The end of the semester is a stressful time for college students. Not only do you have to worry about studying for (and acing) your finals, you also need to worry about packing up all your things to move back home.
Here’s a list of tips to release some of the pressure and help you manage your college move-out procedure easily.
1. Make a list of essentials.
Remember that you will need certain items on move-out day. Set aside essentials like toiletries, a change of clothes, and your phone charger to make sure they don’t get buried in your packed things.
2. Don’t wait until the last minute.
The last thing you want to do is start packing during finals. Give yourself enough time to go slow by taking down wall decorations and packing up books you no longer need weeks in advance. Even if all you can do before finals is make a list of what you need to pack, that’s a step in the right direction.
3. Divide your room.
If you have a roommate, you know how easy it is for your stuff to become commingled. Set aside time to go through your things together to make sure you don’t accidentally take home items that aren’t yours.
4. Sort, sort, sort.
Make life easy by sorting (and then packing) things in two groups: what you won’t need until you come back to school and what you’ll need over the summer. That way, when you get home, you won’t even have to unpack the fall boxes – or you can put them in storage.
5. Tackle the mini-fridge.
Use up everything that you can inside your mini-fridge, then clean it out and unplug it.
6. Make use of extra trips.
If you’re within driving distance of home (or you’re visiting for another reason), take some items back home when it’s convenient. For example, you can probably leave your winter parka at your parents’ house when you visit for spring break.
7. Go through school stuff.
Take some time to throw out old assignments, and look into textbook buy-back programs to get rid of bulky books that don’t serve a purpose any longer. All you need to keep are the projects that are important to you, or that may be of use in your portfolio in the future.
8. Get familiar with the college move-out day procedure.
In most cases, your RA will have a checklist of what you need to take care of on move-out day. For example, you might need to schedule a time for your RA to check your room for any last-minute cleaning or repair jobs.
9. Clean up before you go.
Some colleges will fine you for leaving your dorm room dirty. And, even if you don’t get fined, cleaning is the courteous thing to do. Create a list between you and your roommate of things that need to be tidied or deep cleaned.
10. Split storage if it’s necessary.
If you’re coming back to campus in the fall and you live out of state, consider splitting a storage unit with some friends. This will make the move-out AND move-in process much easier.