Moving into your dorms for the first time can seem like an extremely stressful process. You’ll meet your RA and access how lenient they’ll be when you host beer pong tournaments, and inhale the sweat of 80 other residents living on the same floor, all surviving the lack of air conditioning that is the essence of freshman dormitories. Mona Badr, a junior biology major at Virginia Tech described her experience as a “big mess,” even with the help of her older sisters who had undergone the same exhausting process. Here is a list of tips to help your make the big day a little less hectic:
1. Coordinate with your roommate beforehand to avoid bringing duplicates of certain items. In addition, sort out the times you each want to move in because moving into a small bedroom at the same time can get overly crowded. Kareem Chehayeb, senior international relations major at Boston University, said he and his roommate set up different times to move in, which was beneficial for them both. “The dorm rooms are tiny, so it would have been hectic mess if we both moved in at the same time,” said Chehayeb.
2. If you can take a look at your room beforehand, DO IT! This gives you a chance to look around and decide how you want your furniture positioned. Also, bringing measuring tape will make it easier to access if specific things will fit. Having an idea of how you want your room set up saves time during the actual move-in process.
3. Familiarize yourself with nearby stores for last-minute errands. It is guaranteed that you’ll have that sudden moment where you realize you forgot your pillow, or shampoo. Luckily, a CVS or Target is probably nearby.
4. Check the weather forecast! If it is raining or has recently rained, bring a plastic tarp and plastic bags to cover your belongings. It is hurricane season after all.
5. Sort out any parking issues before you hit the road. Many schools will require you to print out a parking pass or unload in a certain unloading zone. Badr said the parking “sucked,” because being a primarily walking campus, parking lots were far away, and so she had to rely on unloading zones.
6. Try moving in as early as possible. Moving in with most of your freshman class can be extremely overwhelming and rushed if you want to make it in time for your afternoon activities. Badr said that if she had the opportunity to move in early, she would have without a doubt. Elevators are always packed, the check-in line is longer than a Chipotle line around dinnertime, and all the carts and dollies are usually checked out. That being said, try to bring your own dolly to avoid waiting.
7. Don’t over pack! This is probably one of the hardest steps to do, but it’ll be worth it in the end. “If I could do it again, I’d rather have brought very little,” said Badr. And if you realized you forgot something, see step #3.
8. Unless you’re one of the lucky few, your freshman quarter will probably not be air-conditioned. Make sure you plug in your fan right away, and bring cold drinks; you WILL get hot and thirsty moving everything around. Chehayeb said he had to keep the windows open for fresh air to avoid the “uncomfortable” conditions.
9. Command strips. You can never have enough.
10. Be hygienic. Bring Lysol spray and Clorox wipes and clean and disinfect the room. You don’t want to catch the sniffles during Welcome Week, do you?
