A little over a year ago, I was frantically packing my bedding, decorations, kitchenware, and far too many clothes into all the available space in the back of my mother's Jeep. Besides one summer camp during high school, I had never had any reason to pack up most of my belongings and go. This lack of experience led me to the naive belief that I knew what I was doing and that move-in day would be a breeze. I was wrong.
Plenty of things can go wrong on move-in day, especially for freshmen. This is a new experience, so try not to get too frustrated if the day isn't all smooth sailing.
You're going to forget something that you need.
Even with help from my parents, I fully expected to forget something important. What I didn't expect to forget was soap. Keep in mind, I managed to remember my record player along with nearly 30 records and a mini exercise trampoline.
If you think you won't forget anything, you're wrong. That's okay. Almost everyone has done it. Ask your parents to mail it to you, grab it the next time you make a trip home, or go buy it if it's something you can't live without. This problem has many solutions, so don't sweat it!
Don't freak out if you overpacked.
As we unpacked the car outside Haggin Hall and loaded all of my belongings into shopping carts and dollies, I was panicking. I was fully convinced that no one else had nearly as many carts going up the elevator as I did and that everyone was going to notice how severely I had overpacked.
Now, I realize that I was being silly. Most people will bring tons of things that they may not even need in the long run. It's normal to feel anxious about this, but it's better to overpack than to wish you had brought more things. If you realize that you've packed something you really don't need, you can always send it back home with your family!
Parking is few and far between.
Quite possibly the worst part of move-in day is finding a place to park. The residence halls don't have much parking availability near them, and even though move-in times are staggered to alleviate the number of people moving in at once, it can still be difficult to find parking. However, cars are typically only allowed a 30-minute time slot to park by the residence halls. This means that once you are parked, the best option is to get everything you need out of your car and have it waiting on the sidewalk to bring inside. It may be a bit overwhelming, but do your best to be as fast and efficient as possible and moving in will be easier.
Crazy, unforeseen circumstances are incredibly likely to come up on move-in day. I have met someone who forgot to bring their towels to school. Another person got a flat tire on the way to Lexington. It won't be perfect, but moving into your residence hall is an experience that you will never forget. Take cute pictures of your room. Enjoy meeting all of your neighbors. Just don't forget the mistakes along the way. They make for hilarious stories, and hopefully, they will make move-in day next year go a little bit more smoothly.
