By Emily Smalter
Special to Relocation.com -- Western New England College
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.
I could not have been more anxious to go to college. I applied early, I got in early and I packed early. I found my roommate through a social networking site and immediately began to split up who was bring what. I was assigned the television, vacuum cleaner and printer.
Once this was established, I began to plan out what I would pack, and what I would leave at home. I left nearly nothing at home except the clothes I wouldn't wear and the furniture that I couldn't fit in the dorm. Nearly everything else I used on a daily basis came with me, in two bins, three cardboard boxes, and two suitcases. Though I was only going two hours north, I packed like I was moving across the country.
This was my first mistake. Upon arrival, we had to carry more than we should have, and my dorm barely provided enough space for what I had. We hadn't planned on where we would put the television, and it ended up sitting on top of my closet.
Transportation was also difficult to plan. My mother's small Honda wasn't equipped to fit everything, so we had a family friend take us in his larger truck. My second mistake, after over-packing, was pushing some of the bins I had taken all the way back in the truck bed, which I had to crawl in to in order to retrieve my things. Other than that, however, transport worked out fine.
Determining where my clothes would go was simple enough, because a bureau and closet were provided. What posed the biggest problem -- and still does to this day -- is the electronics. The position of the outlets and the lack of them makes it difficult to have a laptop, speakers and a TV all plugged in at once, in addition to a refrigerator, microwave and coffee maker. My advice to future college students would be to find out the position and number of outlets in the room before you rearrange your furniture.
Months later, I am now completely settled in my room. I've taken some clothes and appliances back, but most of what I packed has actually come in handy. My roommate and I established and followed some general rules, and we're both content with how things have turned out. But I know when I return next year I will try to pack less.