Move-in day is Sept. 18. Are you and your student ready?

Planning ahead can make the whole day much easier. Here are a few tips:

• Move-in day is Sunday, Sept. 18. For a fee students can move in as early as Sept. 16. Some on-campus retail dining will be open, but dining halls won't open until dinner on the 18th.
• Find the right freeway off-ramp. Take exit 252 for Fairhaven, Highland and the Ridgeway complex. Exit 253 is best for Edens, Edens North, Higginson, Nash or Mathes.
• Be prepared to wait. Approaching campus, watch for signs for your residence hall and get in line to unload. Bring snacks or water or even something to read while you wait.

Click here to see University Residences' "Moving In" guide.

• Volunteers will help you unload the car. When the car is unloaded, go park in a parking lot or metered space. Don't worry: Parking is free on move-in day in designated spots, but observe all ADA and other normal parking restrictions.
• Send in your student to get the keys. They will follow the signs to the check-in desk and should bring a picture ID.
• Arriving late? Official check-in hours are from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. If you arrive after the hall desk is closed, call the R.A. on duty, whose number is posted on the residence hall door. If you're arriving after Sept. 18, notify housing@wwu.edu.
• Don't try to have the "Big Speech" on move-in day, which already has enough emotional and logistical distractions. Students might be more receptive to families' words of encouragement and last-minute advice in the weeks before the move.

If students are moving into housing off campus, offcampuswwu.com has useful information such as tips on setting up utilities and managing deposits, advice on being a good neighbor, and rental lists.

Students also need to stop by the Western Card office, if they haven't already, to pick up their Western Card and get the card encoded to be a student bus pass. Through the first week of class, the office will be in a temporary location on the west side of Wilson Library, on High Street, across the street from the Performing Arts Center. (Watch for the banners.)