As a senior I have moved in and out of college dorms many times over the past four years. I want to share my top five tips with you all in hopes of making your move out at the end of the semester a little easier.
1) Clean first, then pack: I know that sounds obvious but cleaning and throwing old stuff away first makes life so much easier. It gives you a sense how much stuff you really have to pack because all the old papers and magazines that take up a surprising amount of space are no longer in the way.
2) Use your biggest suitcase for clothes: shoes take up a lot of room in a suitcase but they don’t need to go in there. I suggest using your largest suitcase for all your clothes since they actually need to be packed. Put shoes in a smaller suitcase by themselves or if you’re driving home/to your next destination put them in a large shopping bag and put them in the car. If you’re flying I would suggest using a smaller suitcase or duffel for shoes: something that you won’t be using for clothes.
3) Pack in stages: packing all your stuff at once can be stressful, one way I’ve found to make it much easier is to do little bits at a time. You can set aside even just five minutes a day during finals week to pack up a few things and it’s amazing how quickly you’ll find yourself all packed.
4) Laundry hampers are your friend: especially for things like sheets and towels which, like shoes, take up lots of room in a suitcase. I recommend using your laundry hamper for packing sheets, towels, and pillows. Just fold everything up and you can actually fit a lot into a normal-sized laundry hamper (this tip also works best for those driving home).
And finally… 5) After you’ve packed everything: do a final sweep of the room before you check out. Make sure you haven’t left a phone charger or bottle of nail polish, or any other small item that could easily get left behind. There’s nothing more annoying than checking out and realizing after you’ve left campus that you left something in the room.
Hope these tips make your move out a little smoother! Best of luck on finals, collegiettes!
Photo Credit:
http://s124.photobucket.com/user/sharplads/media/iStock_000006549052Smal…
http://letcteachers.wordpress.com/2012/06/08/esl-summer-activity-plan-yo…