Moving stuff if going to pharmacy school out of state

[mrd1080]

Hey everybody,

I was wondering how those who are moving out of state of pharmacy school, how you guys plan to bring your stuff out to the school? Are you guys going to ship your car over? I live in California and will be going to Chicago for school, so its going to be a big move for me. Any input... experiences.. suggestions?

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[kalove07]

Hey everybody,

I was wondering how those who are moving out of state of pharmacy school, how you guys plan to bring your stuff out to the school? Are you guys going to ship your car over? I live in California and will be going to Chicago for school, so its going to be a big move for me. Any input... experiences.. suggestions?

That's a long trip. One of the schools I'm looking at is about 18 hrs driving nonstop. Halfway to the school, I have family so I'll stop there for a few days. For you, that's a looong trip. I'd say it depends on how much stuff you have. If you have a vehicle, attach a uhaul trailer to the back if you can and just call it a cross country tour. If you don't have a car, you could hire people to drive your stuff to Chicago a few days before you so that when you fly there, they can meet you. Look at the costs too. If you drive, you're going to have to think about food, gas, and hotel along the way. If you fly, it'll moving van, drivers, and airfare.

 

[calbear81]

Hey mrd1080:

When I moved from Southern California to Seattle, I found that the cheapest way to ship most of your small things like books, clothes, dishes, etc. were to ship it via UPS/FedEx. It didn't make sense to move furniture since the movers quotes were ridiculous and if you have IKEA furniture or something like that it makes it even more silly to try and move that when it'll cost more to move than to replace.

Car transportation quotes run into the $1000+ for cross country trips since the fuel cost is so high. One idea is to drive it there which is actually a great drive and you can move a lot of stuff in your car as well that you may not want to risk damaging with shipping.

My girlfriend and I are moving to Baltimore this fall for pharmacy school from Seattle (she's going) and we're planning on following these steps:

1) Sell everything crappy or disposable on craigslist or via yard sale.
2) Pack everything else into UPS boxes for shipping. Ship out the day you plan on driving to ensure it gets there at around the same time.
3) Make arrangements for your pets (if any).
4) Have a nice drive and all your stuff will be at your new place in Chicago!

 

[Asrai]

I moved from California to Pittsburgh, PA for my undergrad 3 years ago. At the time I was living in a dorm, so I just packed up my car and my parents car with my stuff (small stuff, clothes, etc., no furniture), and we drove.

The following year, I moved into an apartment, and my parents (who had moved to chicago in that time) borrowed a 15 passenger van and brought me my bed, dresser, couch, etc.

This year I moved to an apartment in the city, and I just filled up a moving truck with all my stuff and moved it here. Bought the things I didn't already have, and all has worked out well so far.

If you are moving from one home to another (as in, you already have all of your own stuff, not your parent's stuff), keep your clothes/personal items and sell all the big stuff. Buy new stuff when you get there. This is exactly what I will be doing next time I move (in about 2 years). But by then...most of this stuff (of which 75% I was given for free) will need to be replaced anyway.

So basically, sell anything you can't fit into your car(s) and enjoy the drive!

 

[berkeleytwinkie]

hmm, im moving to iowa from los angeles, i think im gonna get my sister or mom to fly out with me, and with the 6 or so pieces of luggage we can bring, ill have to pack everything into it

 

[calbear81]

hmm, im moving to iowa from los angeles, i think im gonna get my sister or mom to fly out with me, and with the 6 or so pieces of luggage we can bring, ill have to pack everything into it

It'll be cheaper to ship your stuff out there than to have your sister or mom fly out with you just for the purpose of transporting stuff.

For example, let's say you had 4 boxes and a total weight of 150lbs, that would cost about $160 to ship via UPS ground which would get there in 5 days or so.

 

[berkeleytwinkie]

well besides a family person coming for luggage, theyd be helping me with all the other tedious crap


ill do both, thanks for the info.

 

[confettiflyer]

I'm moving from CA to PA and ditching my car in the process, here's what I'm planning to do:

1) Sell all of my furniture (it's cheap disposable Ikea crap anyway)
2) Sell the car
3) Send most of my belongings that I want to keep, but don't want to take with me, to my home with my parents.
4) Arrive by plane to PA with my luggage allowance maxed out with stuff that I'll need. The second wave of stuff will come when my parents fly out for the white coat ceremony, I'll prepack luggage for them to check-in and bring (or carry on).

