I think early is better. I’m helping my oldest move back in on 8/12 as he is living in a super suite in Morrison this year. Last year, he lived in Horton.
I think boys are a lot easier on what they actually need but girls are easier on unpacking. Meaning if we had left bags unpacked, they would have stayed unpacked the whole semester. A girl would never do that. He needs a lot less but my wife always overdoes it so we end up there forever. Last year, she was hanging curtains in the room.
I will say this - make the dorm the hangout spot. We brought a couch, curtains, big TV and honestly set it up like a man’s cave. That helped my introvert son as everyone (including the girls next door) gravitated to his room as the spot to be. He met so many folks that way. A lot of kids nowadays don’t even bring TVs which is crazy to me but they are all used to streaming on devices. Push against that.