5 Tips To Help With Your Child’s Move to College

It’s a bitter sweet moment when parents send their children off to college. On one hand, you’re beaming with pride, and on the other, you recognize that it’s the end of an era, your child is no longer a child – they’re now an adult.

Regardless, you want to ensure a smooth transition and a seamless move into their freshmen dorm or living situation. That’s where we come in! The keys to making it a smooth transition lie in planning, organizing, and budgeting. Thus, we’ve put together a few tips to help make your life, and your child’s easier when making the move to college.

1. Plan Ahead!

An important step is to try and visit the room ahead of time, take measurements, and figure out what can fit into your space. This step is especially important for students as they may they may have multiple roommates and limited space. Also, make it a point to go over the school’s moving regulations in advance of the move; no matter how prepared you may be, move-in day is always more hectic than planned.

2. Communicate With Roommates Ahead of Time

Often, universities will share with whom your child will be boarding with ahead of time. Have your child contact the future roommates and learn what they plan to bring as well so you can coordinate. This way, it won’t be awkward if someone brings too much or too little furniture in the tiny room.

3. Organize, Organize, Organize

Help your child organize their belongings. Consider having a staging area; whether it’s a corner of your basement or a couple of laundry baskets in your child’s room. It’s helpful to have a place to put things as your acquire them. Another tip to keep technology organized is to take photos of where cords should go. This way, if your child unplugs their TV at home to bring it to the dorm, they can easily look at the picture for reference when reinstalling.

4. Devise a Budget

You hear us talking about this one a lot. But it really is an important aspect of every move, regardless of the size and breadth. College is also expensive, so it is best to devise a budget. Have a conversation with your child about a budget and how they can afford to buy essentials. Luckily, most of the essential belongings students need for their dorm can come from their own room at home, or can be picked up local retail stores. Things like books, lamps, clothing, etc. Getting boxes, bubble wrap, and paper for packing is inexpensive and will keep the items safe.

5. Bring Extra Hands (if you can)

Things go a lot faster when you have help. If you can, enlist the help of parents, siblings and relatives (and make sure to thank them and expect to repay the favor). If extra help from family or friends isn’t available, consider using a professional service. This can put your child’s mind at ease and yours too!

Making a move can become stress free with these steps. Your child can use this moving expedition as a learning opportunity and enjoy their new journey. Emerge ideas from planning, organization, budget, and help. If there are any questions or concerns, ask about Yarnall’s services.