Whether you've already graduated or you are only a few days away from the big day, summer is here, and sooner or later, you need to start getting ready for your freshman year! One awesome fact about graduation season is the gifts you'll receive from loved ones who are proud of your accomplishments, often in the form of money. This gives you the perfect opportunity to start preparing for August.
Talk to your soon-to-be roommate.
Before you start planning how you decorate your dorm, you should get into contact with your future roommate. By talking to each other, you can get a feel for your various likes and dislikes, your personalities and your styles. This way, you can plan matching decorations together if you so desire, or you can decide who brings what to the room. You don't want to bring two of the same appliances; there isn't any room for that mess! Unless you love coffee, in which case, feel free to bring multiple Keurigs!
Look for a list of what to bring to college.
If you're anything like me, trying to figure out what to bring to school on your own can be very confusing. Luckily, there are lists all over the internet to help you! While some lists have way too many things on them that most likely won't even fit in your dorm, looking at these lists will help you ease into the world of dorm furnishing and will help to prevent future confusions or meltdowns. Bed Bath and Beyond, as well as many colleges, provide "what to bring" lists on their websites for students to use.
Consult a current college student.
Whether they attend the same college as you or not, it's a good idea to talk to someone who's had some experience in moving into a dorm. We love talking about our schools and want to help new students not make the same mistakes we did (i.e. bringing too many things, throwing away your boxes, etc.). Reaching out to someone who goes to your school though is very beneficial, especially if you want to hear from someone who has lived in the same place as you and has experienced what you soon will. It's also useful as you decide what to bring with you because they've experienced the struggle of fitting everything they brought to school (and acquired throughout the year) in one car in May. Not fun.
Hang out with friends from home.
It's not like you weren't planning on it anyways, but it's important to spend some time with the people you actually live close to before you move miles away to college. Before you know it, you'll be in a new town,; forced to meet new people (I mean forced in the best way possible), and you'll want to have those friends to talk to whenever you want. It's important to remember that it takes just as much effort to maintain those friendships from home as it does to make new ones at school.
Get your textbooks.
If you've already made your schedule, you should start looking for your textbooks as soon as possible. Some campuses have programs, where you can buy or rent books, but if you prefer to do it on your own and probably save a bit of money, it's smart to not wait. You don't want to be searching for books at the same time as thousands of other students.
Start talking to people in your new class.
Many of admissions offices like to make groups on Facebook and other apps like Group Me, just for the upcoming class. While they can be overwhelming and random at times, these groups are a great way to start meeting people in your class. You can even plan group outings with people who live in the same area as you. I know; it sounds weird, but making the most of it and being intentional with your new classmates in the easiest way to ensure that you know at least one person on the first day.
Make sure you know the specifics of your dorm.
Can I light candles? Are microwaves allowed? Is there a kitchen in my dorm? These are just a few questions you'll need answered before you start buying things for your room. If you've taken a tour there, then it's likely that many questions have been answered, but it's always good to brush up by checking out your school's website. Here, you can find specific dimensions of your room, as well as everything you need to know about what you can and cannot bring or in your dorm. No one wants you to be that kid who sets off the fire alarm the first night, and your parents definitely don't want to have to bring stuff home that didn't fit in your room.
Go shopping!
This can be the best or worst part about getting ready for your freshman year. It's very hectic, and you'll need to use a lot of lists and shop at a lot of places. Still, you get to shop. Stores like Bed Bath and Beyond and Target are great because they have ads, lists and sales catered to the college student, but many other stores also sell to college students. The "browse by category" feature found on basically every store website is the best indication of whether or not that store has a college section. Pick a store, get that graduation money ready and go shopping. The poor college student in me is telling me to say to be a smart shopper and look for sales or decently priced things. Pinterest DIYs are literally meant to help you make your things look cuter, so you can spend less money.
Get/make something personal for your dorm.
Personalizing a dorm room can mean so many things. It comes down to making it your own, a place where you can be and express yourself. Specifically, I'm talking about that one thing that makes you think of home or maybe something that represents you outside of college. Whether it's a collage of pictures of family and friends, the biggest and most obnoxious Texas flag to bother all of the non-Texans or a really crafty name tag for your dorm, finding something that is personal and makes your room that much more comfortable will help you to settle into your freshman year perfectly.
