Years of studying and hard work have finally paid off – you’re going to university! It’s only natural that the next task in line should be a college packing list. Admittedly, it can really be a pain in the backside sometimes, with so many decisions to be made on so many items. However, it can be a lot easier if you keep a cool head and create a checklist. With our help, you’ll breeze through it and be fully stocked up for moving in no time.
With the right plan your relocation will go without a hitch
College Packing List and How to Create One
When making a catalog of stuff to pack or a photo inventory, have in mind, first and foremost, that your room will probably be small and that you’ll have to share it. So, donate unwanted items and start with the essentials.
You’ll certainly need clothing and bedding. Checked. One can’t exist without eating, right? So some food and cutlery. Checked. Toiletries? We’re sure you don’t want your social life to suffer (not to mention health), so check. School and studying stuff? Goes without saying, like you’re going anywhere without a backpack. Smartphone and laptop? Heck yeah! Not exactly sure in which category to place an umbrella, but pack it. It rains even in New Mexico. And there you go. You have the base of what to pack. The rest is the details.
Still, to invoke the old conventional wisdom, the devil is in the detail. Going off to university is often literally like moving to a smaller home. It’ll get cramped all too easy. So, if you’re wondering whether some particular T-shirt you haven’t put on for a couple of years should come with you, it probably shouldn’t. Or if you plan on taking violin lessons, you might want to check if you have room for your instrument. In general, don’t bring anything you won’t use; the dorm rooms are just too small for that.
To avoid making some common moving mistakes, it is also highly recommended to call your university before picking up the best-sized boxes and contacting a moving company or finding the cheapest way to move out of state. Learning about the size of the rooms and apartments can be of great help in deciding what goes in the bags and other containers. Also, it is much better to know in advance if the microwave you wanted to bring along isn’t allowed.
6 Best and Often Forgotten Things to Have
Not all heroes wear capes, and you have a chance to become one if, when the necessity arises, you casually bring out in the open some of the very useful but often neglected items.
For example, toolkits and duct tape. Imagine you and your newly discovered friends have a fun time indoors, and some technical mishap occurs that threatens to ruin the entire evening. With a few expert moves of a screwdriver or pliers, you can save the day and become a go-to guy (or girl). Now that is the position not to be underestimated.
What would the aforementioned fun time indoors look like without a friendly board game or two? They can bring people together, and even get them to know each other. Your room may become a social hub in no time. If you are more of the outdoor type, there’s nothing more natural than to have a football with you. A couple of well-placed passes can seal a lifelong friendship, and it’s fun.
When it comes to the atmosphere in your student home, consider LED string lights. They’re not expensive and provide a much cozier feel than the usually sterile neons on campuses. You’ll undoubtedly want to move around quickly, especially if you are late for a class. So have a ride with you. Bicycle or a skateboard will be your best friend in those terms. And riding a bike is healthy, on top of all else.
The last item on this shortlist is the shower curtain. Surprise, indeed. Yet, they’re often not included in campuses bathrooms and come very handy when you want to walk on the dry bathroom floor.
Prepare your college checklist on time.
Clothing Checklist – To Wear or Not to Wear
When packing clothes know that they will occupy a large part of your bag, so let’s devote some space to them. As a rule, if you forget anything, or find yourself in desperate necessity of something along the way, you may pick it up when at home for holidays. Or your parents can send it to you.
In any case, have with you one warm winter jacket, and one or two lighter ones. Don’t forget to bring the hangers for them, too. Two or three pairs of jeans will do the trick for everyday wearing, but you should have a tracksuit for more relaxed moments. Or for a gym.
When it comes to more formal attire, one set will be more than enough. You won’t have many opportunities to wear it, except maybe for some celebrations and job interviews. In the matter of shoes, be practical. Sneakers are most comfortable for walking, so take them. Also, a must is one pair of waterproof boots for rainy or snowy weather.
Then comes the delicate issue of T-shirts. We all love our tees and think we can’t live without them. But trust us, you’ll manage. Bring along favorite ones, but don’t hesitate to leave behind those that you know you won’t wear. As a rule, always bring less than you think you’ll need.
The complete opposite is underwear. You can never have enough underwear and socks. With a busy life on campus, dirty stuff may pile up, and you don’t wish to run out.
As we said before, college dorms are small. Therefore, if you’re not house-hunting for a house or a bigger apartment, you could use some helpful tips concerning storage space. A footlocker is handy in this regard, as are plastic boxes that can fit under the bed. To increase available space beneath it, it may be useful to have a pack of bed risers.
Pack the clothes you’ll be needing for school, but don’t pack too much
Bedding Can Improve Your Day
You’ll spend a lot of time in your room and, subsequently, in your bed. So furnish it as well as possible. You won’t pack bulky furniture, but be sure to have sheets, pillows with pillowcases, and one blanket. It is highly recommended to obtain the mattress cover, too. We don’t wish to get too graphic here, but just try to imagine what that mattress had witnessed in the past. A reading lamp is also an excellent addition to imported furniture.
A handy thing can be a small chair or two. You’ll have guests sometimes, and a chair (or a lazy bag) beats the floor every time. Except if it has a cushy rug on it, of course.
