Alright, it is time for me to start a new blog series called College 101! I know I haven't started college yet, but I have learned so many things on my own through reading other blogs, my own experiences in packing, registering for classes, etc. And I know I'm going to learn a boatload of other things along the way! I will surely help you guys out by writing about my experiences, whether good, bad, embarrassing or joyous.
One thing I definitely learned was: Do.Not.Overpack.
Let me elaborate on that -- you've seen some of my dorm hauls, dorm packing tips, etc. Seriously, take my advice! Now I'm moving down in one single minivan that will carry all of my dorm needs + 5 family members, so I definitely need to plan to pack things in a way that will fit in the car itself as well as still conserving space so all 5 of us can be happy and comfortable despite the gross and sticky August weather.
I've also seen a bunch of dorm hauls and dorm tours on Youtube, so I've taken mental notes on: what I'll need, what I should bring and what I definitely should not bring. Also from those videos, I figured out how I'll pack everything. There was one similarity between all of the dorm haul/dorm packing videos: they all used cardboard boxes or plastic shopping bags. Now I'm the kind of person who hates not finding second uses out of items, so I definitely crossed off cardboard packing boxes and plastic bags. Plus, I think it'd be super annoying having 5 billion little plastic shopping bag packages to move in when all of them could fit into one single Ikea bag.
Now, another thing I took from the videos was what items I should leave for later. As in items I could easily get around campus...and that's what I'm going to talk to you about.
I'm simply going to list the items I'm leaving until I get onto campus and why I'm choosing to do so. I hope you find it helpful and definitely consider it yourself!
- Pads/Tampons: I know what you're thinking, "Is this girl insane?!" No, not really. While I am going to buy a pretty big pack from Costco, I am not going to stock up for the rest of my menstruating career. You do not need 4 or 5 huge boxes from Costco. It'll take up a lot of room when you pack up and plus, where will you keep it all?! You also need to remember that there's bound to be a convenience or grocery store near or even on campus.
- Full-Length Mirror: Unless your campus is nowhere near a Target, there really is no need to bring down a huge mirror. I'm not going to buy one until I get down to campus because I'm just really afraid of it breaking when I move in since I will be living in a city campus and there are tons of streets to cross from the drop off sites to my dorm building. Target is about a 10 minute drive from my campus so I'm just going to wait it out for a day or two before getting my mirror.
- Perishable Foods: It's common sense. Your yogurts and milks are not going to last that multiple-hour drive unless you lug a cooler along (which I'm sure your parents will not appreciate). Just wait until you get to the grocery store near campus!
- Textbooks: A lot of upperclassmen at my school recommend holding off buying textbooks until after your first day of classes because not all teachers require the same textbooks. Be sure to check out Amazon and Slugbooks for amazing deals!
- Fans: Okay, so this might sound crazy, but let me explain. My roommate and I both have fans because East Coast summers are seriously like no other. What we're going to do is that she is going to bring only her fan down to campus at first, we'll see how comfortable the room is with only one fan. If we seriously need another fan, I can always go back home and get mine (I live 2 hours away from campus, it's not that bad of a drive).
Those are a couple of things that I've decided to hold off for later. I know it's only 5 things, but trust me, it's going to save me a significant amount of space in the car.
If you have any suggestions or comments, please just post them right below!
I hope your dorm packing adventure is running fun and smoothly!
xoxo
