My college is starting in just one week! I just moved into my apartment for the year and while it was a lot of work, I’m satisfied with the finished product. Since this is my third year of university and my third time living on campus, it’s fair to say that I’m experienced in moving in! I wanted to share my tips that have helped me throughout the years with you guys.
Communicate with your Roommate
Every year I’ve lived on campus, I’ve had a roommate. My first year, I shared a room with my roommate in a dorm room. My second year, I had three roommates in an on campus apartment and I have the same number of roommates this year. However, this is the first time that I will be living with girls that I haven’t known.
I wanted to make sure that I could communicate with my roommates about who was bringing what for the apartment and to just get to know them! I emailed one of the RAs for a list of my roommates and their emails so that I could reach out. Luckily, one of my roommates answered the email and we coordinated everything we needed to have for our shared bathroom. We also got to discuss which appliances we might need for the kitchen.
This is definitely the first tip I would give anyone who’s moving in on a college campus because your home is also your roommates’ home. It’s important to know who is bringing what to your home so that you and your roommates will have everything you need. A bonus is that you get to know your roommate a bit before moving in with them.
Decorate your room with what makes you happy
My first year, I got a bunch of stuff that was super cute and popular at the time. However, towards the end of the year, I realized that while the items and stuff I had thought was necessary were “cute”, they didn’t feel like me. This year, I made sure to find items (like a message board, a potted plant from my mother, and a pink pillow I adore) that I not only felt were super cute, but were things that I knew I liked. They weren’t the traditional “college room must-have”, but they made me happy.
When decorating your room, find stuff that makes you happy and use them! I can change the message board to say anything I want (right now, it says Work Smarter, Not Harder) and can reflect how I’m feeling. I smile every time I look at it, and I want everyone to feel like that in their room. Surround yourself with things that make you feel happy and at home.
Bring a piece of home with you
On the note of feeling at home, I have one thing in particular that reminds me of home and where I come from. My mother and her entire side of the family are from Denmark. When I graduated high school, I received a vase from a Danish company. It’s gorgeous and sits on my desk so that I can see it every day.
I would definitely tell anyone who’s moving away from home to bring a small piece of home with them! It’s always nice to have a reminder of where you grew up and where you came from.
Pack your stuff in easily transported way
When packing up your stuff to move on campus, it’s best to pack it in a suitcase or a box that is easy to carry. Sometimes on campus living doesn’t have an elevator (like my freshman dorm) and you’ll have to transport everything up stairs if you don’t live on the first floor. I like to use big rolling suitcases because they can keep a bunch of stuff within them and they’re easy to move around.
There are also super cool collapsible boxes that my parents like to use for my printer and other desk items. They’re inexpensive and don’t take up much space unless they’re in use! I would highly recommend them to everyone who moves things, not just college students.
Use Pinterest for decorating inspiration
The last tip that I would like to give is to use Pinterest for inspiration. That’s how I found some of the items that make me so happy in my room! I actually have two different boards that I used for deciding what items I wanted. Pinterest is a great app to use because after saving certain pins, it will suggest more pins that are like the ones that you saved.
It’s a great way to see what items speak to you and find the best way to decorate your new home!
These are all the tips that I have learned over the years and wanted to share! I hope that they were helpful and that you can use them now or in the future. Thank you so much for reading, leave a comment down below of what you think!
Love,
Kaitlin
Kaitlin H Powell 