College or Dorm Move

If you have never lived in a college dorm before, you are in for a real surprise. These infamously small rooms are going to be your home for the next year, at least. Oh, and not to mention, it won’t just be you in there. You’ll most likely have a roommate, or two. Not only is heading off to college as a new adult a HUGE life change, but having to stay in such small quarters can make it a bit tricky.

A few days before the semester starts, you and hundreds or thousands of your fellow classmates will break out the dollies and hand trucks and start loading boxes on them. You’ll see that most people have packed the same things: laptops, comforters and sheets, kitchen utensils, picture frames, and toiletries, to name a few. It is important to have your dorm room feel like home and make you feel comfortable being there. Decorating and organizing it to your liking is ideal.

Saving Money to Move

It’s no secret that college students are usually strapped for cash, so hiring a moving company may not be in the cards for most of them. It may be best to use college moving tips while also recruiting your parents, siblings, or friends help you carry your belongings up and down the stairs. You can always promise some pizza as a payment after the move!

As mentioned above, your dorm room will most likely be very small. There won’t be too much you can even fit inside of it. Most of them just let you load in the basics, and even that is a tight fit. If you are lucky enough to get an apartment style dorm (multiple rooms with a shared common area and bathroom), then you may have a little more room to work with. To save money, it is a good idea to take some hand-me-downs from your older siblings, or other students you may know.

Difference Between College Move and Residential Move

The biggest difference here is size. A dorm isn’t nearly as big as a home or even an apartment. In addition, dorms usually have common areas that are stocked for you, so you won’t have to bring your own items. For example, there may be a kitchen that the whole floor shares that comes with pots and pans that are provided by the university. There may also be a community bathroom where soap and toilet paper are provided for you.

Another difference is furniture. You will mostly likely need to furnish your new house or apartment yourself. That can get expensive. Luckily, dorms provide most of the furniture for you. Most dorm rooms have beds and mattresses there for you, in addition to washer and dryers, refrigerators, and basic common area furniture.

Services for College Moves

Since your new dorm will most likely be shared with someone else, the space you can use will be limited. You will basically have to split the room in half, or even into thirds. With that said, you probably will not need to hire a moving company for your big move.

Since you are moving into a smaller place, you might need to rent a storage unit to keep the items that can’t fit in your dorm room. There will most likely be a storage facility near you that you can simply call.

Most of your dorm necessities will probably fit in one or two cars. It may be an uncomfortable and cramped drive there, but using a personal vehicle will save you a lot of time and money in the long run.

In addition, check with your school’s University Services to see if they can help transport any large items you may need. Having extra hands during any type of move is always a huge help!

Author:
Moving Options

The Moving Options content team is made up of multiple contributors, writers, and editors. We are your resource hub for anything related to moving, cool stuff, this stuff and great resources.

2 References
  1. http://college.usatoday.com/2015/08/06/dos-and-donts-moving-into-your-first-dorm-room-or-apartment/
  2. http://www.houseontheway.com/12-tips-for-college-move-in-day/
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