What goes in, must come out.  I think I said that back in August when we were thinking about moving into the dorm.  Remember back to that warm August day when everyone was excited, happy and cheerful.  Strong boys and smiling girls were unloading cars and move-in day was a piece of cake.  Well, moving out is not quite that easy.  Over the course of this year your student has probably acquired many more items than the car load they brought in August.  If your student is anything like my daughter…a clothes horse, pack rat, hoarder…you see where I’m going with this.

After Freshman year we moved EVERYTHING back to Miami in May and then EVERTHING back to Wofford in August.  It took a year to wise up.  Now we get a storage unit in Spartanburg.  For under $300, you can obtain storage facilities for the summer.  It’s much easier to start moving out a little at a time and taking home only what is needed for the summer.

If you live nearby it probably isn’t an issue, but for those of us out of state, moving becomes a logistical nightmare.  You can also remind your student during this “move out” process that they really didn’t need to bring everything they owned to the dorm. If you do decide to store items in Spartanburg put a few Bounce fabric softeners in with your clothes.  They help repel bugs.

Final Exams are also right around the corner.  This is a stressful time for our kids as they begin to wind down their year, but gear up for finals.

Have they discovered that they can stake out a study room in Milliken? This is the hot spot for studying for finals.  It’s open 24/7 and the kids rotate “possession” of these rooms.  This is the perfect time for a little care package from home.  Maybe Terrier Cakes, a Starbucks gift card and don’t forget the Febreeze for those rooms in Milliken.  The library has extended hours for studying as well.  If they haven’t become familiar with “Cook Out” by now, they will during finals.  Our kids tend to think they can perform well under pressure and without sleep.  Hopefully by now they have learned that cramming the night before and staying up all night does not produce the best grade.

As we are all wishing our students the best of luck on their finals, I will wish my fellow parents good luck on the moving-out process! If you attend Spring Family Weekend at Wofford this weekend, make sure to get a head start on moving out and take a few things home with you!