Take adequate bedding to your dorm, and prepare makeshift storage spaces
Kitchen Items and Food Supplies
Since a couple of bowls and plates and cutlery are a given in every imaginable scenario, let’s dip into more mysterious territory. Larger items, such as a mini-fridge, microwave, or the electric kettle, should always be welcome. If the university allows them, that is. Aside from that, it can’t hurt to have one pot and a frying pan. Pancakes, anybody? If you wish to impress folks around you with culinary skills, have an oven mitt with you. If not, (or in any other situation), a can opener and pizza cutter are small items that may prove indispensable.
There are some moving tips and packing tricks on how to pack kitchen items for moving and how to pack glassware, so make sure that all arrive at the destination in one piece. Same as with clothes, dishes require washing from time to time. So have a couple of sponges, dish detergent, and paper and dish towels.
Since there’s no good talk or party without snacks, make sure to have a stash or three of them. Popcorn or nachos may be a perfect agent for calming the nerves during the long nights of studying. Bottles of water are a good thing to have, too. You and friends can’t drink sodas all the time.
You’ll want some healthy snacks and water on campus
A Bunch of School Essentials
Since your main reason to move is education, the main task will be, well, studying. So be sure to go stocked with school essentials. To begin with, you’ll do good to have a whiteboard and/or a bulletin board. Those are great for putting your schedule and all other important matters in writing and in the open. Yes, we know a simple calendar can do it, but it’s not nearly as cool. With the boards go dry markers and erasers, pushpins, paper notes, and sticky notes.
Organize your working desk as it suits your needs. Have one desk lamp. To not be beholden to the installed outlets (and by Murphy’s law, they’re always on the opposite wall), take an extension cord. One power strip can’t hurt either.
Next come pencils, pens, and notebooks. They’re another thing you can’t have enough of. You might wish to consider handy things like a desk organizer and an old-fashioned desktop inbox for essential documents and papers. Also, where better to store all books and notebooks than in a sturdy, spacy backpack?
Among the useful gadgets should come pencil sharpeners, scissors, ruler, scotch tape, stapler, paper clips, small calculator, and a few packs of batteries. You may even give a salute to the old days by taking index cards for the really important notes to yourself.
Organize studying supplies on and around your desk
Hygiene and Toiletries
Keeping both yourself and your den clean is a no-brainer. Have all the necessities with you when you move, because campuses usually don’t provide them. Whether you and your roomie will have a bathroom all for yourself or will be forced to use a communal one, bathrobe and slippers are a must. Then all sorts of soaps, shower gels, hair shampoos, body lotions, and alike. A useful thing to keep them all in one place is a shower caddy.
Mats for the bathroom and shower cabin are a fine addition, as well as a safety measure. Have a stack of towels, too. A hairdryer is a necessity as well, especially in colder parts. Of smaller items, nail clippers and tweezers are useful, as well as a razor. For maintenance, bring along a handheld vacuum cleaner, a broomstick or a mop and a dustpan, and a healthy dose of cleaning liquids.
Medical Supplies You’d Like to Have
It’s better to be safe than sorry, so having a first aid kit is a must. Stash of cough drops will come in handy if the need ever arises. You’ll be surrounded by tons of notes and pages, so have a bandaid and a bandage in case of papercuts or some other mishap of that sort. If you moved to the warmer regions, sunscreen might be a good pick for a place in a bag.
Prepare toiletries in advance
What to Do With Modern Technology
Ours is the age of technology. So make sure to have your smartphone and a laptop or even a desktop computer. And that’s a start. Next, a portable hard drive may come in handy. To make your dorm even more popular, try with good speakers. Sound dampening headphones are always a good idea. Also, since sound can go both ways, and your neighbors will have a party in those rare moments when you’d like to sleep, pack up a few earplugs. You’ll be thankful for them sooner or later.
For fun, you might bring a gaming console, and a fan for the hot days. Bear in mind, though, that electronics must be handled carefully, just like the kitchenware, so inform yourself in advance on how to pack electronics.
Question of Sharing
There are some household appliances you would like to have in your abode if they’re allowed. The first to come to mind are a mini-fridge, TV, and microwave. Since you’ll be sharing living space with a roommate, it’d be good to get in touch with them beforehand. That way, you can arrange who’ll bring what and avoid awkward situations when the time comes for unpacking.
You’ll be sharing food and water, but also the appliances
Bring the Spirit of Home to a Dorm
Last but not least, surround yourself with personal items and trinkets, it will help avoid relocation depression and alleviate moving stress. Put posters on the walls, and a photo of your family on the table. That photo with LeBron you have might work as well. Building a hallway rep and things like that.
Have a favorite book or two with you, as well. Give your abode a chance to feel more like home. And don’t forget the most personal of them all. Never travel without your ID and all the other necessary documents.
Hire Cross Country Moving Company to Help You
After you’re done with making a list of necessary items, the only thing left is to plan your moving budget and hire a recommended and reputable cross-country moving company to take your things to the campus. If you can, choose to relocate during the cheapest time of the year because that’s the best time of the year to move so that you can save some money and reduce costs when moving. The advantages of moving alone are numerous, so enjoy that time.
