Fall brings bittersweet emotions for a lot of us. For first-year college students, this is a new time in your life. Going away to college is one of the first fundamental steps into adulthood. There are more responsibilities than ever before, and you’re pretty much on your own now.
Leaving your hometown and traveling across the state (sometimes the country) bring with it a wealth of emotions. Not to mention the logistical issues of carrying all your stuff alone. You can’t move into the dorms with the mere clothes on your back, can you now?
Shifting all your stuff along with your is extremely important. Not only are these necessities that you’re taking along, but they’re pieces of your home that might make settling in easier. Many students bring mini-fridges, TVs and video games consoles, musical instruments, etc. shifting all these things across state lines isn’t easy.
With that said, this article will be looking at hassle-free tips to help you move to college without breaking the bank.
Hire moving company
You may think that moving companies might cost an arm and a leg, but that couldn’t be further from the truth. Finding the right moving service that meets your needs is crucial but manageable if you use the internet. An online moving quote for a moving service/company that fits your budget would be the first logical step.
It’s certainly better than packing and stuffing everything in the car to drive several hours. Not only is that a hassle for your family, but it makes for a pretty uncomfortable drive. There would likely be very little wiggle room in the vehicle with all that stuff in the car.
Don’t go overboard with the packing
We understand that there are a few things that you might want to take to help you settle in, but please don’t try and take your entire room with you. You would be surprised to learn what all students think they can bring when they start college.
You don’t need to bring that big screen TV with you. Consider buying a smaller monitor for yourself when you reach campus. Not only is it cheaper than a TV, but it will help save space in the tiny college dorm rooms.
Also, remember that you will most probably be sharing a room with someone. You don’t want to impose by bringing too much stuff and personalizing the whole place while the other barely got anything. It sets a negative impression and makes it hard to break away from home and live independently.
You aren’t going to experience college life if you have most of your hometown bedroom right there with you.
Label your boxes
Unpacking your boxes later when you arrive becomes considerably more manageable when you have labeled your boxes according to their contents. Write your name, the contents, and where they were in your previous room.
For example, Books from the brown bookshelf tell you precisely what contents the boxes contain and can help in the unpacking process more than you can imagine.
Other than that, labeling your things helps avoid confusion between your and your room-mates boxes. No one wants to start on a sour note by opening someone else’s belongings. Sure it may be an accident, but try explaining that to the person who has their personal belongings opened without their consent.
Visualize and plan accordingly
Most universities offer physical and virtual tours of the dorms before the students move in. It would be good to take them up on that offer and check out what they have to offer in advance. Not only does it give you an idea of what you are in for, but it helps you visualize your stay in the room for the next four years.
Once you have a mental image in your mind, the shifting process becomes a lot easier. Knowing the rough size of the room gives you a yardstick measure of how many things you can fit into the space. This helps you avoid over-packing and spending extra money on the shifting cost.
Virtual tours cost nothing and can help save a ton of money by ensuring that you don’t bring too much stuff. Give it some thought and gauge whether you might need a bigger room or if the current options are adequate.
Bring your fan
Some of these colleges are centuries old. Not all of them have central air conditioning, and it can become pretty uncomfortable if you don’t have a solution of your own. Keeping a light bed sheet and opening the windows can only help so much.
Consider buying a swivel fan/ desktop fan to help create some air circulation in the room. If you place it near the window, you have the chance of fresh air circulation in the room and beat the dreaded heat that can make it hard to sleep most nights.
Some colleges allow you to bring portable air conditioners; however, if you’re looking to avoid breaking the bank, it would be better if you bought a fan instead.
Avoid the fragile stuff
Bringing breakables with you is a big no-no. If you have glass, ceramic, or other breakables, you may want to think twice about traveling with them. Traveling with all these items can risk damaging or breaking.
Not only is travel a problem, but with rowdy college students all over the place, there’s very little chance that your delicate paraphernalia is going to survive. If these items mean something to you, take good care of them or leave them back home and appreciate them when you are visiting.
It would be an absolute waste of money and sentiment if you took fragile items with you. Avoid if possible, or protect them at all costs!
Conclusion
There we have some of the best tips for a hassle-free move to college. We have talked about everything from hiring a moving company to visualizing your space and avoiding fragile items. We hope you’ve taken something away from this article and learned a thing or two about the moving process.
Now that that’s out of the way, it’s time to enjoy your college experience and make the most out of it. These are some of the best years of your life, and college memories last a lifetime.
