As millions of students prepare to head off to college, a stress-free dorm move-in is a great way to start the semester. According to the National Center for Education Statistics, about 1.9 million recent high school graduates will be moving into college dorms this fall. With the average family spending around $1,325 on back-to-college shopping, a little planning can go a long way.
Before You Arrive
Before buying or packing anything, read your housing assignment and move-in instructions in full. Most colleges assign each student a specific move-in date and time window to stagger traffic, and many tell you exactly what’s already in the room, which is typically a bed frame, mattress, and a desk. Knowing what’s provided keeps you from hauling furniture you don’t need.
A realistic dorm essentials list should include only what you’ll use in the first few weeks, not everything you might want all year. You can always ship stuff later, or pick up more items during winter break. Consider packing a mini-fridge, a microwave, and a rug, but be sure to coordinate with your roommate to avoid duplicates.
Move-In Day
Arrive at the start of your assigned time slot, rather than the middle of the day. The first hour of a move-in slot is almost always calmer than the midday rush, when elevators back up and the closest parking disappears. Move-in lands squarely in the summer moving rush, and student moves cluster even tighter, with August alone accounting for about a quarter to a third of all student and dorm moves.
Research on the college transition links over-involved “helicopter” parenting to a harder first semester. On move-in day, resist the urge to deep-clean or fully unpack the room yourself, and let your student problem-solve the small stuff. Students settle in faster when the space — and the decisions — already feel like theirs.
After Move-In
Plan the goodbye, too. Drawn-out departures can tend to be harder than short, warm ones. Homesickness is normal and usually temporary — a longitudinal study in the journal Emotion found it’s common among first-year students and tends to ease over the first semester.
Original reporting: KEYT (Ventura/Santa Barbara) — read the source article.
