<p>May seem like a silly question, but what do other parents wear on drop-off day? I'm thinking I need to wear shorts and sneakers--very casual--because we'll be hauling boxes, etc. up and down stairs/halls, making up beds, etc. etc. But then I think about the parent receptions, ice cream socials, etc. that follow all the work and wonder if I'll be dressed too casually! Maybe the answer is to take a change of clothes along for those events? What has been the experience of others??</p>
<p>Perhaps a pastel suit (skirt, not pants), low-heel pumps, a strand of pearls, and a hat.</p>
<p>:)</p>
<p>(That's a joke!!)</p>
<p>Everyone will be in shorts and shirts, because there's a lot of physical labor involved. Just be comfortable.</p>
<p>Comfortable shoes, comfortable clothes. You'll be at least helping with the carting of "stuff". I didn't wear anything I treasured.</p>
<p>Maybe I'll bring a flowy shirt to throw on over my not-so-nice tee, pull my hair out of the ponytail and add a little lipstick. Shows I'm making an effort, anyway.</p>
<p>Wear what you can comfortably do lots of hard labor in. </p>
<p>No one will be paying attention to what parents wear. Parents will be paying attention to their students, and students will be paying attention to their new surroundings and soon to be friends.</p>
<p>Unless there is time to change before receptions or whatever people will be wearing grubby move-in day cliothes. I suppose if the gatherings are at night you might want to change into somethign marginally more presentable but if they are in the middle fo the day most people will not have the opportunity to change, and moving in is a hot and messy activity.</p>
<p>I agree with NSM. All the parents will be moving their kids in and will be dressed quite casually. You are all in the same boat! Wear whatever kind of casual sportswear you usually wear and comfortable shoes. This is different than say, a Parent Weekend. If you feel you are sweaty and dirty, you could always bring a change of clothing for afterward. However, nobody is going to be dressed up given the circumstances. Nobody is going to care since the attention is SO on the students that day. Wear a top that can get wet with tears when you pull away! :D</p>
<p>Scarlet and black.</p>
<p>Closed shoes and sunscreen. All else is irrelevant.</p>
<p>Something you can sweat in!!! It's always a HOT day.</p>
<p>Definitely wear the shorts or skort. Just make sure it's not white - moving in between the car and the dorm, stairways,etc is sure to not be a clean job. If it's especially hot or raining, throw an extra shirt in the car just in case...</p>
<p>Extra strength deodorant! ;)</p>
<p>^ Very amusing. :D</p>
<p>Comfortable clothes that can handle lots of sweating. I usually have along one extra top to change into quickly for the drive back home so I don't feel completely disgusting for a 7 hour trip.</p>
<p>(Both D & S will be returning without our help this year, so I won't need to worry about any of this again until graduation move-out!)</p>
<p>Well, I must be different! I don't remember move-in day with S1 as being particularly arduous. He had some boxes of books, bedding, a couple of suitcases and odds and ends, and we had him in his room with the bed made in less than an hour. H and I each wore nice casual clothes (I wore black cropped pants and a twin set, for example) and many of the other parents were similarly attired. We attended a parent session, had lunch, helped him pick up and set up his computer/printer and then went home. It really was much easier than I expected. Maybe girls would have more stuff?</p>
<p>Schools schedule parent receptions on move in day? Okay, that's just mean.:-) My daughter's dorm moves in over a three day period, so they save the parent receptions for parents weekend.</p>
<p>Lots of parents who can come for move-in aren't able to come, too, for parents' weekend. They may not be able to take more time off or afford another trip.</p>
<p>If there's a parents reception on move-in day, I'm sure that wearing casual clothes -- the same ones used for moving -- would be fine. The day really is about welcoming the students to campus. It's not as if parents are being scrutinized by the college's administration for inclusion in a social registry. :)</p>
<p>I saw some of everything - nothing dressy, though.</p>
<p>Easy casual clothes. It will probably be hot. It will probably be crowded. Clothes that can wrinkle will be wrinkled!</p>
<p>We had parents' activities over move in weekend, too, but the "receptions" were all picnic style: very casual.</p>
<p>There were a few people more carefully put together, but they were the exception!</p>
<p>Sjmom2329: Didn't you have to crawl around and plug in electronics? Didn't you have to move the bed and the dresser so the lamp could go on the dresser? Didn't you have to hang the posters? Didn't you have to climb up to the top bunk in order to make the bed? Didn't you have to run out to the local Wal-Mart (or whatever) and buy a floor lamp and assemble it? </p>
<p>I'm gonna go with the suit and the pumps and the pearls. But while moving in, I'll keep the pill-box hat in the car.</p>