The Ultimate Guide to Moving In
by Geneve Lau
photography courtesy of Amanda Willis
Every year, during the weekend that bridges the end of August and the start of September, thousands of students bring in their life’s belongings in the form of suitcases, crates and cardboard boxes, and wheel yellow carts all across campus.
As summer slowly comes to the end, the sweltering heat lingers. The high temperatures, combined with the influx of traffic in the area, can make moving in less than ideal, and oftentimes, chaotic and stressful.
These are nine tips that may help you next year with your move-in process. Bookmark them and share them with a friend to smoothen your future moves!
Double check your check-in point and where to park
If you’re in a small-dormitory style residence, you might need to check in at a neighboring large-dormitory style residence to get your keys. Instead of scrambling to try to find this last minute, make sure you save the address earlier! Also, if you’re using a car to move in, check online to see where the best parking lot is for your dorm’s move-in.
Look at the floor plan beforehand
It’s very helpful to get an idea of what the room looks like before you can physically see it. If possible, definitely ask other students and see if you can see a similar room in the building. If not, look at the floorplan provided online. This might make it easier to choose sides with your roommate before move-in day, avoiding awkward tension about uneven sides or hogging the window.
Arrange before unpacking
Before you start to take your bedding out of the bags and boxes, look around your room and make sure everything is exactly where you want it to be. Think about if you want to move your bed or desk around first. If you want the bed lowered, call someone to help you do that. This will make the whole process easier than if you were already halfway settled in and trying to change things around.
Let your Command hooks settle
Command hooks have become a quintessential part of college dorm decor, but one important thing to note is that hooks usually need 30 minutes to set. If you hang anything on them too early, they might fall or break the hook!
Unpack boxes first
Since you can break down cardboard boxes and free up floor space, always unpack those first. When they’re empty, break down the boxes and place them in a corner so you have more room to work with.
Make an area designated for the essentials
Place your keys and phone in the same place to make sure they don’t get lost during the unpacking process. It’s also helpful to put all your tape, command strips and hooks and other things of the sort in one area so you’re not scrambling to find them.
Use a large bag for your trash
Don’t try to put all of your trash into your small trashcan because it’ll get too full and overflow while you’re unpacking. Instead, fill a large bag with all your trash so it’s easier to take out once you’re done.
Call before you go to the store
If you need a very specific item from a store (e.g. a mirror) it is helpful to call the store before you walk all the way there just to find out they’re sold out. Chances are, stores are very busy during this time of year and quickly going out of stock of essential dorm items as a high volume of students are moving in.
Rent a car
If you decide to rent a car, which may be helpful if you have a lot of shopping to do or don’t have your things in storage close by, make sure you have an extra person to sit in the car and wait so you can avoid those nasty parking tickets!