Move-in day is exciting, nerve-wracking, stressful, and a little bit sad all wrapped up into 24 hours. You're leaving home and taking the next step in your life, starting the journey of college. It might be scary going into, but it's the start of the next 4 years! Hopefully these 10 tips can help prepare you for the big day and make the process a little less stressful.

1. Get good sleep the night before.

It'll be tough to get a good night's rest before your first day of college because you'll be too excited, but try your best. You have a long day ahead of you and will need all the energy you can get. Plus, you don't want to be cranky when you're meeting new friends or saying goodbye to your parents.

2. Eat a decent breakfast.

You're going to be moving a lot of heavy boxes and working nonstop so you need a good meal to fuel you for the day. Also make sure to enjoy your last home-cooked meal because caf food just isn't the same.

3. Keep clothes on hangers.

I know you've probably heard this one a hundred times, but it really is a time and space saver. Just wrap a garbage bag around a section of clothes on a hanger and transport them from home straight to your dorm closet.

4. Make use of storage bins, garbage cans, laundry baskets, suitcases, backpack, etc.

Packing up your whole life and moving it to a new room does not make for a light load, but make things easier on yourself and pack as much as you can into the storage you already have. Stuff some clothes in your backpack, pack all your personal hygiene supplies in your garbage bin, or put your bedding and pillows in a laundry basket to save room and make use of your space.

5. Have a plan.

Designate jobs ahead of time to your parents or siblings to make for an efficient day. Make sure you have an idea of how you want your room to look so you aren't stressed and panicked once the big day arrives. Pack the car in order of importance; the things you want readily available pack last.

6. Set up a fan and make your bed first.

More than likely you'll be moving in on a hot August or September day and packing several sweaty bodies into a tiny space makes for a very unbearable temperature. Set up a fan to keep everyone cool and sweep the warm air from the room so you can move-in in peace. Making your bed first is also extremely helpful to get bulky boxes of bedding out of the way, and then it's a clear space to set more boxes on top of.

7. Try to move in at a different time than your roommate.

Dorm rooms aren't the most spacious rooms in the world, and cramming one family in is hard enough. Try to work it out with your roommate ahead of time so that you both aren't moving in at the same time. Double the bodies, double the stuff, double the stress.

8. Make new friends.

Be friendly! Go with your roommate and introduce yourselves to your next door neighbors, say hi to hallmates when you pass them, and keep your door open in case anyone wants to stop in and say hello!

9. Save decorating for last.

Your goal might be to have your whole room put together and ready for the school year, but moving in takes a lot longer than you might think. Save yourself some stress and don't expect to have your room decorated that same day. You'll probably be tired from unpacking and moving everything in, and you'll most likely have to attend other events or activities later that day.

10. Be flexible and adaptable.

As nice as it is to be prepared and have a plan, sometimes things just don't go the way you want. Go into move-in day with a positive attitude and try to keep up with everything thrown at you. Remember that today does not determine how the rest of your school year will go. You can always move things around in your room and redecorate and you'll constantly be meeting more people every day.