What to Pack for College When you are moving out for the first time, packing can be a stressful and confusing process. What should you take? What should you leave behind? What will you need? What don’t you need? Why is this so complicated!? Don’t stress. It’s not as big of a deal as you think. Just follow these few tips and enjoy your move!
What’s already there? First, check ahead to see what will be provided for you. Especially if you are moving into the dorms, a lot of necessities will already be taken care of for you. Most dorms and apartments come with mattress pads, microwaves, vacuums, and sometimes even shower curtains. A select few even come with toasters, coffee makers, cleaning supplies, TV/DVD players, and extra storage space. Call ahead and see what will be provided so you don’t waste money and space packing things you don’t need.
Communicate with roommates On the same lines as tip number one, try to contact your future roommates and see what they will be bringing. Don’t go out and buy a toaster, pots and pans, silverware, a TV, and other sharable items if your roommates already have them. But make sure that if they are bringing these items that they are willing to share. There is the occasional paranoid/selfish roommate who won’t let you touch their pots or pans. So coordinate with your roommates and split up buying the any needed appliances/equipment. This will save all of you a lot of money and packing space.
Buy it later Third, consider what you can buy later and what you need to bring from home. There are a lot of smaller, less essential things that you will eventually want/need that you can buy at a later date at the local supermarket or college bookstore. Things like paper clips, tape, shampoo, notebooks, food, etc. Avoid going on huge shopping sprees before you move away. If you need help determining what you should take and what you should buy later, start by packing only the big necessities (blankets, clothes, etc.) as well as personal items you are positive you want with you at college (select photos,
decorations, music, movies). Cut off items that you will most likely use less than once a month from your packing list. Remember, college rooms are usually small and you will most likely move a few times throughout your college career. Be practical. Don’t take your whole world with you. Besides, you will always run across cool things that you will buy while you are away at college. You will most likely buy some University of Miami apparel or a Texas Tech t-shirt. If, after packing the necessities, you still have room, go ahead and throw in smaller supplies that you could have bought post-move. Follow these three simple tips and you will have everything you need to start off on a new, exciting adventure! These will save you time, money, space, and stress. Now go have fun!
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