So let’s say hypothetically you are hitting the midpoint of the second semester of freshman year and have absolutely no idea where you are living next year. Haha, funny right? Unfortunately, it very un-hypothetically happened to me. Now, while I may not know everything about the college rooming process, I sure do know how to make a list and give my thoughts. Here is my experience looking for a new living situation, including my move-out process to prepare for move-in later in August.
First off, let’s tackle the obvious things first. Where you choose to live. At UB as a freshman you must live in the dorms on campus unless you have specified reasons to do otherwise, but afterwards it is fair game. Every place on campus has its perks, same as off campus, and I do think that Buffalo has a tremendous amount of options no matter your ideal living situation, transportation situation, roommate preferences, and budget. I personally chose to opt out of living on campus this next semester. If I am being honest it was half because I refused to deal with communal bathrooms again – HerCampus bless us all – but also because there are many non-campus apartments only minutes from North Campus with amazing amenities, prices, and options for living.Â
The other super obvious question is how do you find a good roommate. My answer is: girl, I do not know. My find-a-roommate process this past semester was kind of like an escape room where you think you have found the final clue, only to realize that there is another room. My only advice is to not give up. It works out in the end no matter what, and everything happens for a reason.
Okay now everyone’s favorite: the checklist. My move out process felt very unique to a lot of the people around me, as many people packed up and drove back home, whereas I put half of my stuff into a storage unit and flew the rest home. I had trouble writing this article at first because I did not know whether to just give my own experience that I know would not help many but could be very helpful to some, or to give my thoughts on moving out in general. That’s when I remembered that all we can do when we help each other is to go off our own experiences to help make others’ better – you hear me eldest daughters? You don’t have the answer to everything and that’s okay.
I decided to go for both; I will give you some overall basic instructions for moving out and share a bit of my personal experience alongside a more broad view.
- Begin by figuring out HOW you want to pack everything.Â
- For me I had to categorize my packing by “what I was taking home”, “what I was leaving here”, and how that could all be sorted into the storage / travel vessels I had at my disposal.
- I still recommend this system even if you are nott leaving anything behind. When you go home, having storage bags of your clothes that are for the winter and definitely will not be touched in the summer separate from your warm summer clothes, can make moving back in at home easier. You can keep the winter bag as is, tucked away in your closet or your room, and will not have to sift through fuzzy coats and snow boots – thank you Buffalo – when you are just trying to find your favorite tank top.
- Next, pack it all up.Â
- I began with my clothes, because that is what would take me the longest to sort, and I could begin that process a few days before moving out with no issues. Similar to my last checklist on traveling, I recommend trying to do all your laundry right before doing this, so you are genuinely sorting all of your clothes. I left my winter clothes and accessories up in Buffalo, as I will not need them at all for a Texas summer, and brought down only what I could actually see myself wearing over the few months. I also recommend planning out your outfits for moving, if your move out will take multiple days like mine did because of travel.Â
- Once clothes were done, I compiled anything else that I knew I wanted to take home with me. Books, electronics, bags, literally anything that was going in a suitcase on a plane was packed next.Â
- And then we took everything I was not taking back home into the storage unit, and deep cleaned the dorm. Overall moving out was pretty simple, but I spent a lot of time during move-out focusing on making my life easier when I moved into my next place. How I organized what I was leaving in the storage unit directly related to what will be easiest to unpack in this way – but that information and thought process will come in the next article. (Part 2 coming in August!)Â
I hope this information, while somewhat brief, can give you a starting place on how to set yourself up for success next time you move-out. If you have any questions, had a similar experience to my move out and want more details, or have any tips of your own you would like to share maybe in the next article, DM me through the UBHC Instagram account @hcbuffalo or my Instagram @ainsurbanek. Be safe, make good choices and most of all have fun.
Until Next Time,
Your Eldest Daughter