The day is upon us -- or has already passed for some college-bound lads and lassies, but as for the rest of us the chaos of packing up and scooting out is here. Now, whether you’ve been there before or you are a full-fledged noob, I have a few quick tips to make that monumental move quick and painless.
The ultimate clothes and shoes detox.
Whether this be your first rodeo or not, it is always good to take another gander through your wardrobe and decide what can stay and what can go. I know that dress you wore once for that one thing is super cute but, will you ever realistically wear it again? Or those adorable shoes you got on sale that are still sitting at the bottom of your closet? Think about the staples of your everyday apparel, and the things you love the most -- the rest can get carted straight to Goodwill.
And as far as seasonal wear, don’t bring those miles and miles of winter sweaters with you from the get-go. Wait until you can safely take home your summer apparel so that you have the room. Don’t pull a "me" and start triple hanging things because there just isn’t room. Seasons change and, let’s face it, so do our wardrobes.
Do your laundry now -- not later.
In the busyness of move-in and settling into a new setting with new people you definitely don’t want to be worried about running out of shorts or undergarments. Do all your laundry before moving in; it’ll make you and your wallet/laundry card very happy.
Ditch the water pitcher.
I know, I know, nearly every college-needs list has the Brita water filter pitcher that is an "essential to dorm life," but I can assure you, in my dorm there was no easy place to put that big, gaudy thing. Not only did it take ages to fill, but it took up half of our little fridge. Unless you are planning on buying a humongous fridge, ditch the pitcher until you own a fridge to fit it.
Bring school supplies (duh).
This sounds like a given -- you are going to college so you will probably be needing a few notebooks and pencils. Though when I was preparing for the big day such supplies were one of the last things on my mind. After shelving and fridges and carpets, etc., it’s easy to forget. So don’t forget the reason you are moving and get those school things!
Don't forget your best storage friend: mini fridge.
I completely overlooked the fridge when I moved out for the first time last summer. Think of all the empty space that fridge is just waiting to have filled! Whether it’s food items or just miscellaneous things, the more you can fit in the fridge the less you have to pack in an extra box or container. Don’t. Forget. The. Fridge.
A picture holds a thousand memories.
While in your hectic packing don’t forget to bring along some of those cute pictures. You don’t have to tote along your whole life in photographs, but just a few to bring you back down to earth when things get tough. It’s nice to have familiar faces to look at in the midst of this great change.
Plan ahead for the big day.
This, again, sounds like a no-brainer. But don’t forget to make sure you will have the vehicle space for all your belongings. Whether it’s just you, or you and your family, take some time to figure it out before the morning of! It’s always nice to go to bed the night before the big day knowing everything is packed away where it should be.
Are those really needs? Or just thneeds?
There are things we need in our lives, like coffee or tea or certain movies or music, but give great consideration to things you actually need to bring with you versus things you want to bring but probably will never use. I, for instance, brought my record player and a lot of records, and do you know how many times I used that bad boy? A whopping zero times. So think hard about whether the things you think you need are actually needs -- or just thneeds.
Leave your Library at home.
Books are great and reading is even greater, but once classes get into full swing you will not have as much time as you thought to read those 20 or so books you lugged along with you. Bring a book or two and see how that goes, but when homework and paper deadlines are upon you, reading will not be priority number one. Summertime is reading time, right?
RELAX.
Finally, the most obvious bit of advice I can give; relax. This is new territory for most of you. You will be meeting new people and having lots of new experiences. Take a deep breath and revel in all the opportunity that lies before you. It is so okay to be nervous, but use those nerves to make lifelong friendships and learn new things and go on adventures. Have fun and find out who you want to be, because as every assembly in high school stated, these four years will fly by. So carpe diem and be free!
