College Dorm Tips: Packing for Back to School

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Coordinate Your List With Your Roommate:

Odds are that you’ve already thought to make a list of all of the things you’ll need to take with you to school. If you want to coordinate your college dorm room bedding and wall decor, take a look at these ideas from Target (affiliate) .  This tip is about how to keep that list from encompassing every item currently in your room. Compare your list to pare down what you don’t need. Ask your roommate if she’s bringing a TV. If she is, offer to bring the fridge instead. Also, be sure to check your dorms list of acceptable appliances. You don’t want to bring a coffee maker only to be told it has to go back with your parents.

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Only Pack For One Season:

Another tip for keeping your packing list shorter is to only pack for one season at a time. A lot of times incoming freshmen tend to assume that they need to bring everything – from a winter parka to summer shorts – at one time. In all likelihood, you’ll be going home for Thanksgiving or Christmas break before the seasons change, so lighten your load by only packing items you’ll need until then. For now, focus on fall clothing = sweaters, light jackets, and pieces you can layer for changes in temperature. Then, bring a whole new batch of clothes home with you after break.

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Start Packing Two Weeks Before:

There’s nothing worse than truing to pack up everything the night before you leave for the upcoming semester. Set yourself a packing schedule to alleviate some of the stress. Start two weeks prior to your move-in date and box up any household goods – bedding, rugs, lamps – that you probably won’t be using in the meantime. A week prior, move onto your wardrobe. Do a little each day, leaving only a small selection of clothing and sundries that need to be packed the morning of. While this amount of time may seem a bit excessive, it will give you plenty of time to rethink which items you’d like to take and to remember any must-have items that may have been forgotten during the first round of packing.

Put Everything In A Storage Solution

When packing for college, everything must have its place. Move-in day is frantic with people helping you grab your items from the car and rushing them up to your dorm. You don’t want any of your belongings to get lost in the shuffle. Keep things together by making sure that everything has it’s own storage solution – plastic bins, suitcases, a laundry bag – and that no items are left loose. Seal them with tape for a worry-free transfer and label the tape to make sure your belongings end up in the right room.

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Packing up all of your belongings to move into the dorm, especially if it’s your first year. But, don’t let the enormity of the task get you down. With a little planning and prep work, you’ll be set to go in no time at all. Follow these college dorm tips to help you get started. We hope you have a great first day!

Readers, do you have any college dorm tips to share? What is the one item that every incoming student needs to remember to bring?