Boston for college, what to get ahead of time?

My son is moving to Boston for college; other than the college visits, we are not familiar with the East coast. I am very concern about the weather. I would appreciate any advice. Few issues: Should I get all his dorm needs over there or here, concern that everything will be sold out. Winter, what type of Jacket, pants, shoes... you know what I mean Transportation? any monthly passes that are worthwhile getting? I am sure I am forgetting a lot. Thank you Anxious mom

When he arrives in Boston it will be humid and possibly quite hot, so early on he'll need summer clothes. Winters in Boston are windy, damp and chilly; snow is not a weekly occurrence but precipitation in the form of sleet and icy rain often are. He will need good, insulated, waterproof boots and a warm, waterproof coat (hat, gloves, etc. as well.) Look at LL Bean to get a sense of good winter wear for New England; he can purchase it mail order from them or buy things locally. As it gets colder through the autumn he'll gain a sense of what he needs and what his peers are wearing. I wouldn't worry about stuff being sold out; The Boston metro area is home to over 100 colleges and universities and new students are a major source of revenue for businesses. Boston is a major city; it isn't as though he's headed to a backwater with one retail outlet.

There is a monthly ''T'' pass, like a MUNI metro pass, which offers convenience and is a good value IF he will be riding on a daily basis. However, many students stay in the general vicinity of campus most of the time - they can get most everything they need, and their social lives are constructed there. It is a safe bet that he'll only ride the T occasionally, at least during his first few months, in which case the monthly pass will be a waste of money. Miss the seasons

Packing for college when it's a plane flight away

My daughter and I are a little confused about the process of packing for college when it is a plane flight away. How much & what do you pack from home and how much & what do you buy at the store/pickup at college? Everybody has been telling me that you go to Bed, bath & beyond to buy the essentials. What is the advantage to buying items before you arrive in the college city? I think we would have a better handle on this if her college was just a car ride away. Any advise greatly appreciated. Jeanne

Bed Bath and Beyond is in major competition with Target on this ''One Stop Shop - get it all here!'' thing, and honestly you dont really need a lot of that crap. They will though, have whatever you order on line ready for pick-up, or can actually deliver, making it incredibly easy.

I noticed this year (kid #4 in college :-0 ) that some schools send out this silly form to pre-order thru another company. I tossed it, along with the ''Poor baby needs care packages - we'll make them one for each season for you!'' Then learned that, like Sally Foster Gift Wrap, ordering your bedding, towels etc thru them actually raises money for the school.

Either way, in short. Bring a bikini, sweatshirt and Teddy Bear, and buy everything there or pre online. Empty Nester Reenie

It's a great trip to fly Southwest on if you can, because each passenger gets two pieces of luggage for free. That's six if it is two parents and the child. Parents share one, the rest is plenty. Remember those dorm rooms are tiny!

For banking set them up with a college student or teen checking free checking account that has a large network of ATMs or refunds out of network ATM fees up to a certain limit. Both my kids have the teen account with USAA which is great if you are eligible. Never has one had to pay an ATM fee and the bank sends them postage paid envelopes to use for deposits.

My other piece of advice would be that if the weather there is significantly different than here (usually the case) don't try to totally outfit them for it in advance. The stores where their school is will have much more appropriate gear and the salespeople will understand the climate. Also, your child may not really ''get it'' until they've been there for awhile. Our daughter refused to purchase anything but the most flimsy and fashionable rain jacket before moving to Seattle. When we went back for parent's weekend in October, she was ready to go to REI and get something serious. We'll be taking the same approach in moving our son to Chicago next month.

Overall, aim for under-packing. Flying actually gives you an advantage, since you have to really plan what you pack, rather than shoving bags of stuff in the car only to find out it will never fit in that tiny dorm room. Lots of little things can be purchased at college as the child figures out how to best use their space, and things can be mailed from home later, too. Good luck and have fun! Anne

Space is usually at a premium so sending stuff bags for extra clothing to fit on a shelf or in a closet, or even to be hung from a wall peg may work. Send enough clothing for the first few weeks, and be ready to mail things the student really needs. Take less not more, dorm rooms are usually shared. You never know when that double becomes a triple and the twin bed you expected becomes a bunk bed.

If your student needs any regular medication, prescriptions can be transferred to a local pharmacy. Walgreens is really great for that almost anywhere in the country. Other chains may provide similar service.

Check weather in the area of the school when school starts. Rain gear may be essential.

Often a campus may have a certain 'style' so unless your student has worn out all their current clothes, don't buy a lot till after your student gets a sense of their college dress preferences. Often there are great ''recycle'' clothing shops near campuses with good deals and things that are great to wear. My student prowls ''Buffalo Exchange'' in Berkeley for example. Less is more

You'll likely want to rent a car for a day or two to deal with all of this. Have fun!! Sophomore parent

Logistics of College on the Other Coast

Hi, I have a daughter leaving for college in a few months. I would like some ideas from families who have been through this. How did your family deal with banking? Debit cards? How much do you give a college student for misc. expenses? How did you transport a students clothing, electronics, all dorm needs across the country? Thanks to you

Cold-weather clothing can be shipped from home later in the semester,via the post office.

Banking is more of an issue, especially if your daughter isn't 18 yet, in which case she'll need you to open an account with her. Banks are still different on the East Coast but this is about to change. In the next year or two, Wachovia Bank branches will be absorbed by Wells Fargo. Similarly, Chase now has branches nationwide,including downtown Berkeley, so your child might want an account there. Otherwise there will be a small service fee for using other banks ATMs with her debit card from home. Having an account in a bank that you can also visit here in the East Bay will make your life easier, in case an instant deposit is needed.

