The Perfect Guide To Preparing For Move-In Day

Are you packing for college and itching with excitement to actually move in?! I was too! It is one of the most exciting days in your life thus far. Having a new place (temporarily) to call home is probably the most independence you have felt in a while.

Move-in day is exciting, but it is also tiring and hard work. I live three hours from my university so I had to make sure I did everything I could to make the move-in day process as easy as I possibly could. So here I want to give my absolute smartest tips to make your move-in day manageable and genuinely fun!

This post is all about move in day. I talk about what you should expect, what you should bring, and super helpful tips to make the day run smoothly! Packing for college can be an amazing experience and I am excited for you to experience it!

Packing For College

Talk With Your Roommate About Moving In Time

I had a random roommate because I didn’t know many people prior to moving in. I honeslty loved my roommate and from the beginning we communicated very well. Talk with your roommate about when they plan to move in.

You DO NOT want to move in at the same time because it can be pretty chaotic especially if you are both using your families to help you move in. We ended up choosing different days, but my roomie and her mom came by during the time I moved in which was fine because our parents could meet a little.

But, make sure you communicate with your roommate! It’s essential to create a good relationship with them.

Ask For Help Before Moving In

Packing for college is already time-consuming so make sure you get people to help you unpack everything when you get there! I had my parents help me move in but you can also ask other family members, your friends, or anyone else that can help you settle into your new place.

Pick a Good Time To Move In

You want to get in and out. Having a lot of people there while you unpack brings stress and definitely a longer wait time for elevators. Time slots should be a little more spaced out given 2020 but you want to make sure you pick a convenient time for you and your family. Before you pick a time, you want to make sure you take into consideration:

• Parents Schedules
• Roommates Schedule
• Travel time
• Weather

I would recommend picking the earliest time available for the day, or the latest. I think these two times are the best because most people won’t want to wake up extremely early or stay super late. These times will most likely be the less stressful and the best experience for you.

Items To Bring Specifically For Move-In Day

• Cleaning supplies: Not only to keep in your dorm but to do a quick clean through the dorm when you get there! Of course, cleaning workers do their job to prepare the room for the new students, but you want to make sure you clean things once more before placing your belongings into the room.
• Dolly: There is a good chance it will be busy during your move-in day. Your dorm will typically have a couple of spare dollies for families to use, but you don’t want to have to wait around for someone to finish using it. So bring your own! You may need a dolly to move in big stuff such as your refrigerator, microwave, and furniture. You may also just need it for moving multiple things at a time!
• Furniture Pads: These are suuuuuper helpful and you need to pack them before move-in day. These are used in order to ensure your big items (like your refrigerator, tv, microwave) won’t get scratched up and while lugging it to your room!
• Doorstopper: This is probably the best hack. Usually, on move-in day, the dorm hall will keep its doors open for convenience for families. But, you will definitely need a way to keep your doors open to your actual room! They are super cheap on Amazon so you could buy a couple for under $10! Here are a couple I found that work on multiple floor types:

buy on amazon

buy on amazon

Look Into Renting Tools

An amazing hack is to see if you can rent these tools from your local home improvement store. Stores like Home Depot, Lowes, and UHAUL typically allow you to rent moving equipment! So definitely check out your local stores to see if they have what you need.

Wear Loose Clothes That Are Easy To Move In

Move-in day is typically in the summer time. So it will be fairly warm. For my move-in day I wore Nike shorts and my OU t-shirt. Something simple and easy to move in.

Unless you are moving up north or in the winter time when it is a bit colder. In this case, you should still wear some pants/jogging pants that are light and easy to move in.

Bring Water

You will be parched! I know I was haha. You are moving constantly, trying to figure out what goes where, and you have a lot to get into your room. It is a tiring process, so bring a couple of water bottles to keep you dehydrated.

Leave a comment!

Please consider these super smart move in day tops while you’re packing for college. You want to be prepared, less stressed, and productive when moving in. Let me know of other tips you consider important prior to moving in to your dorm!