Living on Campus

Many colleges require freshmen to live on campus and while your child may think he’s ready to move into his own apartment there are very sound reasons for most students to live on campus for at least their first year.

1.              There is no better way to get to know people than to shower with them.  Of course, not all residence halls offer the traditional bunk bed, shower down the hall experience, but in general, living in close quarters with a number of diverse students is the best way to get to know people quickly and to build lasting friendships.

2.              On-campus housing is convenient for everything that students need; food services, academic buildings, health clinic, library, and activity venues. On all but the largest campuses, living on campus means an easy walk or bike ride to wherever students need to go, while living off campus may mean that students need to drive to campus and search for the ever elusive open parking space.

3.              Living in a residence hall is generally safer than an apartment. It is rare that an apartment building manager will be very concerned about a student who is acting depressed or whether or not they have staff available to immediately fix door locks or smoke detectors. Residence halls offer safe, convenient housing even if it is not the most well appointed.

4.              All-inclusive pricing. While some apartment complexes offer per-person leases and all bills paid, most do not, so students are left to set up their own utilities, cable, internet etc. and then charge their roommates for their portion of the bill. If all the roommates pay their share everything is fine, if they don’t and the service is in your child’s name, he will be liable for the entire bill.

5.              Resident Assistants (RAs), upper class students who work in the halls helping new students adjust, and taking care of property management issues, are great resources for your student. RAs are not just there to discipline students for loud parties, a good portion of what they do is build community through programming and activities. In addition to RAs, campuses also have full time residence hall staff members, usually called Resident Directors (RDs) to help students with everything from academics to social problems.  

Tips for Packing and Move-in Day

·      Even if your family car is a three-door hatchback, you probably know someone who has a van, SUV, truck, or a larger car than you do – borrow it. Or, invest in a roof carrier or plan to ship items to your child later.

·      Most campuses will let you know what kind of help, if any, to expect for moving heavy items on move-in day. If you do not anticipate having help moving heavy items, bring a moving dolly or folding cart.

·      For in-state or other short moves, it is often cheaper to rent a Uhaul van, complete with a moving dolly, than it is to rent a van or truck from a rental car chain. Shop around before you rent.

·      If it can’t fit into a minivan, it probably won’t fit into a shared residence hall room so pack wisely and know that any forgotten items can be shipped or purchased later.

·      Most students are moving away from TV’s and cable and are opting to watch programs online on their laptops or tablets, or are taking these computers into the hall lounge and plugging them into the large TV there using a USB cable or wireless connection.

·      A coax cable is probably unnecessary unless your child expects to spend a great deal of time watching regular antenna or cable TV. College students are so busy, or at least should be, with classes and activities, than regular TVs are becoming obsolete on campus. 

·      While there’s a growing trend for students to submit all papers and projects electronically, some professors still require printed papers. Before you invest in a printer or bring one from home, find out the college’s policy on printing papers. Some colleges charge by the page for printing in computer labs, others charge a flat fee to students, and allow them unlimited printing in computer labs or at print stations. Either way, it may be cheaper and much less of a hassle, for your child to use these services than to maintain a printer and buy or refill ink cartridges.

·      With cloud computing, most students don’t even have to carry USB drives anymore, they simply log into their networked drive from any computer on campus and print the papers they’ve saved to the drive. Ah, technology!

The Top 10 Things for Parents to Pack For Move-in Day

1. Patience – When asked about their least favorite things to do, most people would probably include moving on a list along with filing taxes and oral surgery. Let’s face it, moving is hard and at most college campuses this rite of passage takes place in the sweltering heat of summer. Plan ahead to allow plenty of time to move and complete anything else you and your child need to take care of on campus. It’s also a good idea to confirm the hours of various offices you may need to visit on campus during move-in day.

2. A sense of humor – Nothing diffuses tense situations like a good sense of humor. When you consider that this is just one day, although an important one, in your entire life it will be easier to see the humor in a stuck elevator or the bottom falling out of a fully packed box. In the years to come, you will most likely remember these mishaps with a smile.

3. A calm and open mind – Roommates with purple hair and piercings can still be great roommates. Don’t jump to conclusions about roommates or anyone else for that matter. If the paint is peeling in your child’s dorm room, make sure he notices it and records it on the room check-in form, hang a poster over it and appreciate the fact that the room is safe and conveniently located. He can probably arrange to repaint the room later.

4. Water and snacks – This should be similar to a picnic lunch, enough for everyone to have a decent meal if needed. Even if the food services are open on campus, lines may be long. If you end up not needing the food, you can always enjoy it as a snack on the way home.

5. Prescriptions and over-the-counter medications - Don’t skip any regular medications and bring your prescriptions with you. Moving may take longer than you expect and you might be ready for your next dose before you realize it. Also bring; Band-Aids, over-the-counter medications for various ailments such as headache, motion sickness, stomach upset etcetera.

6. Books or ebook readers, phones, and plenty of chargers- If you end up having to wait an hour to unload or need to kill some time in between moving in and another program it helps to be able escape into a good book, a game, or your favorite music. Use breaks as a time to relax.

7. Comfortable clothing and shoes, and maybe a change of clothes- A change of clothes might not be necessary, but it can’t hurt either. You will sweat and may get dirty while moving.

8. Cash, change, checkbook and debit/credit cards- There’s always a miscellaneous fee that pops up or maybe your younger child wants a college t-shirt. You don’t have to say yes, but be prepared in case you want to.

9. Pertinent paperwork from the college - Including campus maps or at least the emails your child received about move-in day and events.

10. An extra set of car keys - I can’t tell you how many times people have locked both sets of keys in the car. Like I said, move-in day is crazy, but it’s okay, you packed your sense of humor!