Now that the school year is ramping up again, as promised, I am starting to write my survival guide posts. I figure what better way to start off than with a few tips for packing for school.
Many of us are prone to over packing, especially if you are a freshman who’s unsure of what to bring. It’s easy to get sucked into the pre-made lists from big names like Bed, Bath and Beyond and packed full of items that we “need” that in all honesty you really don’t. So here are some key tips on packing for college:
- Sit down and actually make a list. Start by writing down everything you think you need to take, just write down all the things that come to mind. Then, once you are finished, go back through your list and start taking off items that aren’t really necessary. If you have trouble doing this, ask a friend to look over the list. Take into consideration the weather and size of your dorm room.
- Don’t freak out if you forget something. Trust me, this isn’t as big of a deal as we make it out to be. Chances are you can always have it mailed to you or, if you live not too far from home, you could see your parents over the weekend and have them bring it with them. Almost everything can be fixed.
- Don’t take your whole closet with you! I know I touched on this above but you have to resist the urge to over pack because in the end it just makes your life more difficult.
Now that you know what you are going to bring, let’s get packing!
- Pack your essentials first! This is something you should always do, because once you have all the essentials ready to go you can see how much room you have for misc items that you want to bring.
- Pack accordingly. Again, take into consideration the environment you will be living in. Always make sure to bring your casual, everyday clothes, but you should always have at least one professional outfit in case of interviews and at least one set of nice clothes for parties and events.
- Don’t wait until the night before. This is the most age old packing tip and that is because it really is a huge help. Waiting till the night before increases your chances of forgetting items and decreases chances of actually trying to make this an organized and successful endeavor, trust me on this one!
- Roll, don’t fold. Rolling your clothes helps squeeze more of your clothes into your suitcases/bags and maximize your space. I do this even at home. Never forget, in college, space is like gold.
- Double bag your toiletries. Anything that might leak you should take this extra step to protect the rest of your items. If you have a waterproof case, great, but still bag up the stuff inside in a ziplock.
Make the most of what you have! Try packing your sheets and bedding inside your pillowcases, this way any bedding sets you have are always kept together and it won’t take up valuable space in your suitcase/dorm. Pack your bags in other bags. If you have large tote bags, use them to your advantage by packing smaller items like your make up bag (with the make up in it), shoes, or any other bags and small items inside.
- Don’t ditch the hanger. Another example is to leave your clothes on the hangers and just use trash bags as garment bags to keep your clothes safe and organized so they can go straight into your new closet.
For all those out there who are flying: make sure to weigh your luggage before you leave. You don’t want to get hit with baggage feas!
For some more great college tips check out one of my favorite college blogs CollegeFashion.net and there advice posts here, here and here.
I wish you all safe travels and good luck going back to school!
<3 Kimmie
