Moving in College: 5 Tips to Downsize Your Belongings

By Miranda Darling

There is a lot of moving in and out of new spaces while in college. Almost every year you will be moving into a new space, and it is always a nightmare when you have a ton of stuff. Here are some easy tips to downsize your belongings that will most definitely make the moving process easier while still making sure you have everything you need.

1. CLOTHING (Seriously, take it easy)

First of all, don’t bring all of your clothes to college. Only bring the clothes for that season. During Thanksgiving break, you can go get clothes for colder weather, and during Spring Break you can bring your spring/summer clothes back to campus. Additionally, only bring clothes you actually wear. Don’t bring your prom dress, the clothes you wear “in case you’re painting or getting muddy”, or more than ten t-shirts from high school.  You won’t need them.

It may seem exciting to head to college, but, trust me, every day is not a fashion show.

2. Minimize the decorations

I get that you want your dorm to look cool or cute and you’re excited to decorate a new room. But the reality is you’re only going to be living there for a year–probably two at the most. That’s not a lot of time, having the fancy pillows or cool wall decorations you saw at Bed, Bath & Beyond may be fun, but it’s not really all that great when you have to pack it up and move it every twelve months.

Bring a few decorations or knick knacks that help you feel at home, but don’t go overboard. You have plenty of time after college to accumulate all of the lovely decor you want.

3. If you didn’t use it then, you won’t use it now

For the most part, any of your belongings you didn’t or barely used during high school will not be used during college either. Never pack something that was just sitting in your room at home, because it will probably just sit in your new one too.

4. The proper mindset

When going off to college, you need to realize that at least for the first year, you probably won’t be spending a lot of time in your dorm. A lot of students only really sleep there. When you think of it this way, what seems “necessary” and what’s not can change dramatically.

The new and amazing experiences that you should be having won’t be in your dorm, and you will be super busy all the time anyway. Keep that in mind when deciding whether or not something is actually worth bringing, because anything you bring you will have to make time to actually use.

5. You can always go back and get it later

If you leave something at home that you actually end up needing, guess what? You can still get it fairly quickly! Either have your parents ship it to you, bring it back yourself when you visit home for the weekend, or just go out and buy another one if it’s really that important. Focus on the few, small things that you really need to feel comfortable and at home. Everything else is basically just extra. Remembering this will help you bring less.

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