<p>Having just returned from driving 13 hrs each way to get my oldest back to college..</p>
<p>IMO this is a royal pain. </p>
<p>If you have to drive them there, I think it's not completely unreasonable, at the margin, to consider geographic proximity.</p>
<p>You may think you're not going to drive them there, they'll fly. Maybe. That's what I thought too.</p>
<p>My alma mater is over 20 hrs from here, and the parents still drive the kids up. The school gets very few applicants from around here, and the distance is probably a major reason why. There are schools that are similar enough to it that are much easier to get to. And people are obviously taking that into consideration, or else this school would get a ton more applications from here. </p>
<p>As it happens, we will be moving soon and she will be much closer to us going forward.</p>
<p>I can definitely relate! Our son went halfway across the country to school, and two weeks ago we drove him out. Given that all of our money has gone to college and not to cars (our NEWEST vehicle is a 1993 and none of our cars are particularly road worthy), we had to rent a car to drive him out! <em>lol</em> Then, there was the 19+ hours of driving time each way <em>sigh</em>. And yet, for us it has been worth it, though I can certainly see where this should be a consideration for some. ~berurah</p>
<p>We drove 8 hours to son's college. Took him to orientation over the summer. Dropped him off 2 weeks ago. Family weekend in 2 weeks!! I have to admit, my response to family weekend was, "How many times do I have to drive down to this place?" !!!! (It's a rhetorical question - I am going to family weekend!)</p>
<p>It's nice to "see" you! I'm glad that you got your son off to school just fine, but it sure looks like you've been doing (and WILL continue to do) your share of driving! Luckily for us, Duke ran its orientation just prior to classes starting, so we only had to make that one trip (so far). We weren't able to make Blue Devil days last April due to transportation issues. I'm glad you're only 8 hours away from your son....that second day in the car seems to make all the difference in terms of access (the trip becomes more expensive and logistically more complex). ~b.</p>
<p>
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You may think you're not going to drive them there, they'll fly. Maybe. That's what I thought too.
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monydad, what is the reason students from your area <em>don't</em> fly to that school? What happened to change your thinking in the case of your D?</p>
<p>I waved my S onto the plane with his camera bag and laptop in hand, having checked 2 duffel bags of clothes and necessities, and he flew solo to the opposite coast. That afternoon I shipped him the boxes he didn't take on the plane. So far, except for my disappointment at not seeing his room in person, it's gone fine. I'm just curious why it would not work out in your case? (Realizing that I'm less likely to be willing to put my younger S on a plane alone to fly cross-country, perhaps I have an idea of your answer...)</p>
<p>When S went off to the Left Coast four years ago, folks asked why he didn't go to schools in our area. My response: "It's either five hours of driving or five hours of flying, and I would prefer to fly." They accepted that.</p>
<p>Drive 20 hours each way? No way, Jose. I would fly to the school and buy the needed things there. I would only ship was is essential or what would be very expensive to buy.</p>
<p>"..what is the reason students from your area <em>don't</em> fly to that school?"</p>
<p>I don't know. I attended an alumni/new student function, and three sets of parents told me about their trips cross-country to take their kids to the school. I didn't ask them why they didn't do something else.</p>
<p>"What changed my thinking:What happened to change your thinking in the case of your D?"</p>
<p>My wife (aka "the boss") told me to drive her there, that's what. Said if I didn't do it she would, and I've got more time now than she does.</p>
<p>First year she flew, bought & shipped, like taxguy described. Worked fine as far as I know. But wife made that trip, not me.</p>
<p>Someone did need to go up there with her, to take her shopping locally, get stuff out of an off-campus storeroom, and help her lug everything in. But that's not to say we couldn't have flown up & rented a car, like the prior year.</p>
<p>Maybe she's more worried about the expense now. I'm not sure we really saved anything though, in the end.</p>
<p>I think the situation is clearer when you're going to the opposite coast; nobody could be expected to make that haul. It's the middle ground where it might get murky.</p>
<p>We're flying from Texas to Boston Friday. I shipped 11 boxes Fedex Ground last week. Land's End has already shipped the sheets, pillow, matress pad and comforter to the school. We'll buy a lamp, full length mirror, etc when we get in Friday. Saturday I'll help retrieve boxes and move her in. Sunday I come home. We did it for Summer at Brown two years ago. Last year she did by herself to Brown. This year she wants me to go and help, so I'm going :) I can fly and ship way cheaper than to gas.</p>
<p>It may not be way cheaper, it might be about the same cost.</p>
<p>Cost of gas (now)about equals cost of two plane fares. Depends on your car of course; the little Honda got me about 40 mpg on this trip. Gas was costing me $3- $3.30 for the trip, may be much different elsewhere, with everything going on now.</p>
<p>Cost of road motels about equals cost of shipping stuff from home, and/or buying stuff locally that you already had at home.
