College move-in day can be a really stressful, and exhausting day. That’s why I made a list of my top tips to handle move-in day like a pro, that I wish I knew beforehand!
1. Organize Boxes by Category
When I was packing all of my belongings for my college move-in, my main goal was to have the least amount of move-in boxes as possible, meaning I had to squeeze all of my stuff in the few boxes I had. Once I started moving in, I realized how horrible of an idea that turned out to be, because I had no clue where everything was in those boxes. My family was trying to help me put things away since there was not much space for all of my boxes, especially with tons of people in the room, and that was nearly impossible because there were different items in each box. All of my boxes were super unorganized, so it made it really hard to actually unpack everything efficiently. I highly recommend organizing your boxes by closet items, desk items, toiletries, etc. This will make unpacking on move-in day efficient, and much easier for your family to help you out as well!
2. Label Everything
My college had sent out a long email on what our move-in would look like, and one item mentioned was that our belongings needed to be labeled. So I labeled my boxes! However, I thought that since I would be carrying my stuff to my dorm that I could leave a few things unlabelled, like my nightstand and pillows, because I couldn’t fit them in boxes. I was so wrong. I know that not all colleges do this, but on my move-in day, students actually came to my car and helped bring boxes up. The second those students came to my car, I immediately realized that I should have labeled everything anyways. Even if your school does not do this, I highly recommend labeling everything anyways, that way if a box of yours gets lost, someone who finds it will know who the box belongs to and where to bring it. Definitely label ALL of your belongings with your full name, dorm building, and room number.
3. Bring Food for the Car Ride
I insist on you bringing food no matter the distance to your school. I had to wait in a huge line of cars for over an hour before I could even see my building. Only so many cars can pull up to dorm buildings at once, so most colleges have to enforce a line to keep everything organized while you wait to get to your dorm. Not only did I wait in a line for over an hour, but it was eighty degrees as well. Definitely bring snacks and waters, because waiting that long to actually move-in will make you hungry.
4. Dress Comfortably
On my move-in day, I really debated what I was going to wear. However, that’s how every day goes for me because I never can decide on an outfit. Fortunately, that day I picked out work-out clothes, and it’s something I really recommend doing. Not only will moving boxes be tiring, but your dorm will also be insanely hot because most dorms don’t have A/C. I wore running shoes, shorts, a tank top. I was really comfortable all day, despite the treacherous heat and flights of stairs.
5. Bring Tools
“Tools” sounds a little more handyman than I intended, but I didn’t know how else to phrase it! I didn’t realize until I arrived at my dorm the tools I needed in order to unpack. I had a million boxes that were covered in tape and required scissors to open. Everything in the room was super dusty and dirty and needed to be cleaned. I also had some items that required a screwdriver because they needed to be built (like my nightstand). The dorm can also get super warm and overfilled if the door is shut. The “tools” I really recommend you bring are scissors, duct tape, paper towels, disinfectant spray, and a doorstop.
6. Arrive Early
It is insanely important that you arrive at campus on time so that you can actually start moving in. You want to move in earlier, to have more time to unpack and run out if you forgot anything. Therefore, my advice is that you show up early. In my opinion, it never hurts to show up early. You never know if traffic will be bad, or if you need to drive back because you forgot something.
7. Stay Positive!
My last tip is to simply stay positive! College move-in day can be really overwhelming at first. But don’t forget you are paying to live on campus and get a degree, so get your money’s worth! Introduce yourself to your new roommate(s), don’t lose your key, and put yourself out there. The best thing you can do is to be yourself, be nice to everyone, and get to know people. You may not become best friends with your roommates, and that’s okay! As long as you all can live together amicably. But you never know, you may become really close friends, I did with my roommates!
I hope these tips will help you prepare for your first college move-in day! You’re going to do great no matter what, this is a new experience, so it’s totally normal to feel nervous! Just try your best to stay positive and meet new people, it will pay off. If you want to hear more about college move-in day, I broke down exactly what happens in this blog post!
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