The summer after your senior year will be one of the shortest yet most memorable summers of your life. You find yourself attending any and all graduation parties and events, spending time with all of your friends before the tragic goodbyes and separation anxiety set in. Although extremely fun and memorable, the summer going into your freshman year of college is: 1) sad 2) stressful and 3) very, very expensive.
In saying all of your "goodbyes" and your "good lucks" to your best friends and peers, remember it is not goodbye forever. The summer may drone on and on as you wait for the goodbyes to begin, but even if your bestie is moving a few hundred miles away, just keep in mind there is always FaceTime and I can guarantee that you will be texting just about every day. Don’t make the goodbyes sad and teary; keep them cheerful. This is not like a Jack and Rose goodbye.
Packing and getting your checklist done will be the most stressful and expensive part of the summer. Now you may be thinking, “Oh, if Target says I need to buy it then I must!” No, no, no. Please save yourself the trouble when going dorm shopping and try not to buy everything in sight. Your dorm is nothing (and I mean nothing) like your room at home.
It is a lot less space and you're sharing it with another person. Now yes, you want to do any and all that you can to make your dorm room as homey as possible, but that futon Target has on its “Dorm Room Checklist” or the 500 other very cute yet very unnecessary things are definitely not a necessity. (Hint: a simple tapestry is the best way to create a less "dormy" feel.)
From the experience of a newly retired college freshman, there are only three things you REALLY need: 1) food -- stock up on the snacks while you can, 2) something to make a college dorm bed feel like clouds -- the beds provided are certainly not up to par but you can make them be, and 3) a good amount of storage bins and command strips. Yeah, you’ll need those for move-in and to hide all of your junk. Also, you will want to hang a lot of your things.
Ladies, I know that you love all of your clothes and everything in your room at home and blah blah blah. Don’t bring it all to college! Save yourself the trouble and do not overpack (it'll be the worst mistake of your life). Half of the things you will pack, I can guarantee you won't wear or use. You might say, “Oh yeah I can totally make an outfit out of this when the time comes!” No, you won't do that. Chances are, that one shirt you just couldn't leave home will sit in your small closet, taking up room, and then it will hate you, just hate you, for bringing it along with you. Pack moderately and take only what you really need. See, guys get it easy. They will just pack a pair of boxers, a shirt and a pair of shorts and they will be set for the rest of the semester. Girls don't get it that easy. Just a word of advice, please do not bring the entire closet, you really, REALLY don't have room.
A word of advice: if you aren’t going far from home, consider buying the major essentials and then seeing what you need. You really don’t need to buy your entire dorm room in one stop. Also, it is not necessary to buy all new things. You can bring things from home and it’s a total money saver!
Regardless of how stressed you may be or how worried you are for the future, remember what you have in front of you and enjoy the summer before college as much as you can. In the blink of an eye, you will be off.
