6 Important Things to Consider When Packing & Moving To A Dorm

So your child is leaving the security of the family home and taking up residence to attend school. Let’s wipe that grin off your face and talk about how to pack and prepare them for the move. Whether they are staying on campus or renting a room off campus, chances are they are going to have a lot less space than they currently do at home.

Furnished room?

Are they sharing the room with someone else? Is there a common kitchen? A shared bathroom? Now that that’s established let’s get started, Keep in mind that essentials only is the way to go. You can always add later with a visit from mom and dad or a trip to Walmart.

Dimensions

Try to get the room dimensions ahead of time in order to determine what can go and what cannot with respect to furniture – bed, table, desk, etc. Think small, streamlined and multi-functional.

Before the move, set up a staging area at home a month or so prior to start to organize what is going. There are 2 reasons for this: One, you can prepare for the move in advance and secondly a visual of what is planned to go can usually work as a visual to determine what is actually essential and what will stay at home.

Clothes

Most kids love their clothes and have a lot of shoes (even males now own a lot of “kicks”) but space is going to be at a premium. Pare it down to what they really need knowing that they will be coming home for occasional weekends and holidays so they can exchange clothing items or even trade the lighter clothing for heavier when the seasons change.

Do not pack into suitcases if you can help it. Once empty they are going to be hard to store in small quarters. Pack into garbage bags that can be repurposed later or tossed out. Garment bags will also work well. If sending along a small dresser, simply pack the items in the dresser, shrink wrap, and away you go.

Personal effects

For personal effects such as toothbrush, razors and the like make sure your child has a small travel bag to carry to the bathroom or even to store these items in. It is easy to carry, easy to identify and less likely to misplace these essentials.

Important documents and possessions

Don’t forget to send some small containers for change, jewelry and other small items that they may have so it all can be kept contained and organized.

Will they need a small safe for money, passport or other important papers?

Most importantly make sure that all prescriptions are up to date and they have sufficient quantity for the time they will be away.

Food & snacks

Send some storage bags so they can keep a few select food items in their room without the nuisance of the smell or bugs.

Many colleges also have a list of items to bring based on their type of accommodations. Check them out ahead of time. Moving from home to a temporary residence for school can be a stressful time for both them and for you, but a little bit of planning can ease the stress and create an organized move and transition to dorm life.

If you wish to learn more about how we can help with getting your child ready for this big step, or if you require assistance in reclaiming the space left behind, contact me here and we can chat.