A HUGE shout out is in order for my parents who gave up 2 days to help me get down to Miami and move into the dorm. After they helped move me in, they drove all the way back home to Jacksonville and made it back late last night. **insert snaps here**
With plenty of experience from last year's move-in day, we knew exactly how the system worked and what we needed to do at check-in. Within minutes of pulling back onto campus, I got a moving cart and we proceeded up to my new home. Luckily my new roommate was an orientation guide who had moved in a few days before, so the room was already set up. In the sophomore and upperclassmen dorms you can arrange the furniture based on how you want the room laid out. In our case, the desks are up against the walls and our beds are against two giant windows that let plenty of light into the room. But instead of giving you a whole story about my move-in day which mostly consisted of unpacking, unpacking, oh and more unpacking and last minute shopping, I thought I would take some of our day yesterday and provide you with some move-in tips for those of you moving into dorms in the near (and possibly further) future.
Abel Family Move-In Day Tips:
1) Live on campus as long as you possibly can. Residential colleges and dormitories do a lot to make the move-in easy and smooth and can provide you with [free] resources that you might choose to use such as moving carts, accessible parking, and clear directions that are easy to follow.
2) Condense! I chose only to take clothes that I absolutely loved, which will make it easy when I clear out my clothes in the winter. But you don't only bring clothes to college. In terms of storage, condense everything to make transport easier. And if you are coming back to school in the fall, get a storage unit near the school to hold stuff that you won't use in the summer such as baskets, picture frames, and appliances.
3) Utilize Your Resources. When we picked up my refrigerator from the storage unit we used a moving dolly cart to bring it to the car. To clean the dishes I kept in storage and the room space, we brought Clorox wipes that I can now use in my own room. There are so many little things that you can do in preparation for moving while you are at home that pay off once you get there.
4) Space It Out. Use every single square inch of storage space once you get to your room. Some little ideas that my mom had for me to use were putting command hooks in the back of my closet for purses and tote bags, using the windowsill by my bed to put a book basket, and getting bed risers that allowed me to unstack my drawer set for underbed storage. Last year I lofted my bed, but sometimes it did not feel so safe so this year I am much lower to the ground and happier.
5) Be Time Flexible. It is a great idea to have a plan, especially if you have a plane to catch or a long drive to follow the move-in. But it is okay to deviate from your plan in case something unexpected arises. For example, the spot that we wanted to place the mini fridge did not have an outlet, but the plug had three prongs and most extension cords don't have that exactly. So my dad made an extra trip to Target to pick one up. Use your time to make it a meaningful day even if it means adding one, two, or even three extra hours.
**P.S. in case time is of the essence, a cute snapshot only takes two seconds more.
I hope that this post helps you with your move-in day. College is a special time, and while sophomore move-in seems the same, make it meaningful because it is the time to make your space your own.
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