I should be fine...and I'm planning to come back for Thanksgiving, so that'll give me a chance to move more stuff that I might want/need. All furniture will be purchased locally though.

 

[RaginCajun]

I am in SoCal right now but lived in the Chi '99 for bootcamp. It depends where you live but you might not even need your car there. I would contact the students there and ask. It is a nice city though they have everything. If you like college football you can travel down to the norte dame games too.

 

[bubblechasincat]

does anyone know if we should just bring our used textbooks (anatomy/physiology, bacteriology, etc) to wherever we are relocated to? since the first two years are generally general sciences

i was thinking if we were to load those books in the car it will end up using a lot of gas due to the weight

 

[aboveliquidice]

I moved from Florida to Oregon last year (they don't get much longer than that) - I sold / stored all of the furniture (with family) - and selected the stuff I actually needed. I placed it all in my car, which was impressive considering the car - and drove to Oregon.

My parents flew out for the white coat ceremony -bringing the 5 or so items I forgot ( I always forget something) - and the whole move went off without a hitch...

Just use your head, make a plan, and execute it - it will all work out...

~above~

 

[miawww]

I'm from San Diego and I'm most probably going to attend school in upstate New York. I thought about selling my car and buying a used one once I'm there but I like my car too much to let it go So I'll be driving with my parents for a few days. It's a long drive but we'll be rotating drivers so it shouldn't be too bad. My car's a hatchback so I can pack a lot of stuff in there but I'm definitely not bringing any furniture. I'll just buy some cheap crap once I'm there.

 

[k0ni]

does anyone know if we should just bring our used textbooks (anatomy/physiology, bacteriology, etc) to wherever we are relocated to? since the first two years are generally general sciences

i was thinking if we were to load those books in the car it will end up using a lot of gas due to the weight

I was wondering about that too.. Do most people take their old textbooks with them or just trash them? I figure.. I've spent hundreds of hours with all of these textbooks and they'd make good reference books. 😛 I have my A&P books, O.Chem, Immuno, Biochem...

 

[mrd1080]

hmmm... so it seems most of you guys would probably just sell everything big and move the simple things out there (clothes, computer..etc). How were the cross country trips by the way? I've never made one before.. not too bad?

As far as books, I was thinking about bringing some of my core bio books (biochemistry and metabolics) just for reference as well as some of my notes.

 

[calbear81]

hmmm... so it seems most of you guys would probably just sell everything big and move the simple things out there (clothes, computer..etc). How were the cross country trips by the way? I've never made one before.. not too bad?

As far as books, I was thinking about bringing some of my core bio books (biochemistry and metabolics) just for reference as well as some of my notes.

I haven't done a cross country before, just up from cali to washington which was about 15-17 hours of driving.

For the trip out east, we'll be doing it over about 1 1/2 weeks putting in a lot of sightseeing stops like national parks, major cities (restaurants of course!) along the way.

 

[MTrbo12]

I moved from California to Pittsburgh, PA for my undergrad 3 years ago. At the time I was living in a dorm, so I just packed up my car and my parents car with my stuff (small stuff, clothes, etc., no furniture), and we drove.

The following year, I moved into an apartment, and my parents (who had moved to chicago in that time) borrowed a 15 passenger van and brought me my bed, dresser, couch, etc.

This year I moved to an apartment in the city, and I just filled up a moving truck with all my stuff and moved it here. Bought the things I didn't already have, and all has worked out well so far.

If you are moving from one home to another (as in, you already have all of your own stuff, not your parent's stuff), keep your clothes/personal items and sell all the big stuff. Buy new stuff when you get there. This is exactly what I will be doing next time I move (in about 2 years). But by then...most of this stuff (of which 75% I was given for free) will need to be replaced anyway.

So basically, sell anything you can't fit into your car(s) and enjoy the drive!

this is off topic but I hope your enjoying your time in Pittsburgh, it is a nice city. I think Im going to Duquesne for a 0-6 program.

