Practical Packing

Packing for college is no simple task.

Not only do you have to make sure you have all of the necessities, you also have to worry about how much you are bringing with you.

The summer before my freshmen year was quite stressful. As a first generation college student, my parents and I relied on various online sources for suggestions on what to pack.

While those lists were certainly useful, experience turned out to be the only thing that really helped me learn what was truly necessary for college and what easily could have been left behind.

There are quite a few things that you’d probably never think to take, but actually come in handy when you’re finally settled in.

Don’t forget:

*Air Freshener- If you have a private bathroom at college, it might be in your best interest to keep a can of this for emergencies. When the time comes, you’ll be happy your bathroom smells like lilacs instead of, well….

*Sponges/Dish Soap- Even if you have purchased a meal plan, there’s a good chance that you will still be using your own dishwear every now and then. Dish soap and a sponge will keep bacteria from growing on dirty plates, but make sure you wash them regularly to begin with!

*Command Hooks- When you run out of space in your closet, these hooks are perfect for scarves, purses, belts, and backpacks. They come in different sizes to fit your needs, even it’s for something as simple as a wall calendar that you want to hang.

*Stamps, Thank-You Cards- With the number of holidays and special occasions you will miss, I can guarantee you will picking up cards to send and therefore will need some stamps, as well. It also doesn’t hurt to keep a couple of Thank -You cards on hand; you never know when you might need one.

*External Hard Drive/Flash Drive- You are going to be using your laptop for just about everything, so (as scary as it is) there’s always the possibility of something going wrong. If you store your important projects, documents, and pictures on another source, you can worry less about your computer crashing. An external hard drive is more expensive than a flash drive, but its storage capacity is much greater.

*Rain Boots- I regretted not bringing these the day the first heavy rain fell on campus. Avoid soaking your shoes and pant legs by picking up a pair of cute rain boots before you leave and saving yourself the trouble later.

*Microwave cover- There’s nothing more annoying than a messy microwave, especially when you are sharing it with a roommate(s). Keep your food from splattering by picking up a cheap microwave cover, but be sure to wash that too, or you’ll still be making a mess.

*Chip Clips- When you are studying for an exam and decide to dive into a bag of Doritos for a snack, you certainly don’t want them to be stale. If you close the bag with a chip clip, you can guarantee the food will stay fresh for the next time you get the munchies.

*Ear Plugs- This is college, so expect that there will be some noise that makes it difficult to fall asleep. Ear plugs are great for muffling sounds, and they even come in colors like pink!

Other items:

*Potholders

*Batteries

*Laptop Lock

*Pedestal mirror

*Lock for valuables

*Flashlight

*Booklight

*Brita water bottles

So you have everything you anticipate you’ll need for college, but your biggest problem is yet to come…how are you going to get it all there?

Here are some suggestions on how to make the most of your limited vehicle space:

*Take items out of their package- Boxes tend to be quite bulky and can make it more difficult to squeeze it into a small space. Plus, by opening packages beforehand, you save yourself the hassle of doing it on move-in day.

*Put things in drawers- If you plan to store beauty products and medicines in a plastic rolling cart, you can also put those in their place before you leave. However, don’t forget to duct tape any drawers shut so that nothing falls out in transit!

*Put clothes on hangers- Not only is it another time saver for when you get to your new room, having the clothes ready to hang also saves space. A piece of advice for those who don’t own a zippered wardrobe bag is to hang your clothes on hangers, secure hangers together with a rubber band, then pull a large garbage bag over them, pushing the hangers through the bottom of the bag.

*Space bags ®

– A great suggestion for linens (or even clothes) is to temporarily shrink them. You’ll be amazed at how much space you save when packing pillows, blankets, comforter, etc. (Just remember, your closet is only so big, so don’t bring more clothes than you can fit!)

Move-in day at college can be stressful, so make your life easier by packing resourcefully ahead of time!