Moving away from home and your parents into a residence hall is a significant transition for a student; it can also be a major transition for their parents.  Many parents and students are not sure what this day is going to be like.

Many parents may want to stay and make sure the room is set-up perfectly and want to make sure their child is ready to begin their college experience.  Parents may forget that as they are setting up their child to go off to school there is a roommate and another set of parents in the room with them, trying to do the same thing.  

So how can you make sure this is a pleasant experience for everyone?

Well, the first thing that you can do is make sure that your son or daughter has called or contacted their roommate(s) prior to move-in day; this will allow the students to already know each other a little bit and ease their transition.  This initial contact also allows the students to discuss what shared items they may want to bring and who is responsible to bring them.  The more comfortable the student is, the more comfortable it will be for their parents.

It is also important to make sure to welcome and introduce yourself to everyone in the room.  Sometimes families will bring siblings or other relatives and it is nice if everyone knows who are the other people in the room.  Now, while you unpack and set-up a room make sure the roommates talk about how they want things set-up and that you allow the roommates to make those decisions;  it is their room and they should decide together.

Also keep in mind that it is important to be courteous of the space you take when you unpack.  It doesn’t help for a great first impression when you have your empty boxes on your new roommate’s bed, before they even walk in the door.  To ensure a successful start for your child be supportive, help them get settled, and allow their roommate(s) and their family to do the same thing.