If heading off to college prepares you for one thing in life, it’s how NOT to be a packrat. With the minimal space provided in a dorm room, I’ve learned that I have to be picky about what I NEED and what I WANT. While packing, I decided just maybe a few pairs of shorts and shirts would be a necessity, while I had to leave a few pairs of beloved shoes that I knew I would barely wear behind in my home closet (a moment of silence for those beautiful, neglected soles).
If heading off to college prepares you for one thing in life, it’s how NOT to be a packrat. With the minimal space provided in a dorm room, I’ve learned that I have to be picky about what I NEED and what I WANT. While packing, I decided just maybe a few pairs of shorts and shirts would be a necessity, while I had to leave a few pairs of beloved shoes that I knew I would barely wear behind in my home closet (a moment of silence for those beautiful, neglected soles). I’ve learned that there are two kinds of packers when it comes to college. There are the freshmen who put careful thought into dorm decorations and getting the right color of notebooks, pens, and towels, and then there are those who only care that they have a bed to sleep in. I relate more to the former, obvious to me and my family by the contents of my many suitcases and storage drawers. If you’re more of the latter, you are the rare breed of packer that I envy. But alas, I cannot change how excited I am to have a new space to make my own, so here I am, worrying do I have too much stuff or not enough to fill my half of the room??? It’s really a constant struggle to not know how to gauge the size and quantity of my belongings to the size of the room.
Although I have been in the rooms at Tabor quite a few times, I found myself this summer before freshman year forgetting what the layout of the dorm looked like and how much storage space was already built into it. *PSSSST!* I’m about to give you a tip that helped me soooooo much when getting things for college. At our Early Registration Day in the spring, we took a tour of a couple of example dorm rooms, and while we were there, I took pictures of every angle of the room to use for reference. I can’t even count how many times those pictures saved me from buying unnecessary things. If you get to go to the dorm rooms before move-in day, I highly recommend that you do the same!
I did quite a bit of research online (meaning I just endlessly scrolled through Pinterest), and I found so many posts telling me that I needed all sorts of stuff that I know would just sit unused in my room. Of course, everyone has different styles of living and necessities, but I found that a lot of the so-called essentials were things I could easily live without. You’ll find that a lot of these lists say to purchase bed risers, which aren’t needed at Tabor. The bedframe can be lifted on its own, so that’s one thing that you can leave on the shelf at the store. Make sure you don’t pack anything that’s not allowed at in the dorm, like candles, toasters, waffle irons, or pretty much anything that could start a fire. Freshman year, just when you’re making new friends, you don’t want to be the one known for setting the mod on fire and hearing the rest of the year. The two exceptions to this rule are a coffeepot and a microwave. Thank GOODNESS for these exceptions because let’s be honest, coffee is the college student’s fourth element of survival immediately after food, air, and shelter.
I’m also learning as I’m packing everything into my car to keep the decorations to a minimal! It’s so tempting to grab all the cute stuff online and in the stores that match the color scheme you’re aiming for, but know when to say no. Learn from my shortcomings and take my advice: one personalized wall hanging is plenty, so take that second one out of your online shopping cart right now. Seriously. Got it done? Good job. *round of applause* I’ll go ahead and give you another tip free of charge! If you hang up your t-shirts like I do (which I learned recently isn’t a normal thing, but I will not budge!), I would advise that you pack your hanging clothes on wire hangers. These hangers take up a lot less space than the plastic ones, and you’ll be able to hang so many more things!
I hope my own packing adventure can help yours be as smooth as a drink from Java Jay’s. Be on the lookout for more insight on the true life of a Tabor freshman!