Sam received his college housing assignment yesterday, which is a big milestone for finalizing our plans. For OSU, the move in days are spread over three days (ending before the Saturday football game, of course, to minimize craziness) & we couldn't lock in our travel plans until he got his dorm assignment.
It actually wasn't the dorm or area (or, room type) that he requested, but I think he's going to love it. Rather than a traditional two person room with the long hallway & shared showers for the entire floor, he'll be in a "pod", which has three rooms (2 people in each room, for a total of 6) with a shared kitchenette & bathroom. The downside is that the boys will have to clean their own bathroom/kitchenette space, and the cost was significantly higher than the dorm we requested. We were okay with him choosing from any option other than a single (mostly because we want him to meet friends & have the necessary experience of living with a roommate), but the cost is also much higher. This room is about $3k more expensive than what he requested, which shocks me. But, here we are. The college is really struggling with housing this year, and they turned the dorm he requested into economy triples. The rooms are tiny to start with, and rather than 2 planned roommates, you have three. I've seen videos & we did a walk through of this dorm in April, and I seriously can't imagine three teenage boys (or girls) in those rooms. So, it will cost a bit more, but we're all grateful he's not in the economy triple.
I was able to book our travel for the move in dates. I'll fly in, rent a car, grab all of the stuff I've been ordering to my sister's house, and do some shopping near her house. Then drive to Corvallis & meet M & Sam, who are driving Sam's car from our house. We'll stay in a hotel nearby, and then head to the school the following morning for move in day. We'll fly home that night, so we only need Nick to stay with friends for one night. It will be a quick in & out trip, but M has plans for that weekend, and Nick isn't excited about staying over with friends during the school week.
I'm looking forward to seeing my family again on Friday, although the logistics of this trip are pretty chaotic. I'm in & out at various places (staying 3 different places), Sam is also staying three different places & Nick is staying two different places. It will all work out, and Sam & I had to Corvallis on Monday for orientation & registration. Fingers crossed that he gets most of the classes he wants.
Here's what's on my to do list for the rest of the day:
- Stretch
- Meditate
- Water the plants
- Freeze remaining leftovers
- Clean the fridge
- Laundry
- Make Sam's lunch for tomorrow
- Help Sam with the tasks for next week
- Get started on packing
- Prep for my interview (got moved to Friday)
Oh my word! That’s a big difference in prices. When I was in college, all dorm rooms were the same unless you had a private room, which was just a little more. So many kids around here prefer to live off campus now, but they have to live on campus their Freshman year now unless they are local or commuting from nearby. Sounds like you’ve got a great plan for handling the logistics of move-in day!
ReplyDeleteAs someone who works at a university, I have a tip that may help. Once he signs up for his classes, he may be able to move them around some before classes begin. Say he would rather have the 10 AM Math class over the 8 AM Math class. The students at my school change their schedule all the time and a spot may open up. It might be worth keeping an eye on the registration.
ReplyDeleteDd is at a big university and like you, it was a SHOCK to me. The only way a dorm room cost more at my school was if you had a double room but no roommate. The meal plan shocked me too...the difference between the top tier
ReplyDelete(unlimited trips to the all you can eat dining room plus 21 "swipes"/week at the food courts) to tier 2 which was just 21 swipes at the dining hall or food courts (Subway, Panera, etc.) was so negligible that I insisted she get tier 1. She was grateful when she could pop in the dining hall at, say , 3 p.m. and grab a snack and cup of tea, or get some ice-cream at 8 p.m., but overall, the meal plans are a huge racket in my opinion.
My DD flew down with a friend. I gave her a credit card, booked a hotel, and a rental car, and they outfitted her room from there. It was far cheaper, and more convenient than shipping things. One of her roommates this year is graciously storing her things....I think because my DD frequently offered to swipe her card at the food court for her last year. I told my daughter I didn't care what she did with those swipes as long as she used them, (just not at Chick Fil A.) This year, DD is in a student apartment with her podmates. It comes to just a tad more than her pod, but she is not required, if living there, to get a meal plan. I may insist, simply because she must walk past the dine hall to get to class, and I don't see her cooking much. I would much rather have had her at my alma mater, but she is doing great, better,in fact, than I expected. I am sure your son will thrive, too.
I can definitely remember move in days with both our boys during there university days. It was a bit of a hassle as we could only move in on one day.... The day we moved both in was absolutely crazy. Lucky that your dorm has a kitchenette. The first few years the boys had to have meal tickets, so we snuck in a compact fridge and a microwave.
ReplyDeleteGod bless.