<p>A few years back we needed to arrive to Orientation early and leave a day early. I called housing and they gave us special permission to move in early and our name was on a special list which they did check. Evidently everyone wants to move in early, so they really need the alphabet split up or the elevator situation would be a real problem and there also wouldn’t be enough carts. So, I’m sure if you have a good reason, they will accommodate.</p>
<p>Another tip for those flying in, make sure to book a rental car (or better yet, SUV or minivan) large enough to fit you and all the dorm stuff!</p>
<p>Picking up most of the stuff once in Miami works great but you may want to bring the sheets with you if you want to prewash them at home. We did see some moms in the laundry room washing sheets as soon as they arrived, so that’s always an option.</p>
<p>I have found this thread very helpful, my daughter will be a freshman in the fall. Since she is my first child going away to school and we do not live in the US any advice is greatly appreciated. I would be interested to know if previous parents think it is necessary to stay for the full orientation. We are planning on going down two days before move in as we have a full day of plane travel and will have to purchase just about everything she need there. However, we can only stay for as limited time, so which is more important time before or to be there for orientation?</p>
<p>wegomom, we were not able to stay for orientation last year as I had a work conflict. It worked out fine. We arrived late the night before she could move in, then moved in early the next morning, and shopped in the afternoon. If you can order ahead at Bed Bath & Beyond, it will save you a bunch of time. Anyway, while it would have been nice for us as parents to stay for orientation, we were very comfortable leaving our D. She was busy every day with orientation activities. In an ideal world, it’s nice to be there. But I can assure you that many parents did not stay for orientation, and the kids are so busy making new friends that there is no issue.</p>
<p>Thank you for your reply, we will definitely order as much as we can ahead of time. Leaving early is more my own anxiety than my daughters! I just didn’t want her to feel “abandoned” if most parents were there until the president’s breakfast. It is reassuring to know to know that students are settled in quickly and
not all parents are able to stay.</p>
<p>I can echo what others here are saying. We helped our D move in on Wednesday, spent about 3 hours with her on Thursday shopping, didn’t see her at all on Friday and met for the goodbye hug on Saturday after brunch. We really could have left Thursday night and she would have been fine. Although, the food at that brunch on Saturday was outstanding and we did get to chat with Dr. Avissar (RSMAS) and met Dr. Shalala.</p>
<p>VHFather - When are you heading down for orientation? The new Orientation schedule is up now here:</p>
<p>[Orientation</a> | University of Miami](<a href=“http://www.miami.edu/sa/index.php/student_life/orientation/]Orientation”>Student Affairs I University of Miami)</p>
<p>and it looks like returning students move in on Friday so will you be staying at the Hampton on Thursday/Friday nights? We’ll be there through Saturday morning and will probably head back home after Dr. Shalala’s brunch.
Broke and broker! D received the Chancellor’s Scholarship/Campus Honors invite via snail mail last week - only 125 incoming freshman this year out of 7000+, it reads, will get the $500 award and only for the first year. It included a stamped postcard for her reply. I think they should have saved the postage both ways and done the whole thing online, every penny counts down there! Did you hear they stopped accepting transcripts this year for applicants? Instead students were told to go online and manually enter all their classes and grades into a Self Reported Academic Record. At the end of the year they will apparently accept final transcripts, just to make sure the kids weren’t inventing all those As in AP classes! I’m guessing this new process was a cost cutting move.</p>
<p>My son was scheduled to move in on the second day. He called housing and just said it would be more convenient for his family if he could move in the first day and they said sure no problem we will add you to the list If you plan to go early I would call ahead to make sure your child’s key/info is ready. Orientation is more for your piece of mind-you won’t see your child much once their own orientation events begin. We did enjoy having the opportunity to chat with President Shalala and the Dean of our son’s school at Brunch.</p>