By the way, make sure your student stays away from those ubiquitous ATMs at delis and convenience stores and sticks strictly to bank-owned ATMs. My daughter encountered some nasty security issues related to those ATMs not affiliated to banks.

Another tricky issue has been prescription drugs. Our daughter couldn't fill her out-of-state prescriptions in NYC, which meant we had to mail medicine to her regularly. Not the most efficient set-up. Depending on the health services offered by your daughter's college, she may have better options. Laura

I agree with the previous poster about Bed, Bath & Beyond. My daughter chose the bedding and other dorm necessities here at home and picked everything up once she arrived at school. Even if you're not going to be there with her, most schools expect to help students with those errands during orientation.

I also agree that it's much easier to handle the banking issues if you have easy access to your child's account. We bank with Wells Fargo, and our daughter already had an account there before college. Before she left, we looked to see whether Wells Fargo was available where she was going to school and where the closest ATMs were. She has an ATM card, only, not a credit card. As for how much money to provide, we found that she needed a lot in the beginning. Textbooks are incredibly expensive. After that, she seemed to need very little--often less than $100 a month--but that will vary depending on your child's extracurricular interests, food tastes and the college's amenities. For instance, at my daughter's university, laundry is free and almost all entertainment takes place on campus and is free.

One other thing I'd suggest is checking College Confidential (www.collegeconfidential.com) for your daughter's school to ask some specific questions about move-in, or to look to see if your questions have already been asked and answered. I've found CC to be a great resource, with current students and parents very willing to help. Another College Mom

Good luck -- just worry about getting everything back after 4 years! Wendy

At the airport, the only thing that caused a bit of a hold-up was the CO2 detector I'd bought for her dorm room. The screening personnel had no idea what it was. We finally assured them it was not a bomb, and they let us through. As it turns out, the dorm room already had a built-in one, though it wasn't mentioned anywhere.

Another tip you may not be aware of - the Post Office has ''Flat Rate'' priority mail boxes that are a great deal if you are sending stuff across the country. You can stuff them as full as you like, no weight limit, and ship anywhere in the country for a flat rate. They arrive in just a couple of days. There are several different box configurations, ranging from about $5 to $14. Great for sending care packages. Be sure you get the boxes marked ''Flat Rate'' or they will be priced by weight (of course, if the stuff is light, by-weight might be better). Good luck on your trip! R.K.

How do you get your child's stuff to and from a far-away college?

I'm interested in hearing how folks ship their child's ''stuff'' (and these days, there's a lot of it!) to and from far-away college. Mostly, I'm trying to figure out the cheapest way to do it. For the start of school, I know I can order new things and have them shipped (or picked up, or buy) there, but once she has the stuff, and no storage available on campus, what do people do for the summer, and/or end of school? UPS? US Mail? Storage sites? Pay extra (a lot extra) at the airport and bring it each way as ''excess baggage''? And without a car, how do the kids manage to get the stuff sent? How about the services that agree to pick up, store/ship and deliver everything? Are these a good deal, or very expensive? Thanks for sharing your experiences. Mom of college kid with LOTS of stuff

1) Try to really ask yourself whether all the stuff needs to be sent; many things can be bought at or near their college and are cheaper to buy/repurchase than to ship, in some cases. This can include things like bedding, lighting, little fans for the room, supplies, etc.

2) Send as much in advance as you can, via UPS ground, book rate, to an address at or near the school. ''Dude, you live near the school--can I send some stuff to your house?'' would be a welcome phrase to hear coming from your son or daughter on the phone. Some schools won't let you ship a bunch in advance and other schools are happy to hold the boxes for the student's arrival. Keep in mind this option can take weeks for the boxes to get to the school so you have to plan ahead, which, for many teens, is a bit on the difficult side, especially with the stress of moving away from home.

3) Consider helping your child move by going there with them ahead of time and renting a minivan or panel truck if you're shipping stuff via the airlines. If you can't do that, your child might want to connect with the above- mentioned ''dude'' who might also get access to a car or truck or van to help unload on the other end. If you go with your child to get them set up in school, please consider helping with the move and then quickly exiting. Your child, no matter how lovely, probably does not want you hanging around the school with them.

4) See number 1. In my opinion, kids do not really need a ton of stuff from home to take with them to college; really try to pare down whatever you can, and ship the minimum.

I'm sure people have other good suggestions, but those are a few! Good luck! Michael

Compare these alternatives to doing it oneself. To do so, you first have to think through the boxes and transportation issues. The transportation choices are taxis, friends with cars, or renting a U-haul van (which can be done at age 18). With any of these, your child would first get boxes and packing supplies, if needed, and then have the boxes transported to a storage locker or a US Post Office or UPS.

My experience was that for UPS and US Post Office, one should pack carefully and it can be quite expensive. For my son, the ideal plan was a storage locker he shared with a few friends. One friend had a large car, and they all used it to transfer their stuff to the storage locker. Check out costs, because those places further from campus are usually cheaper. Also, my son chained his bike to a fence in someone else's apartment building and it survived the summer. When he graduated from college I flew there and rented a car. That allowed me to find out where I could buy a bike box and have the bike shipped out and to help with getting needed supplies. And I was able to take some stuff back on the plane.

Of course the best idea is to have your child NOT take so much stuff to college or to use taxis during the school year to start sending stuff home (for example, the winter clothes after winter ends). One she starts dealing with the hassles of mailing it back and forth, the message may get through. Been there