Tag: move-in

Sweet Summertime

I’m back for the summer, along with college students everywhere!

A collective sigh of relief has probably gone on around the country for college students. Being home, or at least done with school, is a happy, happy time for us.

Coming home made me realize something, though. I have a lot of stuff. Like, a lot. As I unloaded my car into the living room, I had a mini panic attack at the fact that I was going to have to find a home for all of the stuff that was living at my dorm.

On top of that, I realized how much stuff I have in general, because I don’t really have any room for the things I brought back. It’s probably time for a purge…

I’m sure that there were a few things in the pile of stuff that I could’ve gone without, so I thought I’d share some things I didn’t need for those high school seniors (or their parents) who are going to start buying things for college .

  1. A Lamp – It’s always a good idea to check the measurements of your dorm, along with any features it may have. My dorm desk actually had a built in lamp, so technically, I could have definitely gone without it. Not all college dorms are the same though, so make sure to check.
  2. So Many Pillows – This seems to be more of a girl thing, but believe me when I say, you’re going to wish you had less pillows. They look nice when the bed is made, but let’s be honest here…. how often will that actually happen in college? Plus, they take up a lot of space and collect dust and dirt when you throw them on the dorm floor.
  3. Blankets – For many of the same reasons you don’t want all the pillows, you should try to limit the amount of blankets you bring. You really only need your comforter and one extra blanket for in case you get cold. Usually, your dorm room will probably be sweltering, unfotunately.
  4. Shoes – Okay so obviously you need shoes, but shoes take up a suprising amount of room. Try to limit your shoe choices to ones that you wear regularly or you know you will need for an event. If you still want to bring more, consider buying a hanging shoe organizer to conserve space.
  5. School Supplies – While yes, you will need school supplies, you probably don’t need as much as you think you do. Try to have a method planned out about how you will organize your schoolwork and separate classes before move-in day. I had a binder and notebook for each class. I also had 5 extra notebooks and 3 packs of notebook paper. Not necessary at all. If you want to buy supplies in bulk, consider leaving the extras at home instead of lugging them to your new one.

I’m sure there are many more things I didn’t need, but these are the basics that pop into mind. Obviously, every dorm is different and every person will have different preferences. I know I saw all sorts of lists of things I would/ wouldn’t need for college, but it turns out I know me best. You won’t fully be prepared until you experience it for yourself, but I hope these tips are helpful.

Now, I have to get back to unpacking…

I Survived the First Weekend

It’s Sunday night and I’m still alive! Of course, classes haven’t started and I haven’t gone through actual orientation but I’m here and semi-moved in. This weekend has been full of new people, but I loved every minute. There’s been lots of changes but so far, so good. Tomorrow begins 3 a days ( two practices plus weights everyday) and the real test on my sanity begins. Before we get there, let’s relive this welcome weekend.

SATURDAY

My parents and I left the house around 7:30 am. I had packed my car up the night before (honestly, I’m surprised everything fit) with the help of my brother and boyfriend. I let my dog sleep with me (something that usually annoys me) and thought about all the things that I would miss about home (only do that if you feel like having a good cry).

But when 7:30 rolled around, I was eager to go get moved in. Once we arrived, things moved relatively quickly. We checked in, followed the blue arrows around the library to different stations (just like high school registration) and finally it was time to move in. I moved my car over to the dorm parking lot and was instantly swarmed with people eager to help. Stressful situation for me actually…

Several girls from my volleyball team (whom I hadn’t met yet) came up to help, along with lots of guys. All my stuff got moved into my room with surprising speed. I had gotten into my room before my roommate arrived, so my parents and I had a little time to get things started before even more stuff got there. We started making my bed and came across our first college move-in mistake. Instead of a duvet comforter, we had bought a mattress pad. So yes, currently I am sleeping under a mattress pad stuffed into a duvet cover. Don’t worry, my mom ordered me the real thing!

After my bed was made, my roommate arrived! Stuff was everywhere ( we had to jump over some boxes to move around). In the middle of all the unpacking, we had some orientation duties to attend to so we left to do that. When all the meetings were finished (one thing I’ve learned so far is college people love meetings) we came back to the room. My parents went on the mandatory Wal-Mart run to get some odds and ends we discovered we needed. Before they headed back home, we went out to dinner at a local restaurant. After my parents left, things slowed down considerably.

My roommate and I finished unpacking (mostly) and talked until our meeting (see?) with our RA. After that meeting, we came back to our room and crashed. So far, I’ve done a lot of sleeping at college.

SUNDAY

I woke up way too early for Sunday. My school doesn’t serve three meals on Sunday, instead serving brunch and dinner. Brunch doesn’t start until 11:30am, however. My routine at home includes breakfast pretty much as soon as I wake up, so this will be an adjustment. After brunch, all the new fall athletes had to undergo concussion baseline testing…not too terribly interesting. Testing was followed by a 3 hour long meeting with the volleyball team, after which we got to go down to the locker room and get lots of new clothes, shoes, etc. to rep the program. We had a few minutes of downtime after the meeting for dinner, but then we had team bonding in the form of a scavenger hunt. The scavenger hunt was so much fun, and I honestly feel like I know the girls on my team better already. We were split into 6 teams for the scavenger hunt and my team got back to the home base first, by the way. Unfortunately, we don’t find out who won until later. I’ll be sure to update y’all with pictures in a later post. BUT my coach treated us all to 1/2 price shakes at Sonic afterwards. A fantastic ending to a great day.

But for now, this is all. I survived welcome weekend! As I said earlier, this week will put me through the true first test of college athletics. I’m excited for what’s to come, this year is gonna be full of new and crazy experiences!