With less than a month until fall classes begin, we’re officially getting into back-to-school mode! Though everyone loves getting back together with friends and living on your own again, there are a lot of tedious and chaotic aspects of moving back to school for the fall. In an effort to save you time, hassle and aggravation, we’ve compiled a list of things collegiettes can be doing now to prepare for the upcoming semester!
Buy your books early!Find all your required textbooks on the school bookstore’s website and compare prices on Amazon, Barnes and Noble and other websites! Avoid the chaos in the bookstore on Tuesday of syllabus week by scoping out the best deals now and purchasing your books as early as possible! Not only will your wallet thank you but you’ll have a little more time to hang out with your friends and get settled in your dorm or apartment.
Get a planner and mark down important dates!Maybe you thought planners and agendas were lame in high school but they will become your lifeline in college. You can purchase a Bloomsburg-specific planner at the school store or you can splurge a little on a cute Lilly Pulitzer or trendy Kate Spade agenda. No matter what you choose, make sure to use it! Life becomes infinitely easier to manage when you can see it all planned out in front of your eyes.
You can even find the list of all the official school dates online, including reading days, midterms and finals week! Make a note of them now so you can plan ahead and have a game plan once the semester begins.
Contact your roommates.If you haven’t done so already, look up your roommates on Facebook and get to know each other! Figure out who’s going to bring the TV for your dorm room, who has food allergies and who loves to have late night dance parties! If you’re a returning student and you already know who you’re living with, make sure to check in and decide who is going to stock up on toilet paper and which one of you has been crafting new décor all summer!
Get crafting!We all pin those adorable dorm room and apartment décor ideas on Pinterest but how many of us never get around to making them? We’re definitely guilty of that! So take a day or two to visit your local craft store and actually make some of those crafts you’ve been eyeing up. Trust us when we say no one has the time, money or energy for DIY projects during the semester so get those bare walls covered now and enjoy the fruits of your labor all year long!
Also, make sure to follow Her Campus Bloomsburg on Pinterest for great DIY ideas, plus much more!
Buy school supplies.We know it sounds so 2002 but take a trip over to Target, Walmart or any office supply store and stock up on pens, pencils, notebooks and Post-It notes! While some collegiettes love to take advantage of the relaxed schedule of syllabus week, not all teachers feel the same way. You do not want to find yourself on the first day of class without a notebook and pen when your professor delves into his theories about literary criticism or illustrates the human anatomy. Also, if you haven’t noticed…school supplies have gotten a lot cuter since we were in elementary school so glam up your backpack and be ready to tackle the new semester!
Move in some of your stuff early, if possible.Unless you’re a new freshman, you’ve all experienced the chaos and insanity that is “Move In Day.” Parents are freaking out, students are meeting up with friends, younger siblings are getting in the way and there are way too many people attempting to cram into too small of a space. Avoid some of the hassle of moving in the weekend before classes by taking a trip to our home away from home in the next few weeks to drop some things off. Contact your landlord to find out when you can have access to your building and plan accordingly. Your parents will thank you for getting some of your furniture out of their garage or attic and you’ll thank yourself when moving in only takes you an hour or so. You can even meet up with some of your like-minded friends for a beer or a slice of pizza at La Fontana.
Find a job!Hoping to find a job in town to help pay your rent and grocery bills? Call around now to see if any restaurants or stores on Main Street are hiring. Once classes resume, most of the jobs will be snatched up quickly by other students looking for the same thing as you. Try to take a trip into town at some point this summer to talk to owners and managers in person to beat the crowd and put in a good word for yourself. You may even be able to train or get started before classes begin so that’s one less thing to worry about later on!
Join HC Bloomsburg! :)While the Activities Fair is a wonderful way to see all the clubs and organizations Bloomsburg has to offer, collegiettes usually end up taking some information or jotting their email down and never taking their interest any father. Avoid the circus of syllabus week and get your foot in the door early by joining Her Campus Bloomsburg now! We’re currently looking for new witers, marketing consultants and social media directors before the fall semester begins. Fill out this form and learn why you should become a contributor for HC Bloom!
Now all that’s left to do is cross days off our calendars until August 25th! See you soon, collegiettes!