The emotions leading up to first-year move-in are overwhelming. The excitement of starting something new coupled with the stress of packing up your childhood life makes for a stressful lead-up to the big day. Saying goodbye to your friends, partners, and parents and meeting new people can be challenging, but also incredibly fun! Now that I’ve settled into my new home, I’ll share my experience with move-in week and some tips and tricks to make your transition to college life as smooth as possible.

Packing:

In terms of packing, I suggest leaving anything you buy for your dorm in its packaging. It is so much easier to pack your shrink-wrapped bed sets and decorations than it is to pack loose comforters and things. I personally created a space in my room at home where I set up anything I bought for my dorm, and fought every urge to unwrap them until I moved in. Ultimately, this made it so easy for me to pack all my stuff and keep it all clean during the move!

I also suggest taking only the things you use regularly already. Really pay attention to what you use often at home. If you don’t use an item, it is not worth taking to school. For me, I spent time getting rid of things I no longer used at home. This included clothes, books, old hobbies, and anything I didn’t see myself needing in college. If I didn’t actively use it, it didn’t come with.

At the end of the day, every inch of space is important in the dorms. Packing efficiently and wisely saves a lot of hassle down the line.

Move-In Day:

Thankfully, move-in at Iowa is a breeze. The chaos is controlled by hundreds of volunteers there to guide you every step of the way. My advice here is to use them! There is no need to get lost in the dorms with buckets of your belongings because every single RA and volunteer I, and all my peers, met was wonderful!

In terms of my experience, my family left soon after unloading my things into my room, leaving me alone (because my roommate had not moved in). The overwhelming feelings of being alone for the first time in my adult life, and entering a new chapter returned, and I was quickly overwhelmed. Those feelings soon subsided, however, when I walked outside of the dorm and began meeting people in my hall. The best thing you can do even on your first day on campus is to start conversations and meet new people. Everyone there is feeling the same feelings as you, so go out there and make friends!

On Iowa Week:

There are literally events for everyone, take advantage of them! Going out of your way to meet new people is ultimately how you make lasting friendships. Go to events that you think are interesting, and you’ll meet other people who enjoy things you do too!