Tips for Moving into a College Dorm

     Ok this is a minor detour from Arkham Knight. Since this blog is for my class it is a necessary evil. So this post is a how to for move into a college dorm. Note I'm assuming that you are moving to a college in another city. For example I go to the University of Louisiana at Lafayette, but am from Baton Rouge.

     Step 1: Preparation
     It should come as no surprise that the key to moving is preparation. Honestly if you intended to move anywhere by packing the day of then maybe college isn't for you. First off, I recommend you get a good trunk for moving clothes. I literally live out of my trunk when I'm home for vacations. You can slowly start putting clothes in there during the days leading up to the move. This will of course be done as clothes are cleaned and you get to packing. This of course can't be done in one lump before because the clothes you will likely want to pack are also the ones you'll want to wear before hand.

     I also recommend finding a corner of your room or another in the house that you can begin to "stage" your belongings. This will help on moving day since you won't be looking everywhere trying figure out if you packed everything you need. Another thing is to pack your belongings in multiple bags. Aside from the obvious that carrying multiple bags is easier than loose objects, but it also gives you bags at your new dorm to pack clothes when you come home for the weekend. This is something I use very often.

     Lastly, try to find someone, a family member or friend, who has a large vehicle (unless you have one) and will let you either borrow or come with you to use it. After all making multiple trips is undesirable, and you'll likely want to bring more stuff than can fit comfortably in one car. Trust me I helped move 3 college girls into an apartment and not one of them came with less than one carful. This is obviously something that can't be arranged on moving day. Thats rude and likely to fail. Also depending on how much you have college age friends can be bought cheaply with food.

    Here are some things you will want to remember to bring:

• Clothes (duh I had a whole thing on that earlier)
• Toiletries
• Laptop/ computer
• Bedding (pillows, sheets,  blankets)
• Personal items (posters, pictures of that special someone, books)
• Lava lamp (you won't regret it)
• Gaming devices (you are VERY unlikely to spend all of your time studying despite what your mom says)
• Backpack/ schools supplies
• Games for the aforementioned devices
• Trash bin
• Tv
• Extension cords/ powerstrip (you never know where the outlets will be)  
• Regular lamp (a light blue glow from the lava lamp is horrible for reading by)
• Various other things I don't have room to list now

     Step 2: Loading Up
     On the day things can get crazy. You'll want to pack up and get going as early as possible. Dorms and other student properties tend to give times for moving in, but usually these are just for trying to regulate student traffic. Getting there early means that it won't anyone who comes to help you won't have to worry about driving back late (depending on where you're from), and you also won't have to worry about the office closing. If you happen to live far away from where you're moving it may be preferable to rent a hotel the night before to save you're self from having to drive for several hours and unload all in one day.

     Back to loading. Once you've found all of the people you want to help you and decided which vehicles are going make sure that the day or two before you make sure that everyone one knows what the plan is; whose meeting where and picking up what. Confusion when you're pressed for time is never fun.

     Step 3: Unloading and Beyond
     You are finally at the student housing of your dreams (lower your expectations now), and everyone got there in one piece and with most of the stuff they had. Efficiency is the name of the game. Every trip that someone (elderly, injured, young children, pregnant women, and anyone else who for whatever reason shouldn't be laboring exempted) takes has them carrying something from a car. This is especially important if stairs are involved. Preferably people carry a sizable load. Its a waste of energy if people just carry a pillow for a trip.

     You might get to your dorm and find that it is not in the state you want. One of my dorms had one of the roommates living in it all summer. It ended up being very dirty and greasy. You may end up having to clean as well as unload. The furniture may also be moved to your liking. This is best done before you move most of your stuff in.

     After all is said and moved, it is time for some food (if you want (also you may owe some people)), or it may be time to hit the local store for some essentials:

• Food
• Cleaning supplies
• Things you didn't buy before
• Shower curtain (they don't come with one)
• That one thing you forgot but really need (One?)

Now that you're moved in and your family and friends are gone enjoy your new dwelling. Settling in should only take a few months.