Moving away to college or university for the first time can be one of the most stressful experiences of a young adult’s life. Living on your own for the first time, being far away from mom and dad, leaving all your childhood friends, starting a rigorous academic schedule – those are just some of the things to worry about.
The actual process of moving out is just one more worry to add on top of all that. How do you downsize all your personal belongings, spread out in every room of your parent’s house, to one tiny dorm room? It gets even more complicated if you have roommates; not to mention all the rules about what you can and can’t bring (candles are a no-no, and sometimes microwaves are forbidden).
Luckily, we’ve got some great moving tips to help ease some of the stress from the moving process. If you follow these tips, you’ll have one less worry on your mind!
Top 10 Moving Tips for College and University
Start planning early. You don’t want to be scrambling at the last minute, trying to find enough moving boxes and moving supplies, or trying to find those last important items you need to pack.
Use proper moving supplies. Grocery store boxes might sound like a good cheap choice, but they often carry unwanted little guests with them. You don’t want that all over your clothes! Also be wary of using plastic garbage bags – it’s way too easy for them to get holes and break apart during the move, especially if they are overpacked.
Shop around. Many different companies offer moving supplies and moving boxes. In fact, most moving companies will offer their own moving supplies, and even offer packing services. Try calling around and finding the best price for all your boxes, packing tape, bubble wrap, and other moving supplies you’ll need.
Condense, condense, condense. Your dorm room is probably going to be very small. It’s not uncommon for a dorm room to be much smaller than your own room in your parent’s house. If you’ve got roommates, you’ll have even less room for your own personal belongings. Try to pare down as much as possible – only bring what you know you’ll need for sure. Starting the school year off clutter-free will be one less load off your mind.
Label. Everything. If you know the contents of all your boxes, unpacking will be a breeze!
Keep similar items in the same box. Try to pack so that all your clothing are in the same boxes, all school related items are together, etc. This makes the unpacking process much easier.
Rule of thumb: The heavier the item, the smaller the box. Over packing can lead to boxes breaking open, and make it harder to carry when they are too heavy.
Use original packaging. Your TV, computer, video game console, mini-fridge – all those items are especially valuable and especially fragile. If you have the original boxes and packing styrofoam that came with them, your electronics will be much safer during the move. You should also use anti-static bubble wrap for these items. You’ll know it’s anti-static because it’s pink in colour.
Reduce, Reuse, Recycle. If you buy moving boxes from a moving company, they’ll often buy back any boxes you don’t use. On the other end of the move, you can recycle any corrugated cardboard moving boxes you’ve used. Also ask if they have re-usable plastic moving boxes. It’s better for the environment!
Use moving equipment. Buying or renting a hand truck or moving dolly from your moving company will make the move much easier and save you from potential back strain.
image credit: Daniel Foster via flickr
