friends’ homes but in the first year it can be tough to know someone well enough. Housing is open and I assume a limited number of dining halls. (This last fall she had an anthropology class that wanted a family tree out to a certain number of generations. My husband has 46 first cousins. She spent the time tracking down relatives for help.)
In August go ahead and make the flights for To Smith-home for Tgiving, Return to Smith - home for break. Bradley airport is not huge and the nonstop flights fill up. There are a lot of colleges draining into that airport including Trinity in Hartford. Smith does run a discounted bus to the airport. If it works for her flight, good; if not you have probably saved more than the cost of the Valley Transporter by booking early.