15 Tips To Know Before College Move In Day
College move in day is one of the most important parts of going away to your school. Not only is it another level of independence away from your family, but it’s also a new space that allows you to do whatever you like with it. A way to express yourself that’s entirely your own and no one else’s. But before you settle in and start to make the most of your new space, you have to move in. So to help you out, here are some of our top tips for college move in day.
Prepare Some Storage Space
One of the most notorious things to a college dorm is just how small they can be. If you want to get all your stuff in there, you’re gonna have to be a bit clever how you go about doing it. Shelves, storage boxes, hangers, hooks, and other such organizational tools can help your room be maximized like you wouldn’t believe.
Know More Is Less
Another go-to college move in day trick that you should keep in mind is: less is more. While, yes, you will be staying in your dorm for a good majority of the year. But you don’t need to bring absolutely everything with you. Most of the time, you will be provided basic furniture to outfit your room with. You don’t need to bring tables and chairs and a whole kitchen sink with you. Just be practical about what you bring, and you’ll be fine.
Pack Early
Another college move in day trick that you should keep in mind is pack early. Not only will this give you time to gather anything that you remember last minute or might have missed out otherwise, but it also just makes the whole process easier, to begin with. Not to mention it gives you time to Tetris all your stuff together, so there aren’t so many boxes to deal with.
Coat Hangers Are Your Friend
Not only are coat hangers great for clothing in general, but they are surprisingly versatile when it comes to hanging them up on the wall. If you have wire coat hangers, you can bend them around till you get an excellent shape to hold something together. They are sturdy, easy to use, cheap, and widely available
Bring Cleaning Supplies
You can thank me later for this college move in day trip. Not only will you probably want to have cleaning products on hand in case you find anything disgusting that the last dorm room occupant left you. But you’re also going to probably just want to have a few cleaning supplies on hand in general; since dorm life can get kinda disgusting if you’re not careful. They might not be as available as you would like them to be at the school store.
Keep Your Bed Clear At All Times
There is nothing worse than at the end of college move in day where you’ve moved all your stuff, settled down, and then you can’t even have a good night’s rest after all your hard work and toils. So to prevent this from happening, make sure to keep your bed clear. The bed is one of the most essential parts of your room, it’s the bedroom, after all, so make sure to keep it clean and tidy so you can sleep well even if there’s more work to do tomorrow.
Bring Some Home Comfort
Sure, college is an excellent way for you to reinvent yourself. Expose yourself to new ideas, new ways of meeting people, figuring out who you are. But you don’t want to lose yourself entirely either. One of the great ways that you can make sure to keep your roots while you soar off to bigger and better things is to make sure that you take just a little piece of home with you when you settle in on college move in day.
Note Any Damages In The Room
One of the first things you should do before you start putting everything where you want it to go is to make sure that you document any damages that you see. This is good for two reasons. One: It will give you a to-do list to call maintenance for later. And two: it will provide you with photographic evidence and documentation that the damages done to the room were there before you, so if the school tries to charge you for it, you have proof in your favor.
Make Sure You Have Your Toiletries
There is nothing worse than forgetting your toothbrush at home just in time for you to go to your very first class of the semester with a raging case of morning breath. So to avoid that, make sure you pack your travel toiletries in a suitcase that you have on you at all times. Just make sure to keep track of that one in particular, and you shouldn’t have that problem.
Make Sure You Have Clothes To Spare
One your first week or so, the laundry rooms will probably be packed. Tons of people either forgetting to do their laundry beforehand, clothes getting ruined from all the freshman orientation first week binges, tons of things, so make sure you have a few extra clothes on hand. Besides, if you put all your clothes in one box and lose that box, you’re going to be pretty upset with yourself.
Get There Early
There is nothing worse than coming into your dorm room to find that your roommate has taken over everything that you could want in your room. They chose the bed, they got the right side of the room, they got better furniture, it’s not a good scene. So get ahead of the rush and try to get there a little early. It’ll really be worth it.
Bring a Fan or Two….or Three
Most college move in days happen pretty late into the summer, but not quite so far into the fall that you’ll be drinking any pumpkin spice anytime soon. And if you’re unlucky enough to have a dorm room without airconditioning, then this is going to be a big deal for you. You’re going to want to bring a fan or two with you, so you’re not boiling in your own juices by the end of the day.
It’s Okay To Get A little Teary
Moving is an emotional process. There’s no denying it, and everyone has been there, so if you find yourself getting a little sniffly and teary-eyed when it comes time to say goodbye, don’t be scared to give the people who brought you and helped you move in a big hug. They’re certainly feeling much the same that you are.
Wear Something Comfy
Moving is a messy process. There are no two ways around it. So when moving, you’re gonna want to dress in something comfortable and breathable so that way you’re not entirely dying in your best dress. Save the beautiful clothes for the first day of classes, and for your college move in day, put on your comfy pair of pj’s
Say Hi To Your Neighbors
You’re probably going to be with your dormmates for a couple of months to come, so when moving in, don’t be afraid to say hi and introduce yourself. Ask around to see if anyone needs help when you’re done and feel free to make friends. This is supposed to be fun, after all.
