Movin' In Tips!

So with college move-in days quickly approaching, I thought I'd share some tips with everyone about the most anticipated day for all college students: move in day!

{From PB Teen...how can they make even moving in cute?!}

It can be scary, fun, exciting, nerve-wrecking, sad, happy, and probably another million things! Having moved myself in twice before, and my brother four times before that, I feel like I have tons of experience with this day!


1. Try to stay calm and relaxed! Yes, moving in and getting used to your new home can be tremendously scary and stressful, but just take deep breaths and try to be flexible! In all six of the move in days I've seen, something always seems to go wrong. No matter what you do, something will. My brother's sophomore year, his name was the only one (out of four) that wasn't on the door! That freaked him out, he swore he was going to be homeless! That was until his RA told him that she just ran out of supplies. So just remember that everything will fall into place!


2. Pack in an organized fashion! This is huge! When you pack your boxes/plastic containers, try to use logic when placing things together. Put all of your desk, supplies, school things (as in academic stuff like books) in the same place. Repeat that with your shower and vanity supplies, and also with your clothing. That makes unpacking extremely easy, and will help keep your dorm more organized too!

{While this picture might seem crazy, the bin is holding all my jeans/bottoms}

3. Arrive early! I know! You probably want to sleep in! But if you have a long drive to your college (mine is 2 1/2 hours), you definitely want to leave even earlier. Why? Oh boy, there are a lot of reasons. First, mid to late August is hot! The earlier you get there, the more likely you will not have your flip flops melt into the pavement (happened to me my brother's freshman year). Plus, it's a lot less miserable! Second, parking. I have two cars come up to move me in. My parents, and mine. So figure that most of the other students are doing the same. In parking lots that already are too small for the number of students, this will just be crazy. You might have to park miles away. Which is not fun. Third, I like to see the room before my roommate shows up. I like having first choice for bed (I always like by the window haha). Not all dorms are created equal, let me tell you. Fourth, it gives you more time to settle in before the night activities happen. I know at my school we always had floor meetings at around 5 to 6 where we met everyone. Then we'd have dinner with our floor, go to an ice cream social, and then movie night on the hill. You don't want to miss all that fun, trust me.


4. Do the majority of your college shopping before you get there. This is important. I know we don't want to load up our cars to capacity, but waiting to buy all your things in your college town is not always the way to go. Why? Because every store in your city, is going to be like Christmas Eve/Black Friday. There will be mayhem. The odds of getting what you like/want, are extremely slim too. Take the Command 3M strips that all dorms require you to use for your walls. My entire college town sells out. Target, Walmart, and every other store sells out of these important things. So buy them at home. Same with notebooks, folders, and other school supplies. I know it seems impossible, but both Walmarts and Target in my college town sell completely out of these necessities. My roommate this past year made that mistake, so she wound up with wide ruled notebooks with puppies and kittens on them (I personally would like the puppies, but she wasn't as fond of them).

{The only things I left to buy was some posters from Hobby Lobby}

5. Before leaving home, check yourself for these things: your phone, charger, laptop (my brother did forget this one year), student ID, wallet/money, and important numbers like your social security number and your student number. You'll need them.

{Cute gift idea: give your roommate a Vera Bradley Zip ID
case for only $12. A college must for easy access to your ID!}

6. This is completely optional. But my freshman year, one of my roommates (and now a very dear friend), brought us all little move in day gifts. She gave us Starbucks grande size tumblers and mini hand lotions from Bath and Body Works, along with a little note. I seriously died when I saw that from the niceness of it all. So last year I copied her. I bought my roommate a water bottle with the school's logo on it, and some candy. I think this is such a good idea, and you definitely don't have to spend a ton of money. Even just a note is a great way to reach out to your roommate that first day.
(Some ideas I like: something representing your college, little school supplies, handwritten card, yummy little foods, a cute coffee mug with hot chocolate or tea, hand sanitizer, a lanyard, cute pens and pencils, a journal, or my favorite: the Vera Bradley Zip ID case shown above!).


So there you go! Do you have any advice to add to this list? Any concerns or worries about going to college?


Thanks for reading!