How to Start Prepping for College Move-In

Sending your child off to college is hard (in a million different ways), but if you start preparing now, you will be calm, cool and collected when it feels like crunch time later on. I’m going to share with you a handful of tips and tricks in order to make your college move-in process as easy as possible, for you and your student.

Tip #1: Make a packing list! Start building your packing list now. This will enable you to start checking boxes and stockpiling items, seeing what is out of stock, and gives you time to add more items later. There is nothing worse than shopping for college and dorm necessities at the last minute, because the items you’re looking for will be sold out. Here are some cute writing pads from Amazon.

Tip #2: When shopping for bedding for your college student, try to find out if the dorm/building has air conditioning and heating. Many old buildings on college campuses don’t provide central air conditioning, making the first few weeks of school a difficult adjustment. To be prepared for this, select a bedding option that is lightweight in the summer, but can be layered with extra blankets in the winter. Bonus points for buying an oscillating cooling fan or an indoor space heater.

Tip #3: Find the move-in schedule for your student and make a game plan. Do you need to book a hotel, or can you drive on the day-of? Will you be busy during meal times? Maybe pack some extra snacks to feed your crew while you unpack. Speaking of eating, try to make some dinner reservations now. Restaurants get crazy busy when it’s back-to-school season, and you don’t want to be stuck waiting for a table after a long day. Bonus point opportunity: buy your student a gift card to some local restaurants/ grocery store in their new area of town, so when they decide they want to eat out, they have a few meals already paid for (Ex: Panera, Starbucks, Trader Joe’s, etc…)

Tip #4: Build your student a personalized pharmacy kit. Getting sick in college is inevitable, and the only thing that makes it bearable is being prepared. Stock up on cold and flu medicine, allergy medicine, cough drops, band aids, hand sanitizer, electrolytes, vitamin C supplements and melatonin. When they catch their first cold of college, this will save them a trip to the pharmacy! Plus, they can share with roommates and friends who are in the same boat. Bonus points for adding in some miscellaneous drugstore products, like Aquaphor and tissues. Maybe even throw in a sweet ‘get well soon’ note for them to find the first time they go digging for medicine!

Tip #5: Be sure your student has good quality headphones and a bluetooth speaker. Headphones will come in handy for studying in the library, and watching Netflix in bed. The speaker will be great for playing music for a larger crowd, like their roommate or a group of friends. This may be the first time your student will share a room with someone else, so it’s good to be prepared to be a courteous roommate. For headphones, you can’t go wrong with some Airpod Pros. For the speaker, this JBL option is rechargeable and waterproof. Bonus points for getting noise-cancelling headphones- they might help your student fall asleep too!

Tip #6: If your student wears makeup, be sure to purchase a portable light up mirror. Dorm spaces and bathrooms can be tight, and finding your own space to get ready can be tough. With the portable mirror, they can find a spot wherever they feel comfortable in order to do hair, makeup, etc! Here are some good options from Amazon or from Ulta.

I hope these tips and ideas will help you feel more prepared to move your child into college! Stay tuned for a bit more college content coming this summer. If you use any of these tips or tricks, be sure to DM me on Instagram (@homewithatwist) and let me know how it went. I love hearing from my followers! 

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