Summer has come to a close, which means another semester is on its way. As a first-year student, getting ready for college can feel intimidating. From moving there, to assimilating to the campus culture, it can be a lot to handle. But worry not! At Collegeboxes, we have over 20 years of experience helping college students move to school, so here are our top 5 tips for moving to college and making the most of it.
Admission & Enrollment
Most high school students start taking the SAT and ACT in their junior year so they can start applying to schools during their last year of high school. Your senior year will consist of sending applications, writing essays, and potentially even doing some interviews to try and get into the college of your choice.
Colleges will open their applications in August for students that are seeking admission in the following year. For most schools, the deadline for early applications will be November 1st, but they will still take applications up until January or February. Once you submit your application, you’ll typically receive a response a month or so later.
Preparing To Leave Home
Congrats! You have been accepted into college! Now here comes the fun part, getting ready to go. You don’t need to spend the whole summer strategizing your move but try to at least give yourself a month or so to really start planning and making arrangements.
If you’re living on campus, your college has probably sent you an email about choosing your dormitory and selecting a roommate. Be sure to do some research on the campus dorms to see which one you’d like to live in (you don’t want to be the one stuck in the dorms with communal bathrooms)! Just like applying for school, you should try to get your dorm plans ironed out early. This will give you the best shot at getting the room or roommate you want!
Creating A Plan
No matter how far you’re moving, it’s important to have a plan before taking off. This will help you save time and handle any hiccups if (or when) they occur. This means getting any flights booked early, coming up with an itinerary for moving day, and making sure that all your stuff is packed up and ready to move, too.
Need a Packing Gameplan?
Don’t forget the necessities! When moving to school, you don’t need to pack everything but there are some must-haves. Here’s a complete list of what you need when you move to school.
Find Your Interests
College is the time where you can really explore who you are and what you like to do. And you can only do that by getting out there and figuring it out! While you’re still new to campus, try to get outside your comfort zone and try new things and meet new people.
A great way to learn about your interests is by joining a club on campus. The great thing about campus clubs is that they are student-ran and can be centered around service, interests, or a sport or game. No matter what you might be interested in, odds are there’s a club for it!
Advice for Freshmen, From College Students
Everyone has been the new kid before, so we all know what it’s like. Need some advice from someone who gets it? We asked real college students what they wish they knew when they started college, here’s what they said!
First Semester Expectations
Don’t go expecting college to be like the movies, it’s still school after all! While you can expect to have plenty of free time, there’s still going to be a lot of schoolwork to keep track of. Make sure to have a planner or phone calendar on hand to keep track of everything.
On top of this, make sure you take some time to make some friends, especially if you’re going to school far from home. Joining clubs is a great way to get started, but also try hanging out in the common areas of your dorm, too. Starting college can feel isolating at first, so try and combat those feelings by breaking out of your shell and being a social butterfly.
Transition With Ease
Needless to say, there’s a lot to keep track of when it comes to applying to and starting college. But Collegeboxes is here to help! With our Ship to School and Direct Shipping services, we can ship your belongings anywhere, even right to your dorm room. All you have to do is pack up and we’ll step in and handle the rest. That way, you can focus on the fun stuff while we do the heavy lifting.
So, it’s time to get this show on the road…don’t be the last one to the party, sign up with Collegeboxes today!