Check out this good tip for those newly arriving to Durham.

Here's a good move-in tip. I'm not taking time to make it look pretty though - Thanks Nicky

http://www.durhamchamber.org/live/living_durham/relocation_survey.html

This is a good source of information. By filling out their relocation survey, you can receive the following by mail:
1) New Resident guide - a good one with lot of useful information
2) List of apartments
3) Banks
4) Health Care services
5) Moving storage and relocation services
6) Hotels
7) Contractors

Mary sent this checklist for those arriving in Durham. Thanks Mary S ('05).

• Unpack - Unpack your boxes, do not leave this for once school starts. You will want to have fun during Orientation and ILE so do your unpacking prior to the festivities.and don't leave it for your live-in significant other to do. He/she may resent you for having fun without them and leaving the grunt work for them.:)
• Fill out Immunization Form - Fill out the Duke required immunization form if you have not already done so. You may find that you have to receive some additional shots so try to get that done as soon as possible. Although, if you get it done at the Student Health Center it is free, but your coverage (via the mandatory health fee even if you have private insurance) is not effective until the first day of Orientation I believe.
• Schedule installs - Call all vendors to come to your house/apartment for phone, high speed Internet, etc. because they will give you an 8 AM - 12 PM or 1 PM - 5 PM window of when they will come and sometimes they are not on time so you will need a full day sometimes to wait for them. Schedule this now so you can get the exact date you want.
• Purchase parking permit - Register for permits for on-campus parking www.parking.duke.edu Permits should be delivered to your lockers by Orientation week. Your walk to class will be approximately 5-15 minutes depending on where you park and if you are able to catch the parking lot shuttle bus. If you park in the 751 lot (mostly 2^nd years), you will not need the shuttle and your walk will be about 5 minutes. If you park in the Green lot, then it can be up to 15 minutes. The Green lot is much cheaper than 751 (in 2005, $102 as opposed to $240), but you may have to walk a bit.
• Shop for school - backpack, notebooks, binders, clothes, etc.
• Backpacks - If your locker is downstairs (½ of 1^st years are downstairs and ½ are upstairs), you may not go to your locker that much, instead you may carry all of your books for the day in your backpack, so make sure it has enough room for at least a couple of good sized binders and a notebook, daily planner etc.. You have plenty of time during the 15 minutes breaks to go to your downstairs locker, but most people do not go to their locker if it is downstairs because they rather use their time to get something to eat, check email, speak to the professor, etc.

• Notebooks - You do not take too many notes in a notebook (some people take none) because the professor hands out notes in the form of PowerPoint so most people write on that. I used my notebook for problem sets (i.e. Statistics and Finance) and also for any notes I did not want to write on the notes itself like mid-term and final exam logistics and study sessions.
• Binders - You will need binders for your course packs. You can buy them at school when you buy your course packs, but they are more expensive and they are nothing special (plain white that says Duke - Fuqua School of Business). I liked to get different colors so I can easily identify the different course packs. Buy the medium sized binders if you want to put one course pack in there, or the large ones if you want to put more than 1 course pack in. I find it easier to split it up so I do not have to handle such bulk when I only want to access the course pack for one class. I reuse the same binders each term.
• Clothes - It is a hot summer this year! Temperatures have been in the 90s with over 90% humidity. However, my experience was that the classrooms were usually cold. I suggest having a sweatshirt or sweater with you at school in case you get cold to wear over your light clothing. It will be warm up through the end of October and still be in the 70s maybe 80s in November. The winters average in the 40s and 50s F (almost always above freezing) with a couple of snowstorms of little accumulation. It will then start getting warm again in March.

• Buy textbooks - I will be limited in offering my opinion on what textbooks you need to buy and which you do not, just because it may differ from person to person, so I will just give you the facts. You should be able to get a better price for these books online than in the Duke bookstore for the same book. The current second years caught onto that by Term 2. Also, you may have to check if these are still the books being used before you buy them. If so, order them online early as it may take a couple of weeks to ship (some come from Asia as it is VERY cheap to buy from there - about 80% off, the paper is just of lesser quality). The books ordered from the U.S. should be the same paper quality as at the Duke Bookstore and still cheaper than Duke. In the Duke Bookstore, in 2005, textbooks range between $40 for a new soft cover all the way up to $120 for a brand new hardcover. The used prices are anywhere from 10-30% off of the regular price.
• Buy a suit and formal shoes - The company information sessions start during the second week of school so buy/dry clean your suit and purchase/shine your shoes (no open toe shoes for women although females wear them anyway) so you can be ready. Many of the information sessions are business casual, but some are formal. You will need a suit for interviews anyway, so buy it now so you have it for both.
• Duke ID Card - Obtain Duke ID card from the Bryan Center Duke ID Card Office for students and their spouses (spouses will need the ID Card to go to the Duke gym and also to sit in the graduate student section for sporting events). Other significant others that are not spouses are not eligible for a Duke ID Card unless the rules have been modified. The Duke Gym, called the Wilson Center, is included in the recreation fee for all Fuqua students, but spouses must pay $30 per semester (August-December, January-May, summer).
• Submit ILE survey and all other requirements - Doing this will make your ILE experience more enjoyable and useful.
• Update ACES website information - Update addresses, insurance decision, etc. online
• Perform computer setup - Mulberry, McAfee antivirus download, firewall download, VPN software which is needed for access from home AND wireless access at Fuqua
• Get NC license and registration -Do this only if you are planning to switch your license and registration to NC. This is not required as you can keep your current state license and registration if you like, but just remember some states require you to come back to that state for the yearly inspection which can be a huge inconvenience. Check with your state before you make your decision. See if there is something special for temporary residents such as graduate students.
• Purchase cell phone/change service - You will find that not all cell phone providers work in the business school building. I know Verizon works very well on a consistent basis. I had AT&T when I first arrived and I switched after 1 month to Verizon and I have been very happy with my service. I am not sure what other cell phone companies work well, but I do know that AT&T does not unless they have improved. Verizon has plans that have unlimited Verizon to Verizon minutes, so you can talk to your business school friends for free if enough people sign up!
• Get ready for campout - Camping out for basketball tickets is happening very early in the year this year so some of things you can do to get ready is:
• Reserve your RV/UHAUL early
• Bring any kind of deck chairs, card tables, etc. to Durham. If you have it where you are coming from, bring it. If you already have it here do not put it too far out of reach. You will need them soon.