5 Last-Minute Things to Get Sorted Out Before College Starts
It’s almost time to head off to campus and start another semester of school, but before you head out, make sure you have everything in order.
Back to school season is in full swing, and classes will be starting up in a mere few weeks. There’s always going to be a few loose ends to wrap up, so make sure you have everything ready when you leave for campus, saving you time and stress in the long run!
1. Glance over your schedule again.
As the semester gets closer to kicking off, the university’s class schedule is finalized. While you know what classes you’re taking, sometimes instructors, buildings, and rooms get decided at the last minute. Double check to make sure everything looks normal. You don’t want to be sprinting from one end of campus to the other because your classes are back to back but on opposite sides of the university. And if something does look wonky, don’t worry—advisors make tons of schedule changes during the first week of classes, so they’ll get everything squared away for you.
2. Reach out to your roommates or suitemates.
Aside from the preliminary, “Hi, I’m going to be your roommate” message you’ve sent them, talking to the people you’re going to be living with before you head off to campus will help diffuse some of the awkwardness on move-in day. Plus, you want to make sure you know who’s bringing what when it comes to shared items. You don’t want to wind up with three shower curtains and no mini-fridge.
Got everything for your dorm room? Check out our dorm room essentials list to make sure.
3. Make sure you really know your budget.
Armed with a bank card, it can be easy to overspend in college, especially now that you feel like you’re living on your own. Aside from the necessities like food and textbooks, there are plenty of ways your university is going to try and squeeze more money out of you under the guise of convenience (i.e. stuff in the campus stores is going to have a higher price tag). Even if you don’t want to create a super planned budget, having a loose idea of your monthly spending will help keep your bills down.
4. Double and triple check that you have everything packed.
I know that you’ve likely been packing for college for a while now, but it’s really easy to forget things you’re used to seeing every day. You don’t want to reach for something once you’re all moved in only to find out it’s not there. Run through your packing list one last time, and make sure you have everything you could possibly need—it’s always better to be over-prepared!
5. Take a breath and give yourself a break.
Trying to finalize everything before classes start up can be stressful, and it’s easy to get too wrapped up in the logistics and forget to have fun and relax. If you start feeling like you’re doing too much, take a beat and go do something fun. Or better yet, just relax. Enjoy the last bits of summer, and try not to worry—everything is going to work out okay. There’s always going to be things you didn’t plan for, and you’ll have to roll with the punches. You can only plan so much, so don’t be afraid to step away every now and then to take advantage of your summer vacation.
