Moving Into College?

When you’re moving from one place to another while in college, the process of packing and unpacking can be pretty burdensome simply because you have so much “stuff” for such small places to live in.

It really doesn’t help that you’re internalizing the fact that you have to live in those small places for the next year. But still, things can become even more annoying when you don’t have any friends or family to help you move home for the summer or to move back in when school starts back up. Trust me, I’ve been in that situation more often than actually having help from others. And it’s always a somewhat stressful situation to worry if you packed everything, if you broke something on the way, and why the heck you can’t find your bedsheets once you’ve finally unpacked everything in your new place.

Ultimately, moving is better off done when you do have help. That’s not always an option for some, though, as I know all too well. So if you do have to move alone, check out my tips for conducting it in a way that won’t make you want to rip your hair out.

Have the right supplies

 Shipping supplies are something that you don’t have to break the bank on and are even quite commonly found around the house, so ask your parents if they’ve got extra cardboard boxes, packing tape, and markers for labeling. It makes the process much more bearable if you’ve got everything organized, put away beforehand, and all in safe containers for the trip there. Just ask around if your family doesn’t have any shipping supplies. People on campus should have some, too, if you need to use them while you’re there.

Ask for help on campus

If you’re moving into a dorm room, there are almost always people volunteering to help you move in. The problem is, they’re super busy helping everyone else that they don’t always get around to you right away or you may not even know that you can enlist their help. Always look for people wearing similar shirts (usually with the university’s mascot or logo emblazoned on them). If you still don’t see them, ask around for help or if there’s anyone that could lend a hand. Generally speaking, mostly everyone on campus is nice and wouldn’t mind helping you out.

Try to get it all in one trip.

When packing your vehicle, it can be super stressful, especially if you don’t have a truck or van to haul everything over. It’s nice to have those bigger vehicles, but even still that can cause a lot of annoyances and effort, because you’ll likely want to pack more. Overall, pack what your vehicle load can handle but definitely try to make it all in one trip if you’re alone. Even if you’re only half an hour away from your campus, it still sucks to pack and unpack a vehicle more than once.