It’s that time of year again. School is almost out for the summer! Between laying out at the pool, scrambling to complete assignments, and planning your summer break with friends and family, you still have to somehow find time to pack up your college dorm for the summer. Where do you even begin? Should you keep your assignment from August? Will you need your textbook in the fall? Regardless of if you have started the process or if the thought of packing is making you cringe, we’ve created a complete guide to college dorm move-out day to alleviate your stress.
Final Exam and Move-Out Prep
Exams are fast approaching, and that means you’re almost done for the school year! With final exams comes incredibly late library nights, study sessions, office hours, and countless notecards and reviews to make sure you’re confident when pencil hits paper. That said, moving out should be the last thing keeping you from studying.
Try to begin slowly packing the month leading up to your final exams so that when exam week comes around, you won’t have to find time between studying to pack up your belongings. This is especially true if you’re going to need to find a storage unit for your items over the summer. Don’t run into a situation where you’re calling every place in town looking for the last available unit just because you didn’t proactively lock in a plan for your items and furniture. Doing this will also make it so much easier to stay organized and orderly when move-out day arrives.
To Keep or Not to Keep
You may have a tendency to keep everything, or you may just want to throw everything out and start fresh in the fall. Regardless, you should proactively sort your items into groups so you can make a strategic decision. Some of your items you may want at home during the summer, while other items you may decide you’ll never need again. You may find that certain belongings can stay in a storage unit or in your room until the fall if you know you won’t miss them over the next few months.
Move-out is also a great time to consider selling or donating items to charity. If you have a roommate, this could even be a fun activity to do together. Throw on some music or a movie, and start sorting through your items while cherishing the fond memories you shared together throughout the semester. Don’t forget some of the items you have, such as rented minifridges, borrowed or purchased textbooks, and classroom items might need to be returned before move-out, depending on your college.
Mini Fridge, Many Problems
Unplug, clean, and defrost your mini fridge. Ask anyone, and they’ll tell you a horror story about how they forgot to do one of these three steps. Whether it’s crumbs from late-night snacks or small spills from drinks and mixers, your mini fridge has been through a lot this year. Take everything out, clean and clear it out, and make sure you unplug and defrost it ahead of move-out day. Doing so can prevent leakage inside your dorm, which could lead to a complete mess and unnecessary damage charges from your university.
Cleanliness Makes the Dorm Grow Fonder
Coming home to a clean room is one of the better feelings in life. After several weeks or even months away from your dorm, can you imagine coming back to a dusty room and bugs between crevices? Don’t let time be the reason you don’t clean your space before you move out. Keep a list of what you need to remember to clean so you’re not scrambling to turn in your keys at the last minute.
Some common things that may top your list are dusting, vacuuming, mopping and sweeping, emptying out the trash, and cleaning the bathroom. Don’t forget to take your food with you or throw out anything you don’t want that may perish over the summer. If you have a pet or somehow ended up with one during the year, that’s an extra layer of cleaning that you should also consider.
There are extra steps you need to follow when planning to move out with a pet, such as making sure they feel comfortable until the last minute, keeping their food out, and keeping an eye on them to make sure they don’t escape while you’re loading up the car.
Rules to Live (and Move Out) By
Each dorm has its own set of move-out rules and procedures. Don’t be the only one who didn’t listen to their RA regarding what needs to be completed or scheduled before leaving for the summer. If you don’t know what needs to be cleaned, what should be repaired, what can and cannot be left behind, or what needs to be turned in, then you can simply ask. You don’t want to risk not having enough time to move out or being charged a fine or late fee for not following protocol.
RAs may even have a checklist to help you triple-check your place and remind you of closets or random items you may have otherwise left behind. Pro tip: They’ve been through move-out before, and they’ve seen just about everything, so your RA is a great resource if this is your first college move-out.