 

[bubblechasincat]

I was wondering about that too.. Do most people take their old textbooks with them or just trash them? I figure.. I've spent hundreds of hours with all of these textbooks and they'd make good reference books. 😛 I have my A&P books, O.Chem, Immuno, Biochem...

seriously.......... we know those books inside and out hahaha. probably makes us feel at home when we are away

 

[babetrang]

I'll be moving from Virginia to Florida (about 14 hrs nonstop driving). I'll drive there with my parents and my bf in my car because I'll need it to go to school and work in FL. Fl is much warmer than VA, so I'll bring only my summer clothes which are not that heavy and do not take up much space, and some jackets for Fall weather. I'll bring some used textbooks with me (Bio, Chem, OrgChem, A&P) in case I'll need them for reference in the future. Laptop, ipod, XBox (if enough space). I'll be buying new furniture when I'm in FL or get used ones from my family in FL, so that whenever I come back to VA during holidays/summer breaks, I will still have my own furniture in my bedroom. Hopefully everything will fit nicely in my Camry '07.

 

[confettiflyer]

Oh man, reminds me of my old friend who drove from Vancouver to Miami then back to Los Angeles with his beat up jankity late model Volvo. It took him a good month with all the stops he did.

Has anyone had any experience using Zipcar if you moved to a relatively dense city? I'm looking into that option once I get to philly.

 

[Pharm2316]

Oh man, reminds me of my old friend who drove from Vancouver to Miami then back to Los Angeles with his beat up jankity late model Volvo. It took him a good month with all the stops he did.

Has anyone had any experience using Zipcar if you moved to a relatively dense city? I'm looking into that option once I get to philly.

I had never heard of it until I moved to Philly from the Midwest, where I lived in the suburbs. A personal car was necessary for almost everything! But now, seriously, I drive my car 1-2 times a week for the following reasons:
1. Almost everything is within walking distance (I live near Rittenhouse).
2. SEPTA (public trans) may not always be timely, but it's very accessible and not too expensive.
3. Parking, parking, PARKING!! If your car does not have PA plates and is not registered to your address in Philly, you can't get a parking permit. This is especially bad if your trying to park in the evening hours or when it snows.

I have heard nothing but great things about Zip Car and Philly Car Share. There are parking spaces reserved through the city for those cars. The cars are always in good shape and very cost effective. Just have to have a pretty good driving record in your home state. If I had to do it over, I would have done it but I'm moving soon. Something to think about - moving from the suburban Midwest to Center City Philadelphia more than quadrupled my car insurance. Ouch!

Good luck!

 

[redley]

I knew three people in undergrad who drove from Alaska to Oklahoma with only the stuff that would fit in their cars, but that's just because they wanted to have their cars with them at school.

It's probably more necessary to have your own car in OKC than in Chicago, especially since they have Zipcar. I wish we had that here, just because I'd like to drive lots of different cars! But I live in WideOpenSpaces, Texas, so it's not going to happen. 🙁

Another thing I noticed from undergrad - there's always someone with a car willing to give you a ride.

 

[genesis09]

There are zipcars on the UIC campus in some of the parking garages.

 

[117296]

I was wondering about that too.. Do most people take their old textbooks with them or just trash them? I figure.. I've spent hundreds of hours with all of these textbooks and they'd make good reference books. 😛 I have my A&P books, O.Chem, Immuno, Biochem...

How do you figure moving to or from Hawai'i? Only what you can fit in a box or suitcase?

 

[beechbum]

i'll be making the same trip. my plan was to drag one of my friends on the cross country trip with me so i can get all my stuff to il, then buy them an airline ticket back to socal

 

[PharmDee2Bee]

I knew three people in undergrad who drove from Alaska to Oklahoma with only the stuff that would fit in their cars, but that's just because they wanted to have their cars with them at school.

For some reason, this sentence sounded very funny to me.

 

[pjlee]

When does this White Coat Ceremony take place?

 

[k0ni]

How do you figure moving to or from Hawai'i? Only what you can fit in a box or suitcase?

Well, I definitely wouldn't recommend shipping your furniture and other replaceable items.. Carry-on as much as you can and mail the rest. Even mailing large items to Hawaii can get pricey.

 

[nerv12345]

all i'm buying when i move to philadelphia (in terms of furniture) is a bed, a desk, a trashcan, a laundry basket, some portable/foldable shelf thingies for my clothes, and a few utensils/plates, etc.

ikea is your friend!

