In the midst of my end-of-the-year chaos, I decided to shoot my mom a quick phone call between class and rehearsal because I hadn’t spoken to her in quite some time (okay, it had been, like, 29 hours). However, my easy “Hi, just wanted to let you know I’m still alive” phone call quickly took a turn for the worse when she started asking me about my plans for the last few days of school. As I schlepped my bag up the hill from the library to the B-school in a sweat, the voice spewing out of my phone posed question after question: What day do you want to fly home? What time? Okay, so did you call the guy that’s going to help you move your stuff out of your room? Are you sure that will be enough time? What about your bags? How are you going to fit all of your clothes on the plane?!
Thanks for the concern, mom, but it’s 5:58 and rehearsal starts at 6…Talk to ya later.
If you’re anything like me, (too weak to carry boxes and too short-sighted to plan your move-out) the end of the semester can seem like somewhat of a nightmare waiting to happen. It’s miserable to think that the second you’re finished with your last final, Residence Life wants you out, and wants none of your belongings left behind. So kind.
Last spring, I was so overwhelmed with the end of the year commotion that I thought there was no way I’d be able to pack up and move out all by myself. I was tempted to make a panicked phone call a few days before I was supposed to fly home, and beg my mom to come help me, but I resisted. I bought my boxes at the DUC, piled my crap inside them (in a relatively organized way), and contacted a moving company to help me transport it all to storage. The fact that I succeeded in this endeavor assures me that it’s impossible for any Emory Collegiette™ to have a real problem moving out, as long as you keep in mind the following:
1. If you live far away, like me, scope out the storage spaces in the area. I used SpaceMax (right off of Briarcliff Rd.), and it was incredibly easy and the prices were reasonable. Other options include Emory’s own Dormestics branch, where your boxes will be picked up at your door and delivered to you when you return to school. Several different moving companies are sitting outside the DUC this week with all of the information you need, and plenty of boxes too!
2. Make friends with the muscular guys on your hall – they’ll help you get rid of heavier items (like that damn MicroFridge that barely worked all year) and big boxes.
3. Plan a schedule for packing. Everyone’s stressed out about finals, and basically living in the library, so manage your time. It can be hard to juggle packing and test taking, so plan a logical course of action. Pack items you don’t use every day first, and gradually make your way through all of your stuff. It’ll be surprising to see just how much junk you actually have hidden away in your room, so give yourself enough time to sort through it all.
4. Flying? Plan out what you’ll ship and what you’ll bring on the plane. You might need to ship a few boxes, but the DUC can help with that – all you have to do is lug them down to the mailroom (this is where the muscular boys come into play) Fortunately, the DUC has dollies you can use to move your boxes as well.
5. Put things in boxes in a relatively orderly fashion – don’t just throw everything in. You want to prevent breakage, and make sure that if you happen to need anything you’ve already packed, you’ll be able to find it easily.
6.…but kind of throw everything into boxes. It’s all just sitting in storage, so packing the way your mom would back up a house (tissue paper, foam peanuts etc.) is simply not necessary.
7. When you think about what you need to bring home, think carefully about your plans for the summer. If home is a plane ride away, do you really need to go through the hassle of shipping your sheets and towels home, or can you just wait to wash them when you get back to school? I stored my belongings in the plastic drawers that I used throughout the year, and kept everything except for my clothes in storage. It was easy to return in August having everything in one place and ready to move back in.
All in all, I’d say my experience moving myself out of my dorm was a good one: I found lip glosses that had disappeared, money that fell behind my desk, and clothing that had gone missing for quite some time. And as I was tearing my room apart, I realized that the gross amounts of dust that had accumulated in thick layers on all of my belongings, as opposed to the absurd amount of pollen, just might have been the cause of my newfound allergies.
No matter what kind of lost-and-found situation you experience, packing up and moving out can be a daunting task, but everyone does it. Rest assured that you’ll be able to get it all done, and ace your finals too (no guarantees on that one). Before you know it, you’ll have reduced your mess of a dorm room to a few boxes and suitcases, and Emory will be telling you that it’s actually time to go. Good luck packing, and happy summer!