Tips for new freshman parents
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Anonymous
| First Child going off in August -- any tips from experienced parents that might not be obvious |
Anonymous
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Do not buy any of you kids flights for breaks now. Things change constantly -- cancelled classes or final schedule changes or they want to stay for fall break, etc.
Especially true this year because things probably will change due to the pandemic. This year might be a little different because airlines are waiving change fees, but usually the $200 change fees aren't worth the savings of buying a ticket months in advance. |
Anonymous
| Use the bed bath beyond store pick-up in the college town |
Anonymous
| Plan to stay at least one extra day after move-in to make about 3 runs to target for pick-ups and returns |
Anonymous
| We made mistake of only staying long enough to move DD in. She was one of the first to move-in and roommate didn't arrive for 2 more days. She was very lonely the first night and we probably should have planned to stay to go out for dinner that night. |
Anonymous
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Plan a visit about 3 weeks after move-in
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Anonymous
when you go for parents weekend be prepared that your kid may not want to spend much time with you 
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Anonymous
| Buy the odds and ends ahead of time and take with you (bunk bed caddy / bedding / bedspread / office supplies / posters / buildable shelving, etc. Leave the Target run for pillows / cleaning supplies / laundry detergent. We so happened to do this and were very thankful. The store was crowded and sold out of nearly everything. We also shipped some things to campus via Amazon. Don’t leave it to chance. Our move was so organized by already having nearly everything. |
Anonymous
| Most colleges are not having parents weekend this year. |
Anonymous
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This year - buy far less than you might normally. Chances are they will be leaving campus abruptly mid-year or at a minimum parents won’t be allowed to help move in to the dorm room.
Send them with OTC medical supplies, including a thermometer, Tylenol, etc. If you are driving, these are the best thing ever. My kid flies but uses these to pack things for summer storage. https://www.ikea.com/us/en/p/frakta-storage-bag-for-cart-blue-90149148/ If you are flying to their campus, consider Southwest. No change fees and if a student + 2 parents go - you can take 2 bags each for free, which will hold 80% of what they need, and carry-on your own stuff. |
Anonymous
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Work out a communication plan ahead of time - like once a week on a specific day for a call or FaceTime. That’s the floor. If your kid wants to talk more fine, but don’t call them outside of the agreed upon time unless it is a true emergency.
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Anonymous
| If you live within close driving distance, remind your kid that you’ll never show up unannounced at campus to see them, if that arrangement appeals to your kid. Unless you find out the kid is dying or something. |
Anonymous
This is family/kid dependent. We do not have a scheduled time. I don't think either side wants that because our schedules vary. We usually hear from him at some point over the weekend. If not I will text, is this a good time to chat and he usually calls back? |
Anonymous
What?? No! Drop off and leave. Kid will figure out returns and how to get to Target. A few extension cords and a bunch of command strips/hooks is a great thing to pack. But the most important thing is to leave quickly. |
Anonymous
This is not a good idea at any medium- to large campus. You will get there and stand in a long line to pick up your stuff, and some of it won't be in the order. If you have a set move-in time, which I think even the smallest schools will have this year due to COVID, you could miss your move-in window. |