 

[azPharmD2B]

I'm moving from CA to PA and ditching my car in the process, here's what I'm planning to do:

4) Arrive by plane to PA with my luggage allowance maxed out with stuff that I'll need. The second wave of stuff will come when my parents fly out for the white coat ceremony, I'll prepack luggage for them to check-in and bring (or carry on).

Might want to re-think this. A lot of airlines have recently changed their rules regarding checked baggage. Here's a link to USAirways policy:

http://www.usairways.com/awa/content/traveltools/baggage/baggagepolicies.aspx

Books, movies, cds and other media items can be sent through the postal service via media mail for pretty darn cheap, especially considering how heavy they can be. You'd have to weigh and price it out, but I'm almost certain it'll be considerably cheaper to ship things via UPS/FedEx for most other things.

 

[AbsoluteEthanol]

grrrrr, im moving from souther california to maryland... i'm so confused as to how i can bring my stuff over there. can't exactly drive 3,000 miles these days, that would cost an absolute fortune and destory my car at that!

 

[azPharmD2B]

grrrrr, im moving from souther california to maryland... i'm so confused as to how i can bring my stuff over there. can't exactly drive 3,000 miles these days, that would cost an absolute fortune and destory my car at that!

3000 miles * 20mpg * ~$3.25/gal = ~$500 gas

That really isn't that much mileage on a car unless its a junker ready to die anyway. How you get there really depends on the vehicle and if you can sell it for a decent price and get a replacement at your destination for a decent price. Plus how valuable your stuff is and whether or not you're willing to risk it going through baggage at the airport or via a shipping company. Ever see one of those videos with the guys tossing bags off a plane? Or FedEx guys kicking boxes into their truck?

Me, I'll pack my car with all my valuable stuff and drive the 9-1500 miles depending on which school I go to. The rest gets shipped, donated, sold, or trashed.

 

[Sparda29]

all i'm buying when i move to philadelphia (in terms of furniture) is a bed, a desk, a trashcan, a laundry basket, some portable/foldable shelf thingies for my clothes, and a few utensils/plates, etc.

ikea is your friend!

Are you going to Jefferson? I was under the impression from the pictures on the website that the rooms come furnished.

Most of my stuff, I would toss into my car, like my laptop, desktop, paintball guns, xbox, etc. Getting stuff out of my room in the basement would be a terrible pain.

 

[nerv12345]

Are you going to Jefferson? I was under the impression from the pictures on the website that the rooms come furnished.

all of barringer is unfurnished and only a select number of orlowitz are furnished (page 2):
http://www.jefferson.edu/housing/documents/apartmenthandbook--12-28-05.pdf

 

[confettiflyer]

Might want to re-think this. A lot of airlines have recently changed their rules regarding checked baggage. Here's a link to USAirways policy:

http://www.usairways.com/awa/content/traveltools/baggage/baggagepolicies.aspx

Books, movies, cds and other media items can be sent through the postal service via media mail for pretty darn cheap, especially considering how heavy they can be. You'd have to weigh and price it out, but I'm almost certain it'll be considerably cheaper to ship things via UPS/FedEx for most other things.

Yeah I'm going to cut down on media...not bringing too much of that (i probably will send via the book rate at USPS). But since I'm going to philly anyway, might as well max out my check-in luggage.

 

[azPharmD2B]

Yeah I'm going to cut down on media...not bringing too much of that (i probably will send via the book rate at USPS). But since I'm going to philly anyway, might as well max out my check-in luggage.

Hopefully your stuff doesn't get stolen! Holy crap! Good job TSA, way to protect people!

http://www.azcentral.com/community/phoenix/articles/0331airport-thefts0331-ON.html

 

[AbsoluteEthanol]

3000 miles * 20mpg * ~$3.25/gal = ~$500 gas

That really isn't that much mileage on a car unless its a junker ready to die anyway. How you get there really depends on the vehicle and if you can sell it for a decent price and get a replacement at your destination for a decent price. Plus how valuable your stuff is and whether or not you're willing to risk it going through baggage at the airport or via a shipping company. Ever see one of those videos with the guys tossing bags off a plane? Or FedEx guys kicking boxes into their truck?

Me, I'll pack my car with all my valuable stuff and drive the 9-1500 miles depending on which school I go to. The rest gets shipped, donated, sold, or trashed.

hmm, yeah 500 is nothing...

