Pack a bag with personal stuff
Thing is, you probably won’t finish unpacking and organizing everything the day you move in. Which is why you should pack a separate bag, for personal essentials, like a change of clothes, toothbrush, a phone charger and other things that you need. It took me like 2 days to unpack and put everything in place, so trust me when I say, it takes time. Even if you finish organizing everything the same day, you might want to rearrange it after.Pack your things in suitcases
On move-in day there were carts available but there were so many people we actually had to wait a couple hours to get our hands on those. I saw a couple students moving in with their suitcases, which seemed to make the whole process faster & easier. So, try packing your stuff in suitcases or anything that has wheels. And then, once you unpack, give them to your parents so that they can take them back home. Because, unless you live in a huge dorm, there is no space for suitcases. Related: Survive your Freshman Year of CollegePack things separated into categories
To make unpacking easier, you could separate your things into categories and pack them. For example, you could pack an entire bag with just clothes, another with just shoes and another one with kitchen and bathroom supplies.Be patient
When I was moving in there was a huge line of people waiting for the elevator and the carts and it was incredibly hot. We were waiting outside for like a couple hours before being able to start moving in. I’m very impatient and I got so annoyed that day, it just made me mad having to wait for so long… But that just made my day worse. Be patient. Just know that you’ll have to wait some time and it is a lot of work so the best thing you can do is to be patient and be positive. I know it might be hard, but try to have fun! Move-in day marks the beginning of your whole college experience (if you’re an incoming freshman). So, try to have fun and to make this day a memorable one. Related: 5 Things You Should do Your First Week of CollegeBring cleaning supplies
Lysol wipes are a must! Wipe everything down and sweep quickly to get rid of all the dust built up during the summer. Besides, you never know what happened in that dorm and if it was cleaned properly.Have everything ready the day before
Plan everything out. At what time will you be leaving your home? At what time will be getting there? Check if you have everything you need for college. It is better to leave things ready and to make sure you aren’t forgetting anything, than doing everything last minute.Get there first
If it is possible to get to your dorm before your roommate does, do it! That way you’ll be able to choose the bed you like more, the side of the room you want and you’ll also get to pack out your things first.Check if everything works
Before you start cleaning and unpacking, check if everything works. Do the plugs and light switches work? Do the walls have holes, stains or are ripped? If so, let the front desk know. If not, they’ll think it was you and you could be charged a fee. Related: 5 Dorm room ideas I’m obsessing overHave fun!
Have lots of fun, after all, your college journey is about to begin and that is something to be excited about. I don’t know about other schools, but in my school, we had a welcome week. That was basically a week filled with lots of fun events to welcome students. So check with your school to see if they have something like that and if they do, attend the events and make some friends!
