Moving to College Tips

Moving to college is an exciting time as you make the transition into a more independent lifestyle and finally start living on your own (to a certain degree!). However, the moving part of college can be stressful, especially if you don’t plan the move properly. To avoid starting off college on the wrong foot, here are some college moving tips that will help you kick off the year with a bang!

1. Look at Your College’s List of Do’s and Don’ts

Almost every college has a list of what you should bring to your dorm, what you need to leave at home, and what is absolutely not allowed on campus. Although you probably don’t plan on bringing unnecessary or banned items, make sure to look through your college’s website and see what they recommend you bring with you and what you should leave at home. This will give you a clearer idea of what you need to look for when you begin the packing process.

2. Give Yourself Plenty of Time to Pack

There is nothing worse than packing your belongings last minute. Not only are you more likely to forget important things but if you live far away from campus, you will have to do without these items until your parents can send them to you or until you can purchase replacements. Give yourself at least a couple of weeks to come up with your own list of necessities and to start gathering those items so that you can pack them when the time comes. The more time you give yourself, the more prepared you will be for the move to your new home!

3. Layout All of Your Items in a Designated Spot

The best thing to do when you begin packing is to lay your items in a spot that will be relatively uninterrupted. This will allow you to keep track of which items are already prepared for the move and which items you still need to get a hold of before you make the move. Then, when you are ready, you can start packing these items without having to worry about what you may or may not be missing.

4. Stock Up on Necessities Before the Move

If you’re like the majority of college students, you probably won’t have too much money when you first enter college. Because of this, the smart thing to do is to stock up on necessities before you move into your dorm. No matter what these necessities may be such as food or toiletries, you will have a surplus of them so that you can focus on spending your money on other things when you get to college.

5. Take a Look at Your Dorm Before You Move in

Depending on which college you go to and how much money you have to spend on on-campus living, your dorm might not have enough room to fit everything you want or to allow for the type of decorations you have in mind. Before you begin moving or even planning what you want your dorm to look like, make sure you know exactly what you are going to get before you move. This way, you will have a plan in mind with where you are going to fit all your stuff and how you are going to decorate.

6. Take Up as Little Space as Possible

Packing smart is always about taking up as little space as possible. Although this can be hard to achieve with larger items such as televisions and computer monitors, it is always possible to make sure that your clothing and your smaller items are packed away smartly. For example, if you know you have a lot of clothes that are larger, use a compression bag to save space and to keep them from filling up other bags. If you have a lot of smaller clothes, roll them up and arrange them in such a way that you get the most out of your space. The less you have to carry during move-in day, the happier you are going to be, especially if your dorm is far away from your car or located up several flights of stairs.

7. Pack Everything You Don’t Need at Home Right Now

Once you’ve identified everything you need, start packing up the essentials that you aren’t going to be using at home. There will always be things that you are going to need to pack the day of such as your toothbrush or other products you use on a daily basis. These should be the only items that you worry about when the move-in date arrives. Everything else that you aren’t using before the move-in date should already be packed to reduce stress and the possibility of losing things during the move.

8. Move in As Early as Possible

Move-in day can be very hectic! Everyone is trying to check in, your RA’s are trying to keep track of everything that is going on and are giving you loads of information, and there are probably going to be people in front of you who are taking up hallways with all of the things they brought to college. The more time you give yourself during move-in day, the better. Come as early as possible so that the process is fluent and so that you have ample time afterward to take care of all your shopping and other college-related activities.

Bonus Tip: If you have more space, a lot of items, or if you need to bring your own furniture when you move, consider hiring a moving company so that you have more time to devote to the other activities you will be engaging in during move-in day.

Using the eight tips above, moving into your new dorm in college will be a breeze. If you keep a level head and plan before the move, you are guaranteed to be successful!