Moving Away for College: Planning in Advance

Moving away for college can be a little daunting, but if you do a little planning in advance it can be a breeze.

Will you be living in a dorm room on campus or staying in an off campus apartment?

If you will be living in campus housing, most dorms are at least partly furnished, so your furniture can stay at home.  Planning on renting an off campus apartment? Thrift stores and Craigslist can offer cheap and sometimes free furniture for you to procure after your move.

Make sure to pack clothes for the climate you will be living in, but don’t bring your entire wardrobe if you can avoid it. You can always grab a few items from your parents house upon your first visit home.  Remember to use as little packing materials as possible. Bedding, sweaters, and towels can be used to fill out boxes and wrap around fragile items.

When it comes to moving away for college, the less you have to move the better.

Try not to pack essential toiletries, books, and school supplies. These items can end up weighing a lot and can be purchased after the move.  If you are bringing along some cherished video games or DVDs it is a good idea to remove them from their cases and place the discs into a CD booklet. This takes up way less space and again, is less that you have to move.

When it comes to electronics make sure you remember to bring all of your appropriate chargers and cables. Large screen TV’s are bulky and take up a lot of space.  A smaller monitor, laptop computer, or tablet could be a better option. You might want to bring an additional power strip and extension cord. Consider leaving your printer behind, printer are heavy and many campuses have printing services.

Don’t forget these tips this fall and have a great year!

Moving Away for College: Planning in Advance