 

[Gizmo]

Whatever you do, don't hitch a uhaul if you have a civic. 😳 I did this when I moved from Austin to NC, and it put major wear on my transmission. My transmission died 1 year later and I had to spend $3K on a rebuilt transmission. Moving this way was my only option at the time, so oh well.

My first move was from Austin to Boston; used a truck and a uhaul, which went much smoother. 😛

Good luck with your move!

 

[confettiflyer]

Whatever you do, don't hitch a uhaul if you have a civic. 😳 I did this when I moved from Austin to NC, and it put major wear on my transmission. My transmission died 1 year later and I had to spend $3K on a rebuilt transmission. Moving this way was my only option at the time, so oh well.

My first move was from Austin to Boston; used a truck and a uhaul, which went much smoother. 😛

Good luck with your move!

omg...you seriously attached a hitch to a CIVIC? What crack were you smoking!!!!

That's like hooking up a chihuahua to a snow sled and making it run the Iditarod!!

 

[nerv12345]

omg...you seriously attached a hitch to a CIVIC? What crack were you smoking!!!!

That's like hooking up a chihuahua to a snow sled and making it run the Iditarod!!

maybe his car has nawz. lol.

 

[evilolive]

Lots and lots of vacuum packed boxes shipped via fedex.

 

[Gizmo]

omg...you seriously attached a hitch to a CIVIC? What crack were you smoking!!!!

That's like hooking up a chihuahua to a snow sled and making it run the Iditarod!!

Yes, I seriously did attach a uhaul to my civic; that's why I stated what I did. 🙄 It was the smallest uhaul, mind you, which is within the guidelines for towing according to both Honda and uhaul. It's possible to do; I'm just saying that it's not a good idea (based on my experience). At the time, that was my only option, and I'd make the same decision again if it was the only way of me moving to pharmacy school.

 

[islander01]

I heard fedex is cheaper but less reliable than ups. I got a quote from UPS for 3 packages (18"X18"X12"), and they said it will cost me about $150. It still worths it than paying a cheaper price and taking a risk of getting my stuff lost.

 

[Gizmo]

I heard fedex is cheaper but less reliable than ups. I got a quote from UPS for 3 packages (18"X18"X12"), and they said it will cost me about $150. It still worths it than paying a cheaper price and taking a risk of getting my stuff lost.

Have you tried getting a quote from DHL? I've never shipped through them, but I've seen them around town a lot. It's worth checking into them.

 

[confettiflyer]

Yes, I seriously did attach a uhaul to my civic; that's why I stated what I did. 🙄 It was the smallest uhaul, mind you, which is within the guidelines for towing according to both Honda and uhaul. It's possible to do; I'm just saying that it's not a good idea (based on my experience). At the time, that was my only option, and I'd make the same decision again if it was the only way of me moving to pharmacy school.

haha, i don't think you understood the rhetoric involved in my statement.

but anyway...it ended up costing you $3k in the end, you'd really do it again?

 

[benzene]

How is everyone's move coming along?

 

[samuricool]

I heard fedex is cheaper but less reliable than ups. I got a quote from UPS for 3 packages (18"X18"X12"), and they said it will cost me about $150. It still worths it than paying a cheaper price and taking a risk of getting my stuff lost.

I work for UPS, and yeah we are a bit more expensive, but we generally handle packages much better (than what I have heard) than FedEx. However, don't be one of those idiots who tries to pack up all of your knick-knacks or computer in a box and then use scotch tape to hold it together. Tape is not one thing you want to be cheap about when it comes to shipping your goods through any sort of courier.

 

[UBCmicrobi]

This makes me so glad I decided to stay in my hometown for pharmacy school rather that literally the other end of the country (Vancouver to St Jonh's).

Good luck with moving everyone!

 

[jonnyboi303]

Amtrak may be an option for some people. 67 for the first hundred lbs then 67 cents for each additional pound after that. No electronics, furniture, or appliances though.

 

[Samphire]

There's also U-Pack, or you could have rented a car carrier or tow dolly, and towed your car rather than the other way around - I know Penske offers them, I don't have first-hand experience with the other rental companies, but I would assume they do as well.

Incidentally for anyone moving in the near future, if you have a choice between Penske and U-Haul, I strongly recommend Penske. Their trucks are newer, get better mileage, they have better customer service, and you can usually get a 15-20% discount after making a reservation by calling up and asking.