Cost of road food partly offsets cost of rental car.</p>
<p>oh wait, then there's airport transportation cost, at both ends of the trip, and airport parking..</p>
<p>Absolutely look into on or off-campus storage facilities for the summer at least. By the time they are sophomores, they will likely have several friends with a vehicles who can help them retreive it.</p>
<p>Flying has its drawbacks too. Last fall my daughter was on the opposite coast and was 4 for 4 in flights delayed, missed connections, and lost luggage (USAir was the only carrier that served the only airport within 100 miles of the college). She spent the night in Charlotte alone on one leg, and spent 8 HOURS waiting to get out of the small local airport another time. So don't think that 5 hours of flying means 5 hours of flying very often!</p>
<p>It has been so much more fun for all of us having her only one hour away (We moved and she transferred.).</p>
<p>We found AAA card and trip-kit, Mapquest, cell phone, credit card for emergency, all needed phone numbers, etc....... the answer to the transportation issue after freshman year - which we also did a small storage unit over the summer - for long distance college kiddos - had to let the kiddo take her car - shipped what wouldn't fit - and off she went.......least expensive option for us for the most part - kiddo has enough pals at school to help move the stored stuff and get moved in and settled. They really do learn how to manage all of this given the chance.</p>
<p>(tho kiddo dies fly home for Turkey!!! lol)</p>
<p>Yeah, you ought to throw in a landfalling hurricane and 3 storms in the Gulf - it makes travel planning aahhh, piquant!</p>
<p>the thing that gets me about it I guess is that I never could convince my daughter that moving a 3-4 hour drive away would in itself make a big difference in her day to day life. Yes, being in a different area of the country will be more of a growing experience, but will it be that much of a difference? - time will tell. As my husband keeps saying, this is why we raised her the way we did, this is why we encouraged her sense of adventure - to lead to this ultimate outcome of trying life far away, on her own.</p>
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We're flying from Texas to Boston Friday. I shipped 11 boxes Fedex Ground last week.
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</p>
<p>Boys and girls sure do move into college differently. Our son went from the DC area to LA with three suitcases, a computer shipped, and a visit to the local Target in LA. During move-in day, a really large SUV pulled up absolutely jammed with what appeared to be everything the "princess," as described by her very sheepish-looking father, owned. There were many fathers of girls with very sore backs that day.</p>
<p>People often ask me why S1 went so far away (Baltimore to Los Angeles). I just ask them how long they think it would take to drive to Cornell. ;)</p>
<p>Then I ask them how much money it costs to drive there, considering gas, meals, and hotels, but not counting wear & tear on the car and people. I never get an answer that comes close to Southwest Airlines ($99 plus $15 airport shuttle to Caltech). Plus my son found friends really fast--they were the ones helping him with his luggage!</p>
<p>My daughter is flying to school (NY metro area to Chicago).</p>
<p>We bought a one way ticket for $125.00. We were considering a round trip (coming back for Thanksgiving), and could have booked a round trip for around $240.00. We chose to wait to book a flight home for thanksgiving when she knows the details of her schedule.</p>
<p>We shipped a couple of boxes with things like bed linens, shoes, and winter stuff.</p>
<p>With gas prices at $3.50 a gallon, I think we are coming out ahead.</p>
<p>I feel like such a bad mom. I let my son do all the shopping he needed to, only sent him with two duffles and one sent ahead, and just dumped him on the plane. Oh, a friend met him and drove him to school the first time, but since then he's had to take the subway. With his 2 enormous duffles. Oh, I must be such a bad person.</p>
<p>We made a guideline...if the drive is more than 6 hours round trip, then there has to be a public conveyence to take (plane, train or bus). DD is applying to schools far away. She'll fly and we'll ship the "stuff". DS goes to school 2 hours away....we drive him and the "stuff".</p>
<p>We drove him last year (48 hours round-trip) with all his stuff. His dad had never seen the campus and that is the ONLY reason we drove.<br>
After lugging home a huge suitcase in May (had to pay for extra weight), mine refused to do it again. He said it was way too much trouble lugging it around, especially on the subway. He packed a big box of his clothes which we shipped for $19.00 and it will be there in 5-6 days. He only took a carry-on with enough clothes for a week. Somehow he got his clothes and 2 hard drives in his carry-on. He was a happy camper and swears he'll never take checked baggage again.</p>