To all the recent high school graduates who are college bound, congratulations! You’ve worked hard, and now you get to reap the benefits. By now, you’ve chosen a school and you’ve got move-in day on your calendar. What’s next? Aside from enjoying your summer, there are a few things you should be thinking about to prep for the fall.
• Learn the layout of your dorm room. If you’re living on campus, you should be getting your housing assignment relatively soon. Get to know where you’ll be living! Before I moved in to my dorm room at Syracuse University, I took a trip to campus and visited the hall. It was helpful to know the layout of my dorm room before buying a ton of stuff. If visiting isn’t an option, look online or call housing to see if you can view a floor plan.
• Contact your roommate. Have you been assigned a random roommate? Social media makes it easy to get to know your roomie in advance. Send him/her a quick message introducing yourself. Many people even choose to meet up with their future roommates before move-in day. It can be helpful to learn a bit about each other’s personalities prior to living together.
• Shop around early. Most stores are already running “back-to-school” specials. Take advantage of them early! In college, I was a big fan of the last-minute Target run on move-in day. While this was certainly a fun ritual, I often got stuck with very few options for bedding and décor. Part of the fun of living in a dorm room is making it your own. Maximize your capacity to do so by shopping around early.
• Start packing. No, I’m not kidding. For most of you, move-in is a little over a month away. Don’t be like me and wait until the last minute to stuff your clothes into boxes. Start packing now! By getting a head start, you’ll be able to more clearly determine what you’ll need and what can stay home. Plus, it’s a lot less taxing to pack a little bit each day rather than staying up until 3 a.m. the night before. Trust me — my brother and I both did it, all four years.
Do you have any specific questions about how to prep for the big day? Let us know!
Written by Nicole Milano. Nicole is a writer and yoga instructor from Rochester, N.Y., as well as a freelance writer for NextStepU. Read more from her at The Everyday Yogi and tweet her @nicolemariemil.
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