Dorm Room Stuff?

[Luv Bunnies]

Thanks for all the great suggestions. We don't ever plan on driving him to and from Florida so he'll be limited in what he can carry on the plane. He already has his roommate and they will be discussing what they can share. I will look into a storage unit or see if the campus has a program to store belongings over the summer.

DS is definitely planning to come home next summer. He will either be in a show here or help direct for a youth theater company. Other summers, he wants to audition for summer stock theater groups around the country (his professor doesn't recommend it for the first summer). So he may end up in different parts of the country for a few weeks here and there. He doesn't plan to stay in Miami for
any summers. His dept head told us that most people bug out in favor of cooler climates!

 

[AppleDumpling]

For anyone with a child in college, I suggest joining the parents' facebook group for the college/university (if there is one). It's a great way to share information and get school-specific advice and recommendations from other parents. We have found it to be a valuable resource.

 

[Arkansan]

DD goes to college in MN. We live in PA. We did rent a car and drove her out last Fall, but she flew home at the end of the school year. At her school, items can be stored in the (non-climate controlled) basement of the dorm the student will live in next year. The catch--they have to be in sealed boxes. That ruled out her small bookcase, fan, mattress topper and other items that would not fit into a box. I sent her boxes from Amazon and we hired some movers to bring her things to a climate controlled storage unit. They will bring her the packed boxes back in the Fall. We did have to figure all this out on our own. The school offered no guidance nor did they recommend any certain company.

 

[2Kds2K9]

We did e bed bath and beyond with both kids. We were able to see their dorm before we picked up their orders. Therefore, we could eliminate things they didn't need and add others. When my kids made their selections originally, they did choose items they weren't sure about and if we didn't need them, then we just removed it from the box. Miraculously, after they made their original selections, I got a 20% off the entire order coupon. Held onto that for when we purchased on the other end. Worked perfect! Also stored sons stuff in storage unit for the summer. We got a 5x5 for $40 a month. Well worth it.

 

[cabanafrau]

For those with daughters heading off to college, maybe take a look at what Vera Bradley offers in the way of comforters. Back when my oldest headed off for college we found nothing appealing at Bed Bath, Macy's, etc. By chance Vera happened to offer a line of comforters for the very first time that summer and we thought the quality seemed pretty good and she found a design she really liked. We were never sorry about that decision. I get the VB emails and was able to pick up a queen size one on one of their half price offers a year or so later because I knew DD would be moving into an apartment and the twin size wouldn't fit her new bed. My younger DD plans to take the twin size one, which is still in perfect condition to this day after several washes, when she heads off to university.

Back when my oldest was in the dorm she said a lot of the Bed Bath comforters and the ones from the company the university partnered with were a mess in no time flat. Lots of girls started showing up with VB as time went on.

 

[mamacatnv]

Every single college/student is going to be different. When my DS was in college, the kids showed up with bedding/clothing and school supplies. Dorms were furnished and appliances not allowed. There was no way that bedding/toiletries were worth paying to store or to ship cross country and back every summer - we didn't pay all that much for the dorm kit in the beginning. Couple of the schools DD is looking at have different storage options for the summer breaks.

When DS finished college and headed to grad school 2000 miles away, we shipped his car, his clothes, his gun collection, hunting gear and personal mementos, everything else was either trashed or donated as it was not worth paying to relocate.

 

[cabanafrau]

Every single college/student is going to be different. When my DS was in college, the kids showed up with bedding/clothing and school supplies. Dorms were furnished and appliances not allowed. There was no way that bedding/toiletries were worth paying to store or to ship cross country and back every summer - we didn't pay all that much for the dorm kit in the beginning. Couple of the schools DD is looking at have different storage options for the summer breaks.

When DS finished college and headed to grad school 2000 miles away, we shipped his car, his clothes, his gun collection, hunting gear and personal mementos, everything else was either trashed or donated as it was not worth paying to relocate.

Absolutely depends on the individual situation and school set up.