Moving to college checklist

Moving to college is both exciting and terrifying for a variety of reasons. It’s great that all of your hard work has paid off and you’re about to start learning something you’re truly passionate about. Congratulations, you must be incredibly proud of yourself! But at the same time, moving away and being on your own for the first time is pretty scary. There’s not much Spyder Moving Services can do to help you with that, but we can definitely make your relocation easier! So let’s look at all the things you need to do and pack when moving to college.

What to do when moving to college

You probably never thought about what moving for students is like when you first read the acceptance letter. And that’s understandable. After all, you were probably quite busy celebrating the fact that you got into your top choice. But as the clock starts ticking down to your first day at school, you may find yourself getting increasingly worried about the actual moving process. That’s why it’s important to start preparing early!

Before moving to college

As most older students will tell you, college is not always what you expect it to be (and they should know – they’ve been through this part already). So it’s even more important than you probably thought to prepare for it and get ready for moving away. There is nothing to be scared of, you just need to stay on top of things. Good organization skills will be your savior!

Three months before the move

With three months still left before you need to leave your parents’ nest, it may seem like it’s too early to start preparing. But this is exactly when you should slowly start planning your relocation to campus. Your first step should be visiting the school itself. This is the perfect opportunity to familiarize yourself with the school grounds, see where classes will be held, get maps from the admissions office, and of course, get even more excited about attending! Another plus that can occur is you meet some of your new college friends. Oh, the excitement!

If you still haven’t figured out your living situation, now is the perfect time for that. Will you be living in student housing? Or are you planning on renting a place off-campus? Are you going to live on your own? Or do you want to find a roommate? If you’re moving long-distance for college, it’s imperative that you settle this early. But it’s also good practice in general. That way you’ll have enough time to find the accommodation you want, contact your roommate and figure everything out. Also, this will provide you with enough time to not have to hurry. Taking things slowly step by step is the right way to make sure you won’t leave anything out.

Two months before the move

With two months left before the big day, it’s time to start taking things seriously and start talking about the mechanics of the move. How exactly will you be getting yourself and all your stuff to college? You may want to drive yourself if you plan on using your car while studying. Or you may want your parents to drive you to save yourself the stress and trouble. And if all that sounds like too much work, you should probably consider booking residential movers to help you out. Your stuff may not even fit into a family car anyway, so you’ll most likely at least need to rent a truck or a trailer.

If you are, indeed, going to be relying on professional help in some capacity, now is the time to book it. Moving companies have busy schedules and you don’t want to find yourself without one when you really need it. So find one that suits your needs and book them early. Your moving labor in Memphis will be glad that you called in advance and booked their services on time. Don’t wait until the last second!

And speaking of all the things you’ll be bringing with you, what exactly are you planning on packing? You may want to start thinking about that. Write out a packing list early so you won’t have to stress about it when the time comes for actually packing everything up. Putting it on paper should help you stay organized. Also, consider making a realistic timeline for your packing checklist. Always leave a bit of excess time.

What to bring when moving to college

What should you bring along when moving to college, anyway? The answer to that depends on the kind of accommodation you’ve chosen. Most college dorms only come equipped with the bare essentials. Most apartments for rent, on the other hand, are fully furnished. So try to think about all the stuff that you need on a daily basis and write it down as you remember it so you won’t forget anything. It helps to categorize the list:

• clothes: casual clothing for every day, dress-up clothes for special occasions, shoes of all kinds and for all occasions, seasonal clothing, raincoats, and jackets
• school supplies: bookbag, binders, folders, pens and pencils, any textbooks you got in advance
• toiletries: toothbrush and toothpaste, comb or hairbrush, shaving kit or razor, your skincare routine
• appliances and gadgets: phone, laptop, tablet, and their chargers, extension cords, an adapter if you need one
• documentation: IDs, school records, medical records, letter of acceptance, visa if you’re moving abroad
• household items: extra bedding, hairdryer, lamps, knick-knacks, and decorations that will make the place yours

One month before the move

With only a month left on your calendar, it’s time to really put your back into it. So get the packing supplies and start packing boxes! Go through your packing list and tick the items off one by one. Start by packing things you’re not using at the moment, like seasonal clothing, formalwear, and school transcripts. You can always hire packing services Memphis TN if you find yourself in a crutch. Packers will most likely finish packing everything up in no time. That’s the thing when you hire professionals, they can get everything done in a much shorter timeframe.

The day of the move

Moving day will probably be emotional for you, but it’s important to get an early start and be efficient. Load up your stuff in the morning and get driving, especially if you have a long way ahead of you. That way you can get there early and have the time to unpack, settle in and get to know your roommate a bit. Most likely, your roommate will become the person you trust most during college. Alternatively, if you’re waiting on your movers in Mississippi to relocate your belongings, just check up on them and see if they’re making it on time. One thing to be aware of though is that many movers disclose that they have a right to be about an hour to two late. So it might be worthwhile telling them to come earlier rather than later on your moving day.

After moving to college

On moving day, the only thing you need to take care of is unpacking the essentials. Whatever you need in the first few days is the first thing you need to unpack. The other things that aren’t as pressing can wait a day or two. Although we know you’re probably very excited to start decorating your new place. The first thing you need to do, though, is to make sure to make it to all of your classes. So don’t rush with the unpacking, just going bit by bit every day will be more than enough.

The best part about moving to college is that you get to start your new life now! So go out, make new friends, get to know the area that you’ll call home for the foreseeable future. Try to get a strong start in school too, buy the books in time, go to all your lectures at least in the beginning and try to actually participate in them. Most importantly, don’t let the fear of growing up stop you from being the best you can be!