The first day at college represents a new start to life. But the things involved in getting there can seem overwhelming. Here are some tips on how to make your college move-in day less stressful.
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This post is all about ways to help make college move-in day less stressful.
College move-in day may be one of the most exciting days of your life. It can also be one of the most stressful days.
But for once, you’ll be almost completely free of your parents. That alone brings excitement and anxiety of it’s own.
It’s not always easy to make the transition from living at home to moving into the college dorm. But being prepared can help to make the move in day less stressful. Keep in mind that plans are always subject to change, so it helps to be flexible.
Here are some tips for how to make college move-in day less stressful.
17 College Moving Day Tips
1—Get to know your living situation.
Most freshman dorms feature two-person rooms where you’ll share your room with a roommate. Depending on enrollment numbers, you could find yourself in a forced triple, where space is usually very tight.
You’ll want to know things like how many roommates you can expect to have, how your dorm room is set up, measurements for furniture and bedding, and whether or not there will be communal showers. You may be able contact your dorm manager or RA to find out information about what type of room you are scheduled to have and find out more about your roommate(s) before making your way to college.
Finding out more about what your living situation is expected to be can help you plan better for what to pack.
2—Use good packing materials.
Use sturdy boxes, packaging tape, and bags to pack your items. Packing materials like bubble wrap and packing peanuts can help to keep delicate items like glass, ceramic, and lamps from breaking during transit.
Also, remove light bulbs from lamps before packing the lamps. Pack light bulbs separately from lamps.
Learn how to pack things and tape up a shipping box properly. Nothing is worse than walking in front of new roommates and having the bottom come out of your box while you are trying to carry it down a long hallway.
3—Label everything.
If you are driving to college and taking bags and boxes with you, then label everything so that your items are easy to find once you get to your room.
If you are sending parcels through the mail, then don’t label the outsides of boxes or parcels, so that the contents inside the boxes or parcels remain secret. It can be helpful to come up with a list or organization method that helps you know what is inside the box, in a way that only you and not others will know.
4—Organize the items that you pack as you pack them.
Pack all “like” items together, or items that have similar uses. For example, your comforter, bed sheets, and pillows could all be grouped together in a “Bedding” box; sweaters, jeans, and coats, packed together in a “Winter Clothes” box; pens, binders, and desk organizers are stacked together in a “School Supplies” box, and so on.
5—Wash your bedding before you go.
Once you are sure that you have what you need for dorm bedding, wash the linens before you go to college. The linens are then ready to go on your bed once you get there, and this will save you a trip to the laundry room during a very busy time.
Be sure to contact your dorm management to know what size bed linens to get for your dorm bed before you buy or wash any bedding.
6—Pack only what you need.
This blog has posts (like these posts on dorm room organization essentials and unusual dorm essentials that you may not realize are useful until you need them) that can help you determine what items to pack for college. There are also posts on how to decorate a dorm room, that tell you some of the most popular trends for decorating, and ideas on how to make a dorm bed more comfortable.
Though it may seem like a lot, there are some things that can help you have an organized, productive, and comfortable life at college. Studying lists like these carefully can help you to determine what you may need to bring for your life at college.
Keep in mind that each person’s needs are different, and you should do your research–including consulting materials sent by your college or university and talking to family and friends, to help you determine what you may or may not need to pack for college or university. In addition, your needs will likely change over time.
7—Find out if there is an elevator.
Find out if there is an elevator in your dorm that you can use for traveling up to your dorm room if necessary. You don’t want to pack bags and boxes too heavily if you’ll have to carry them up and down stairs.
8—Figure out if you need a moving truck.
Sometimes you have more gear than the family mini van or car can handle. Options include packing less things and/or shipping some things to your dorm, but if you still have things that you need or want to bring in person, then it may be necessary to rent a moving truck instead.
9—Use storage & organization containers for packing.
If you know that you’ll be using certain storage and organization items in your dorm room, then it may be helpful to pack those storage containers with the things that you plan to use at college. This makes it easy to pull things out and add them to your room at college. You then should only have to pack and unpack these items once.
10—Bring a dolly or hand truck.
A dolly or hand truck can be a big help when it comes to loading and moving boxes. If one or two dollies or hand trucks exist at your dorm, then they’ll probably be in high demand, so it can be useful to bring your own. If you plan to use a dolly or hand truck to assist with moving items, make sure you know how to load and use the equipment properly and safely before you use it.
11—Don’t forget the cleaning essentials.
Pack an all-purpose cleaner, paper towels, a duster, and other cleaning essentials that you may need to clean your new room.
12—Know how to get there.
Sometimes knowing how to get there is half the battle when getting started. Make sure you have maps and know routes for getting to college. A printed map or paper map can be especially useful for getting familiar with the route that you plan to take.
It can also be useful to have an app that lets you know things like traffic updates when you travel.
13—Know where to park.
Parking at college campuses can be a real challenge, so scout out potential parking spaces ahead of time. Parking as close to your dorm building as you can when it’s time to unload and unpack can help to make things easier.
14—Go early.
Sometimes, it can be easier to get an early start, especially when the weather is hot. Find out the earliest that your dorm will allow students to move in, if you are trying to get ahead of the pack (be aware that other students and their families may have the same idea, however!).
Make sure to know what the allowed moving in dates and times for your residence hall or dorm are before you go. You don’t want to arrive too early and find yourself locked out of your building.
15—Get to know your roommate.
Take time to say hello to your new roommate(s). You’ll probably both be busy, so there won’t be much time for chatting, but it helps to start things off on the right foot.
16—Be kind to the ones you love.
Your parents / caretakers / family members and friends are probably just as stressed as you are while moving, but for different reasons. Try to be patient with them. If things get too stressful, you can always take a walk around the dorm to meet your new college mates.
17—Don’t forget to enroll in classes.
During the excitement and adventure of moving-in time, it is easy to forget to do other important things like enrolling in classes. Sometimes it helps to enroll early, as soon as your college will allow students to begin selecting their classes. Make sure you know the final date to make adjustments or drop classes, in case you need to change your schedule.
This post featured tips to help make college move-in day less stressful.
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credits
- Photo by Matthew Henry / Unsplash
- Photos are used for illustrative purposes only.