Moving into your college dorm - how to prepare?

Being a college student is one of the best periods in one's life. You are old enough to be independent but without grown-up obligations. It's the perfect time for finding yourself, your hopes and dreams, making new friends, and future colleagues. All this is accompanied by studying and of course, acing the exams. For many students, including you, going to college also means moving into your college dorm. If it's your first time moving into the dorm, you might feel overwhelmed with the packing. It might seem like the packing will never end. However, soon you will have all your plastic packing boxes for moving ready for transport. Here a few tips on how to prepare for your move into the college dorm.

Get a list of needs from a dorm before you start moving into your college dorm

Before you start packing your bedroom items, check what your dorm already offers. Almost every dorm room already has basic furniture such as a bed, mattress, dresser, desk, and chair. Some also provide a mini-fridge and bookshelf. The first things to pack for the dorm are twin sheets, laundry essentials, pillows, and bathroom essentials. For laundry essentials, you should bring iron, a foldable ironing board, laundry detergent, dryer sheets. In some dorms, residents must share a bathroom with other students from the hallway. In that case, you should also bring a portable caddy, flip flops, and bathrobe. If you don’t know your roommate already, you should contact them before the move. Not only will help you with reducing stress as you will know somebody, but it can also lighten your load. You don’t need two sets of kitchen supplies or two sets of curtains.

Talk to your roommate in advance to avoid making a mess.

Make a packing plan for your move to the dorm

Before you start packing your items, make a list of items you will need in the first weeks in the dorm. As dorm rooms are small, you don’t need to bring everything from your room. Some items, such as out off-season clothes, you can ship them later when needed. With this reasoning, you can also need a smaller number of bins from moving bin rental. Items you should pack are

• A shoe rack or over the door storage
• Clothing hangers
• Clothing for the right seasons
• Umbrella
• Dressy, semi-formal outfits

If you find yourself short of time for packing, there is no need for panic as you can use some of the last-minute packing hacks. You can always ship the rest of the items later to your dorm. Don’t be stressed if you forget something. You can always buy a small thing like a toothbrush or you can borrow things like iron from your roommate.

Make your dorm room comfortable for living in.

Always bring someone with you

When you are moving into your college dorm for the first time, always bring someone older with you. They can help you with moving the boxes to the room, unpacking them, and putting everything in place. They can also help with assembling furniture, fixing loose screws, or tiding a room. Additionally, it is always great to have your parents with you when you are starting a new chapter of your life.