Some thoughts on the college experience.

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Cannonball

Ex "Expert"
Feb 25, 2009
4,854
113
My wife just called me and told me what BB was up to. It reminded me that there are so many things that we did over the 4 years while she was there that I could post here for all of you to consider. I am hoping that others will add stuff as well.

  • When BB or teammates were leaving late classes, they got on their cellphones with their "buddy" and talked to them while they walked to their cars. This was not a rambling discussion but rather, where they were, where they parked and then pretty much silence until they got into their cars.
  • This was Coach's rule but a good one. When players, especially freshmen, left campus to shop, they had to go in groups of two or more. This actually worked out well as two and three girls did their grocery shopping together and so, they could actually get discounts etc.
  • BTW, when BB started school each year, we went with her to shop for that first time getting groceries so that we made sure we knew what she had in her freezer and refrigerator. We didn't want that amount on her debit card. Also, we wanted to checkout where she would go shopping.
  • Something you might not think about but one we did and are glad we did was to get "The Club" which attaches to the steering wheel of the car and can deter car theft. We also bought one of those devices to use against the door knob on the inside of her room to prevent people from getting into her room. She never needed this device but did sleep better at times when her room mate came home drunk and forgot to lock the door.
  • This is going to sound crazy but you need to get a shovel, jumper cables, ... for your dd's car. You can buy "kits" that have this stuff your dd can put in the trunk of her car. Also, buy a auto tire compressor that can be plugged into the car. Your dd will have a flat/low tire at some point. For BB it was much worse. She came out one morning and all of her tires were flat. She had the compressor and so, made it to weight room. The next morning, her valve stems were removed. We bought more valve stems and I taught her how to put them in. Later we were told that the boyfriend of one of the girls did this because a senior was beaten out for a position.
  • We had BB hide $20 in her car. You never know when your dd will need cash. While $20 doesn't sound like much, it might get her gas or help out in an emergency.
  • Your dd needs to buy one of those "white boards" that are magnetic and can be displayed on the refrigerator. Have them breakdown their routine on them so that others can view it. In that way, if no one can get in touch with your dd, others have a way of knowing where she might be. DD used this a couple of times for teammates. One teammate had her phone run out of power and had not responded to a meeting called by coach.
  • Take a tupperware container and fill it with quarters for your dd. This will come in handy for laundry.

This is a start. I hope others will chime in.
 
Last edited:
Feb 17, 2014
7,152
113
Orlando, FL
Jake is driving 6 hours from Columbia back to Chipola to visit her cousin. She will publish her route using Waze which allows us to follow her progress. This is a great application that eliminates the calls and texts for updates along with providing peace of mind.

If your DD is going away to school and has a vehicle, find a local mechanic now and establish a relationship. That way when things go wrong or just to get an oil change she will know who to call. I found one in Columbia and when they found out she was an athlete at SC they were all in. Of course unless you have a local friend in the towing business AAA or some type of roadside assistance is a great idea.

In addition to the items CB mentioned to have in the car I would also include some water and a blanket or even heavy coat depending on the climate.
 
Dec 20, 2012
1,085
0
I hid money but she doesn't know about it. No way to use it for what she considers an emergency, like Taco Bell at 2 am.

My dd lives in a house with one roommate. Her roommates is getting a German Shepard/ lab mix pup. I am very in favor of them having a dog. I offered to send our English mastiff. It is a little security and companionship, in her roommates case that will be helpful once regular season kicks in and my dd is gone a great deal.

There are so many little things that you take for granted, assuming everyone knows how to do. Changing a flat, after changing 2 last year she now has the hang of it.

Writing a check, she always had a debit card but now she is paying roommate for the utility bills and wants documentation.

Cooking for the week not just one meal at a time. With the busy schedules and it makes things a little easier to cook 2 lbs of chicken breast and vegetables. And better for them than grabbing a burger or something.
 

JAD

Feb 20, 2012
8,231
38
Georgia
Jake is driving 6 hours from Columbia back to Chipola to visit her cousin. She will publish her route using Waze which allows us to follow her progress. This is a great application that eliminates the calls and texts for updates along with providing peace of mind.

I LOVE Waze and have completely abandoned the built-in GPS in my car. Cannot recommend it highly enough for people who drive a lot.

We also use Life360 to keep track of family members. It is a free program that shows where everyone in the family is located on a map. It also has a panic button if there is a problem and will send a distress signal to all other members of the group.
 

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