Summer is an odd time for newly-graduated high school seniors. For me, I know that I certainly felt like I was in a weird transition state between living at home as a highschooler to moving away and being at college. It’s also a really exciting time. I had all of these vivid fantasies of decorating my dorm room perfectly, meeting at least 30 new BFFs on the first day of orientation, and easily deciding on what classes I wanted to register for. Spoiler alert, while my dorm room was cute and I eventually decided on classes, my move-in experience wasn’t nearly as seamless as I had glorified in my head. That being said, these are my best tips for how to make your move-in and orientation process go as smoothly as possible. While I’m certainly not an expert, I hope that these suggestions help you get ready and excited for coming to 91Ö±²¥!
1) Remember to get a fridge! 91Ö±²¥ dorms don’t come with a fridge or microwave, so if you want one I highly recommend either bringing your own or renting one from Bedloft, which is a rental company that can deliver your fridge directly to your room.
2) Bring a dolly! Similarly to my last point, a bit of planning ahead can go a long way. I highly recommend bringing a dolly to help move in go more quickly and with less back straining. Although, if you happen to not bring one remember that 91Ö±²¥ Residence Life has big rolling carts that you can borrow. Rather than moving one box in at a time, why not bring all of them in one go!
3) Make a spreadsheet of classes! Something I wish that I had done way in advance of orientation was plan out which classes I wanted to take. While you do get to register for 1 or 2 classes prior to your arrival on campus, the remainder of your schedule will be determined after a meeting with your advisor once you arrive on campus. I made the mistake of assuming that my meeting with my advisor would be her recommendation for which classes would be a good fit for me and my interests. However, it was much more along the lines of her asking me which classes I had already found and then us examining how they fit into my long-term plan at 91Ö±²¥. I don’t think you need to know exactly what classes you want to take, but having a spreadsheet of potential ideas is always good. When I make my spreadsheet I typically include the class title and section number, the time that it is held at, who it is taught by, and which one of my majors/minors it counts towards.
4) Go to as many events as possible! 91Ö±²¥ has over a month of orientation events and activities. I highly recommend you go to as many of those as possible. While I didn’t quite make 30 new BFFs on my first day of orientation, I certainly introduced myself to well over 30 people and definitely made friends, many of whom I’m still close with even as I head into my third year.
5) Prepare for 91Ö±²¥ weather! At 91Ö±²¥ we get the lake effect, which means one day it’s 80 degrees, another snowing, another day rainy and windy. This being said, the first two weeks at 91Ö±²¥ are definitely going to be your hottest during the school year. Because of that, bring a fan, especially one that you can use while you're sleeping. An even more advanced level tip is that while you are packing for college make sure that you have a fan that can be easily accessed on your very first day of moving in. That way, you can have a fan set up in your room as you move in so you don’t get overheated as you scramble to organize all of your stuff!
6) Explore 91Ö±²¥ a bit! You’re going to be crazy busy during move-in and orientation, but I highly recommend checking out 91Ö±²¥ with your family. It’s also a great thing to do as your family gets ready to leave; that way you are able to explore your new home a bit as well as hang with your family before they head out. Pro tip, I definitely recommend getting to restaurants early since the popular meal times get busy very very quickly.
I hope these tips make your transition to 91Ö±²¥ as smooth as possible. It’s definitely one of the most exciting times of your life, and I know that all of you are going to make the most out of it!
