For freshmen, the thought of moving into college can be scary, exciting, or both. Although it was a major emotional change, one of my lasting memories from freshmen move-in was the physical strain and all around chaos I experienced on campus and in my building. So, we’re here to help you avoid having the same experience! Follow these steps and you’ll be better prepared for the havoc that is freshmen move-in day at TCNJ.
1. Plan to move in with more than one person
Although you may think you and one of your parents can tackle moving in alone, it will be very hard. When I moved in, one of my parents stayed in my dorm and began setting up my room, as the remaining three of my family members did trips back and forth to the car. If for some reason you can’t find people to make the trip to campus with you, make sure you ask current TCNJ students who are helping with move-in for a hand – they’ll all be hanging out in front of the dorm buildings.
2. When packing, organize your items into categories
It’s a lot easier to have a bag for your bathroom supplies, a bag for your desk supplies, a bag for your closet organization, etc. than having to go through each bag item by item to find where to put it in your new room. If you know you have a bag for a specific area of your dorm, you can leave it in that place and unpack it as Welcome Week goes on.
3. Bring a cart or carrier
Although TCNJ says that they supply them, I found that none were available by the time I got to my building. So it’s a lot easier to bring your own and guarantee you will have a smoother move-in! There are some smaller carts you can find online that fold up and can be kept under your bed for whenever you are moving things in and out – which will definitely come in handy throughout your time at college.
4. Don’t overpack!
When you’re packing for move-in, make sure you stick to a list of things to bring. You’ll find if you don’t, it will take much longer and you’ll be left in an overcrowded room. Your family can always mail you seasonal items and there will be many opportunities for you to go home over long weekends and breaks to pick up whatever you find you need over time.
5. Go shopping in Ewing
Another way to make sure you don’t overpack is to shop for the smaller items in town once you move-in and are done setting up your room. There are grocery stores, pharmacies and even dollar stores in Ewing – so don’t buy all the small stuff at home if you can just get it here!
6. Wear comfortable, heat-friendly clothes
Move-in can get sweaty! Make sure you a dressed for the heat that’s both outside and inside the (mostly) non-air conditioned rooms. I recommend staying away from tight-fit clothing. Also sneakers are a must!