Moving to college for the first time can be daunting. As the oldest child in my family, I needed to figure out what to pack for school, but I did not have an older sibling’s experience to guide me. I found myself reading articles online about the “Most Important Things to Bring to College” or the “5 Things You Won’t Use in College.” Following these articles led to a lot of excess, which is difficult to bring into smaller, shared spaces. In my experience, there are three things to keep in mind when packing for your first year of college.
First, it is important to analyze your daily routine. By doing this, you can determine what you will need to bring to school. For example, if you drink a cup of coffee each morning, you will need to plan accordingly by packing mugs, supplies, and a Keurig. If you regularly go on runs, pack your running shoes and multiple sets of workout clothes. My advice is: if you do not use it now, you probably will not use it at school.
Second, it is important to remember that you will be living in a shared space, and your space at school may be smaller than it is at home. Therefore, it is important to be selective when you pack for school. Even if you do art projects each day at home, it probably will not be necessary to bring all of the supplies you own to school with you. Condense as much as you can, and do your best to only bring what you need. Your roommate will thank you later!
Third, it’s alright not to bring everything at once. You will not need your winter clothes when you move-in in August. You can leave these clothes at home, and you can plan to swap them out over breaks. This will save some room in your car as well as your closet. The same can be said for books, bathroom products, and shoes.
Keeping these three principles at the forefront of your mind, you should be able to determine what items you need to bring and what you could do without. We are excited to welcome new students to campus on August 21, 2021 from 8 am - 12 pm. There will be students, faculty, and staff available to help freshman during the move-in process, and further updates will be released by Residence Life.
