By Joshua W. Barry
Special to Relocation.com -- St Gregory's University
Editor's Note: Relocation.com wanted to learn more about the experience of college, so we want to the source: students. Here are their experiences.
When moving to college, your backpack should cover the first couple of days while you transition into your new location. In my case it would be a toothbrush, toothpaste, deodorant, soap bar, bags of beef jerky, some trail mix and baby wipes. With this and access to water, I can survive for sometime.
The key is to have non-bulky non-perishables that will not cause a spill. You stick a bottle of mouthwash in your bag and after some banging around you will have a minty smelling backpack and an empty bottle. If however you put in that book that you picked up two years ago, you can be stuck in airports, empty apartments or an enemy base and not go insane. You now have one bag packed and on you shoulder.
The next level of packing is the necessaries. This is where you get your two pair of jeans, three shirts, a week's worth of underwear and socks. This is also where you go beyond the paperback and get into laptops, iPods and handheld video games. I go with a laptop and an external hard drive with movies that I can watch and never tire of. This stuff doesn't need to be unloaded until after the first day when you are certain to have an electrical outlet.
You might also want to include the big hygiene stuff like the mouthwash and shampoo. For leaking, tape the lids. I use electrical tape but duct tape would be the wise choice. I just don't like the sticky residue when you pull duct tape off. A roll or two of quarters and some laundry detergent would also be good to have in reach just incase unpacking is not in the foreseeable future. Now you have the next two bags in reach.
Lastly is your "everything else" list. I would wait on most of it because you want to see what your roommate will bring. If you live within a day's drive, you can fill in the gaps next weekend as well as do your laundry at home for free. If not, check at local thrift stores, garage sales and Target. Try to buy things one at a time to keep yourself from getting impulse items.