<p>Mom93 - I’m not exactly sure of our dates yet. My son and two of his friends are sharing a 2 bedroom apartment at Red Road next year, so I don’t have constraints on moving in. I imagine the timing will be similar to the sophomore move in dates, maybe a day or two earlier.</p>
<p>I checked with my son on the Chancellor’s and your number of recipients was the same as his - 125. I just had a bad number…$500 for us too. Embarrassing really. That’s amazing about the transcripts - I hadn’t heard that. I still have a lot of good friends whose kids go there, and it sounds the same as always, which is good. It’s a great school - just too cold. I still go down there almost every year for a football game. Tailgates there are much better than at the U! </p>
<p>My experience with the move in times are similar to others - SOME people just moved in when they got there, regardless of their assigned time slots. Once we heard this, we picked up our key a couple of hours early, just to turn on the A/C before we moved in.</p>
<p>My S and D will be starting college this fall. D is going to Miami and her dorm opens first. I was considering bringing S with us to spend time with him (we leave from Miami to bring him to his campus). Will he be the only sibling there?</p>
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<p>Absolutely not, and an able bodied 18 year old can be a big help in schlepping the stuff into the dorm. Since he’s older, you also have the option of letting him stay at the hotel if he wants or wander around the campus if the dorm room gets crowded. We did this and then brought the 2 teenage siblings over to the campus later in the day. I do think it helps with the transition when family members can picture the student’s new surroundings. </p>
<p>There’s no right or wrong. Each family should do what feels right for them. For us, having everyone there was natural. Good luck.</p>
<p>Just a heads up that Family Weekend is scheduled for Sept 28-30 this year. A little behind reading my emails, but date was announced in the latest parent’s newsletter.</p>
<p>Going dorm shopping soon and wondered why Bed Bath and Beyond doesn’t have the “do and don’t bring” items marked for the U, as they do for many of the other schools. Are coffee makers allowed? Are there rental options for microfridges? Anything else we can’t bring?Thanks!</p>
<p>Anyone have a reccomendation on where to stay during move-in?</p>
<p>Phernden, one of the best things about Miami is that there are so many hotels to choose from, and it is not hard to find a room even on key weekends. Not sure what your budget is, but popular hotels range from the Hampton Inn in Coconut Grove to The Biltmore in Coral Gables. It really depends what you are looking for. The Biltmore, Marriott Courtyard, Holiday Inn, Hyatt and Westin (all in Coral Gables) offer special rates for Miami. Check though, as often the online rates are cheaper. Personally, we prefer Coral Gables over Coconut Grove. We’ve stayed all over, and our personal favorites are the Westin and Hyatt, both in Coral Gables. The rates are very affordable, location is good and both have very comfy beds. If you want luxury, both The Biltmore in Coral Gables and the Ritz in Coconut Grove are lovely. If you want convenience, the Holiday Inn is right across the street from campus. We personally didn’t like the Marriott Dadeland…it was clean, but showed its age. Also, right now Westin is offering a buy 2 nights, get 1 free special. Hope this helps.</p>
<p>Thanks, Dumbo11. I’m late on making reservations… In denial that my youngest is off to college. Very helpful!</p>
<p>Sent from my DROID RAZR using CC</p>
<p>YooHoo12 here is the packing list we made when my son moved in last year. At the end is a list of things UM notes not to pack. Happy Shopping!<br>
<a href=“https://dl.dropbox.com/u/3211694/Packing%20List%20College.docx[/url]”>https://dl.dropbox.com/u/3211694/Packing%20List%20College.docx</a></p>
<p>Anyone know whether a pocket knife is considered a weapon? I’m an Eagle Scout, and I tend to use my knife for everyday tasks…</p>
<p>@Phernden: here is a link with the 2012 discount codes/rates for various hotels in the area: [Local</a> Hotels | Finance & Treasury | University of Miami](<a href=“http://www.miami.edu/finance/index.php/travel_management/hotels/local_hotels_2012/]Local”>Financial Affairs | University of Miami)</p>
<p>@Marinebio444: I think you’d be okay with a swiss army type knife - maybe shoot an email to your peer counselor?</p>
<p>I emailed Cristi Busto a few days ago, but she hasn’t said anything yet… I’ll try with my peer counselor though. It’s not really a Swiss Army-type knife, it’s more just a lockback pocketknife. My parents got it for me when I had my Eagle Scout ceremony, it’s personalized and kinda special to me…</p>