College move-in day can be a stress-filled and emotional day for many students and parents. From packing up and moving away from home – to transporting your things through a busy campus to your dorm – so much goes into achieving a successful move-in day.
However, moving out of your dorm doesn’t have to be such a dreadful experience. Using this Collegeboxes guide, we’ll take you through how to prepare and successfully conquer move-out day.
Tips for Your College Move-Out
Start Planning Early
In the first few weeks of the spring semester, figure out what your finals schedule will look like and figure out when you’re done with classes. Once you’ve picked a day, talk to your family and/or friends that might travel to help you on move-out day.
That allows them to book a flight and help decide whether to ship, store, or even drive home your stuff if needed. Depending on what you do, Collegeboxes has a storage and shipping service for students.
Pack Up Before Finals Week
It should also be in your plan to pack your room up as much as you can before finals week. This way your attention can be focused on your tests. If everything is already packed up, those that came to help you can take your belongings elsewhere to help clear clutter from the room and take a load off of your mind.
For more information on planning for your move-out day, check out our Ultimate College Move-Out Checklist.
Move Out Before Move-Out Day
While move-out day might be the official date set by your college, moving out a day or two earlier can be the smartest move. Moving earlier allows you to avoid the rush of students all trying to leave at the same time. It also gives you some buffer of time to address any unexpected issues that could happen during the move.
By moving out a day or two ahead of the crowd, you’ll have easier access to elevators, parking spaces, and loading zones. This can significantly expedite your process and save you valuable time on the actual move-out day.
Ace your finals and be on your way to summer break with ease by moving out before move-out day.
How to Pack Up a Dorm Room
You’ve decided to move out early and have most of it done before finals week, but where do you start?
To help, here’s a step-by-step guide to help you through the process:
1. Take Down Dorm Decorations
As much as you love the way you decorated your dorm room, it won’t help you study and should be one of the first things to be packed up.
2. Gather Packing Supplies
Before you start packing, ensure you have all the necessary supplies. This includes sturdy boxes, packing tape, bubble wrap, packing paper, labels, and markers. Having these items on hand will help streamline the packing process.
The best way to get the boxes you need is through Collegeboxes. We offer a handful of moving supplies including a supply kit, which comes with 5 double-walled (24″x16″x18″) boxes, marker, tape, 5 zip ties, 10 label pouches, a bonus box (36” x 24” x 7”), and free shipping right to you.
3. Keep, Donate, or Sell
Create a list of what needs to be kept, donated, sold, or thrown away. Chances are you won’t be living in a dorm room the next year but rather an apartment or even renting a house with friends.
Not everything belongs in the dumpster, donating items to the local Goodwill or Salvation Army will help pass those items along to others.
4. Pack and Label Boxes
Pack items carefully to prevent damage during the move. Be sure to pack heavier items at the bottom of the boxes. Fill any empty spaces with packing paper to prevent shifting.
As you pack, label each box with what you’ve placed inside. This will make unpacking next semester or at your next location so much easier.
Collegeboxes, the college moving experts, has more tips on how to pack up your dorm room.
How to Move Out of Your Dorm
When moving out of your dorm, each university has its own policy for move-out day. For most, it’s usually making sure you handle each of the below items:
- Removing all your belongings from the dorm room
- Cleaning the room
- Attending a final meeting with your residential contact
- Returning your room and mail key
- Signing any required forms
Don’t worry, the housing department isn’t expecting a deep clean of the room. However, don’t leave it like a pigsty either. The staff generally will be looking to see if the floor has been vacuumed, any furniture has been emptied out, the bathroom has been sanitized, and there’s no damage rather than normal wear and tear.
As a precaution if you decide to move over before your roommate, take pictures of the room to show that any damage that occurred after you left was not your fault. No need to pay a fee for someone else’s destruction.
We hope these tips help you have a stress-free move-out process. But to make moving out of your dorm even easier, use Collegeboxes to handle your college move. Collegeboxes offers services to make college moving simple for students. Our Storage and Shipping service is a perfect storage solution for students between semesters.