7 Things You Should Do When Moving to a New State for College

1. Have a plan that includes learning how to pack

Packing is not as simple as throwing everything you own into boxes willy-nilly.  In fact, for any move, but especially a long distance move, you will need to have a system.  Making a list of everything you will need is step one. Then, you should decide how you will be making your trip to school.  Will you be flying to the location and hiring a local moving company in Tucson to drive your belongings? Or will you have long distance movers in Tucson come and pack and transport everything for you as well?  If you decide that you will be driving yourself, you will want to load your vehicle in a way that distributes the weight evenly so that you aren’t putting more pressure on any one side of your vehicle.  You will also need to have a plan if your road trip is going to take longer than a day of driving. It is never safe to leave personal belongings in a vehicle, especially if there are lots of windows that people can look into and see what you have.

2. Go through your clothing

It’s fair to say that most of us own far too much clothing.  Packing is a great excuse to go through all of your clothing and weigh your options, as you will have limited space in your dorm room.  It is best to keep pieces that you can mix and match so that you don’t get outfit fatigue. As you are going through your clothing, make a pile for clothes you will be keeping, clothes you will be donating and then clothes that should be thrown away.  You should never try to donate clothes that have holes in them or stains. Along with your clothing, you should also go through your shoes and make three similar piles. Keep in mind that you will be walking a lot at college, so bring a couple pairs of comfortable shoes, but maybe leave your collection of high heels at your parents if they are willing to store them, or donate them.

3. Gather packing supplies

You will need to have plenty of supplies for your long distance move.  You will need several boxes, which you can either purchase or you can go around to grocery stores and ask if they have any extra boxes from shipments they have received.  Along with boxes, you will need packing tape, large, bold markers, and then either bubble wrap or newspaper to wrap more fragile items. Just remember to make a list of what you are packing as you are packing it.

4. Make sure you have all important paperwork

If you are making a long distance move to attend college, you will want to make sure to have any important paperwork that you may need in a safe file folder.  One thing that a lot of college students do not consider is that if they are planning on getting a job while they are attending college out of state, that they will need to have their social security card for their new employers.  You will also want to have information on costs and possible payment dates, as well as the paperwork with your student loan disbursement information. Other things that are more obvious would be to have your driver’s license, and then if you have any plans to leave the country for spring break or perhaps a trip across the pond to visit your roommates family, you will need a valid passport.  It is also worth finding out where certain services are located such as hospitals, dentists, the DMV, stores and banks.

5. Wait to buy school supplies

The last thing you want to do is take up valuable space for packing by buying all of your school supplies at home and then having to pack them for your drive to your college.  Do yourself a favor and wait until you have arrived at school and then take this as an opportunity to get familiar with your new college town. Perhaps your roommate will also need to find a store for supplies and it could be a great way for you to bond.

6. Become familiar with points of interest in your new town

Something you may want to research are all of the activities not only that your school has to offer throughout the year, but also local community events.  There will also very likely be excellent food choices, bowling alleys or perhaps an event center that your favorite band will be playing at during the year.

7. Plan your journey to college

If you hire local movers in Tucson, you can make a really amazing road trip out of your journey to college.  You can visit national monuments or amusement parks, or even quirky roadside attractions. This is also a good time to decide where you will be staying should you trip take multiple days – hotels or perhaps housing rentals.  Just be sure that you have an emergency kit packed for you vehicle, and that you have cash on hand in the event something comes up.