Storage for USD Students

As if being a student was not trying enough, being a student in a pandemic has a whole new set of challenges that learners are facing every day in colleges and universities around the country. Some doors have shuttered completely, like NYU Tisch (@NYUTischSchool) who refused to refund the students who paid for their courses and only sent them a video of the Dean dancing to R.E.Ms “Losing My Religion” after telling them that classes were canceled and tough luck.

Others have transitioned to a completely online environment where students log in to their classes and teachers give lessons on platforms like Zoom or Skype.

Here in the San Diego area, it seems that most higher education institutes have gravitated towards the digital side of operations, in hopes that the disruptions will be minimal and things can go back to normal as soon as possible. Students have been ordered off-campus; told to go home with little notice. A fraction of those from out-of-state were left without a way to get home, and others forced to take the risk and book flights during a flight advisory. Off-campus housing was available for some, but not all.

We are fortunate to have a friend of a friend who is a student at USD who was able to sit with us for a bit and give us an inside look at how students are being affected by this pandemic. We would like to offer a transcript of that interview here.

Big Box Storage: Hi Adrian, thank you very much for taking the time to answer some questions for us and give everyone an inside look at what it is like to be a college student in San Diego right now.

Adrian: Sure, no problem. I have certainly found a lot more time on my hands these days so it fit quite nicely in my schedule.

Big Box Storage: I bet! Has that been a challenge getting used to life off-campus?

Adrian: Not so much a challenge per se yet; I joked with some friends the other day – we have been through terrorist attacks, school shootings, a recession, and toxic dating apps. If anyone can handle a pandemic – we can.

Big Box Storage: I hope “handling a pandemic” includes social distancing and lots of handwashing.

Adrian: Oh, yeah. I am NOT one of those idiot spring breakers in Florida throwing up deuces and saying YOLO. No, mostly I am staying in my old room in my parent’s house in Pt. Loma with my cat and spazzy cocker spaniel doing Tik Tok videos and “studying”.

Big Box Storage: Were you staying on campus pre-coronavirus?

Adrian: Yes I was in a room with another girl. It was nice. I liked the student experience, you know – the dorm, school food, making new friends. I was having a great time. It felt nice to be in charge of myself and feel free a little.

Big Box Storage: When they told you to leave campus, what were your initial thoughts? Did they provide storage for USD students?

Adrian: Well honestly that was still around the time where things seemed like everyone was overreacting. Getting the notice to vacate kinda made it all real at that point. I was like “Wow, this might be a little more serious than I had thought”.

Big Box Storage: I think a lot of us had the same thoughts at first.

Adrian: Yeah, and so I called up my Dad and said hey I need you to bring the truck and pick me up they are kicking us out because of the virus. So he and my Mom came and helped me get loaded up and now my stuff is all in a pile in my old room at home.

Big Box Storage: Were all your friends lucky enough to have their parents be able to come to pick them up? Did they provide storage for USD students?

Adrian: No, in fact, the girl that I was rooming with could not take everything in time and she was going back to Colorado so she left most of her stuff there like her lamp and fridge and printer. She could only take what she could carry with her on the plane. I do not even think she will be able to get all that stuff back. They said they were going to clear the rooms so I do not know what will happen with everything left behind. I did not hear anything about storage being a service offered by the school during this time.

Big Box Storage: Wow, so basically she became a refugee overnight.

Adrian: Yeah, but I talked to her the other day. She made it home safe so that is what we really care about.

Big Box Storage: So tell us what it is like being a digital student?

Adrian: Honestly I do not like it. I thought I would, but I feel like I really need structure and I am not good at forcing myself to adhere to my own rules. Also, I miss my friends and crazy enough, even my teachers. I think that is the social butterfly in me.

Big Box Storage: That aside, what about your classes and studies? How is your campus handling the shift to online learning?

Adrian: Classes are fine. You log in, you have assignments and reading requirements and tests. Just like in regular classes. It is just all online now. As for the school, I think they are doing a really good job of making it as seamless as possible. They had to figure out how to relocate 2,600 students and I think the residential life and health and wellness teams really did everything they could do on such short notice. I know they have increased hours for maintenance and cleaning staff on campus so that everything stays as clean as possible. They are having virtual mass on Sundays via Instagram to give some sense of normalcy to the campus and I also heard about the Toreros Together Emergency Fund that helps provide resources for housing and food needs.

Big Box Storage: That is amazing. I am glad to hear there is a support network for those that might be in need during this time.

Adrian: It really is a good school. I am proud to go there.

Big Box Storage: Well Adrian it has been a pleasure speaking with you today. Thank you for the inside scoop of what it is like to be facing the pandemic crisis as a student in San Diego.

Adrian: No problem! Thank you for having me.

In the midst of everything going on, Big Box Storage has realized they have an opportunity to help the community and students in their time of need. Any student enrolled in any higher education institute in San Diego that has been displaced from student housing due to COVID19, will receive their first month free as well as free initial delivery and pickup.

Big Box Storage is a portable storage company that offers transportation of your very own storage unit right to your door. They have one size unit. It is 8 feet deep x 5 feet wide x 7 feet tall. Each Big Box typically holds about one room of household goods. When making a reservation, they always recommend overordering since you will only pay for the Big Boxes that you actually use. So for example, if you have a 2 bedroom house, order 3 Big Boxes at least. Then if you get everything into 2 of them, you will only be charged for the 2. They will deliver these Big Boxes to your home and allow you as much time as you need to get your items loaded up, then they will come back and pick it up and take it to their centrally located, indoor warehouse for safekeeping. You may access your belongings 7 days a week with just a 2-hour notice during access hours, and there is never a charge to access your items.

As of the date of this posting, Big Box Storage has the lowest price for portable storage in San Diego country, a fact that they back up with their lowest price guarantee. If by chance you could find a lower posted rate than what is offered by Big Box Storage, they will match and beat the competitor’s price by at least 10%. The month to month rental rate for one Big Box is $89, or if you could commit to a year the monthly rental rate drops down to $79 per Big Box. Both rates come with $500 of property protection to give you peace of mind that the contents will be safe. They even offer to bump up the coverage to $5000 for just $7 per month!

There is not a single portable storage company in San Diego that treats their customers better than Big Box Storage. If you are looking for the best price, best service, and safest bet, call Big Box Storage and get your reservation set up today.

Please share with any student in the San Diego area that may need emergency storage.