How to Prepare for Move-In Day

It’s always exciting to move onto campus, especially for first-year students. To help the process run more smoothly, Joe Totman (Residential Education & Housing) and his team offer the following tips.

Before arriving on campus, have your student ...
Call their roommate. Make sure your student speaks with their roommate and confirms what each person is bringing. “There is no need for two of everything, like TVs or microwaves,” Totman says. In addition, limit the number of larger items they bring, like a TV or Keurig coffeemaker, until they have lived on campus long enough to determine if they really want or need it.

Pack seasonally. Students tend to bring clothes for all four seasons, which takes up a lot of space. Instead, have them pack just what they’ll need for the first semester. Or, even better, what they’ll need until they next see you, which may be as early as Homecoming in mid-October. It’s more efficient to swap out clothes and accessories throughout the year, especially if your home is reasonably close to campus.

Grab a fan and comfy shoes. None of the first-year residence halls have air conditioning, so a fan can be helpful. And comfy footwear is a must, as there are no elevators in the first-year residence halls. In addition, the drop-off location for Sensenbrenner isn’t right in front of the building, so students living in this residence hall will have to move their belongings via carts the college provides.

Once on campus ...
Encourage your student to take the lead on the check-in process, which for most first-years begins at the Donald J. Schneider Stadium. This will help them to be better prepared for future years, and to start taking ownership of their adult life on campus. (Students should watch their SNC email over the summer for specific instructions.)

Follow this parking plan. Parking can be tight, and our compact campus can be a little challenging to navigate on move-in day. Totman recommends unloading everything in front of your student’s residence hall first, then moving your car before returning to the hall. But before you move everything into the room …

Check the room for any repairs that need to be requested. SNC hosts various overnight conferences during the summer. When the conferences are over, staff members go through the rooms and fix any damaged items before students move in. But sometimes things may be missed.
Totman says students should jot down any needed repairs they spot before moving their belongings into the room — things like holes in the wall, paint damage, a ripped mattress or screen, or floor damage. Later on, once your student has settled in, they should note any repairs needed on their Room Condition Report (RCR), which is available online on the student portal.

There is some urgency to this, as the facilities department wants to take care of anything that needs to be remedied so students are comfortable in their new homes. “Plus, if damaged items are not marked within one week after check-in, we will need to bill the student for them at the end of the year,” Totman says, as SNC will have to assume the damage came from the room’s current residents.

Updated July 2024