Move-in day may be one of the most stressful and emotional days of your first semester at college. Between carrying boxes, unpacking suitcases, and saying goodbye to your parent(s)—this day is full of intense feelings.

This day doesn’t have to be a test of your patience or ability to handle stress. Learn how you can survive move-in day without making it a miserable experience for you and your family with these 13 tips!

#1. Double-check your dorm details before and during check-in.

During the official check-in process, you will receive many details. However, some of this information may be available to you already. Check your college email or regular email address for dorm details. Your college’s website likely has many helpful details on the website as well. Knowing the schedule of your first day will help make this day go more smoothly.

During check-in, feel free to ask many questions. Make sure you know which dorm you will live in this school year. Typically this detail doesn’t change, but sometimes you get moved to a different floor or room. Be sure you know exactly where you will live before starting the move-in process.

Make sure you know when your dorm is open. Some dorms do not open on move-in day until later in the morning. You don’t want to hurry and check-in early only to find out you have to wait hours before getting into your dorm.

Make sure you know how to get access to your dorm. You typically will need a student ID card to gain access to the dormitory. Additionally, you probably need access to your dorm room. You may be able to use your ID card, but you also may need a key. Know these details before driving up to your dorm.

Make sure you know where you can park in location to your dorm. Your dormitory may not have extra parking or allow you to temporarily park in front while unloading. Consider how you can get your stuff quickly unpacked from the vehicle and moved-in so that others can use your parking spot to do the same.

#2. Arrive at a specific time.

Somehow check-in day usually ends up being on a very warm or wet day. Additionally, peak times will be incredibly busy in your dorm. Moving in at the same time as others on your floor or your roommate can make for a hectic move-in, so avoid all the bad scenarios.

Text or message your roommate to check when he or she is moving in to the room. If possible, try to be the first one to move in to your room. You will have the pick of the better things in the room. However, if you and your roommate already divided up the beds, closet, and other storage, stick to your agreement.

As a side note, try to be considerate and not leave your roommate the worst of everything. But, do think about what you like and choose some of those things. For example, if you tend to be cold at night, choose a bed that is farthest away from the air conditioning.

Avoid peak move-in times so that you can more easily transfer your belongings to your room. More parking spots will be available, more staff will be available to ask questions, and more quiet will help you move into your dorm room. 

Checking the weather before driving to your dorm will help prevent frustration. When the temperature gets hot, tempers can quickly get hot. Simply delay your move-in time to a time that helps you and others be in a good mood.

#3. Assess and clean room before bringing up items.

Before you begin moving in, you will want to assess a few things. First, find out where your room is located. On what floor is your dorm room? Is it near the stairs or an elevator? Is it on the left or right side of the hall? Second, find out the status of your room. As much as you’d like to think everybody leaves the room clean, this is not always the case. Sometimes furniture needs to be rearranged, drawers need to be cleaned, carpets need to be vacuumed, etc.

During this process you want to have supplies on hand to clean your space. So bring cleaning supplies—Clorox wipes, disinfectant, window cleaner, etc. You have no idea how clean the previous occupant was, so cleaning every drawer, your mattress, and any shelves is always safe.

Another helpful supply to bring is garbage bags. While cleaning and unpacking, you will find you have trash. Running up and down the stairs to the dumpster takes precious time away from moving in, so think ahead and bring some garbage bags.

#4. Bring a handcart or wait for a cart.

Moving into a dorm can take multiple trips back and forth between the car and your room. Try to make this process as painless as possible. Check what assistance your college or dorm provides.

Many dorms provide some sort of cart or other assistance to students and their families on move-in day. However, these carts can be time-consuming to claim. Coming with some sort of handcart can help this process go more quickly.

#5. Bring necessary tools and supplies.

Some dorm rooms require a little bit of extra work. The furniture that comes with your room or that you bring may require some adjustments. Prepare for this possibility by coming with the needed tools.

One tool that you most definitely need is a pair of scissors. Whether you’re opening boxes or plastic packages, have this tool at hand and accessible from the start. Pack it near the back of the vehicle so that you can use it as soon as you may need it.

Another tool that many students need is a mallet. Many dorm rooms have adjustable beds. While you could bunk the two beds in your room, many students want extra storage and chose to loft the bed instead. The dorm does provide a mallet, but waiting for your turn can take some time. Think about bringing along this tool to help you so that you are not sitting around waiting when you could be getting things moved in.

A supply you may not think to bring is labels. If you bring plastic storage containers, a label can make your life much easier. Think ahead and bring labels and markers to help you organize your belongings.

Another supply you may not think to bring is command strips or sticky tack. Many students want to decorate their walls or other spaces with photos or decorations, but most dormitories do not allow you to put nails into the walls. An easy way around this is using command strips.

These handy supplies can help you hang photos or decorations in your room. There is a variety of command strips for different types of belongings, so think through what you will use them for before purchasing them.

Some colleges do not allow students to use these, so check with the guidelines before bringing them. If your college does not allow command strips, consider using sticky tack for hanging photos or posters. Sticky tack is a cheap buy and also easy to use.

#6. Pack strategically.

When you pack your items for college move-in day, be intentional about the order in which your belongings are packed. Remember that the things at the very back of the vehicle will be the first things you unpack. You want these items to be ones that you need sooner rather than later.

These kinds of items include bedding, bed pillows, towels, and immediate clothing and bathroom essentials (more on this later). Other items you may want in the back may be tools and supplies (tip #5) and cleaning supplies (tip #4).

#7. Pack a few day’s essentials in a duffle bag.

I wish I had thought this far ahead when I was in college. Prepare for move-in day by packing a duffel bag or another type of carry-on bag with all you will need for a few days.

Sometimes unpacking can take much longer than you thought it would. After saying goodbye to your parent(s), you will have plenty of activities to keep you busy. Your stuff may feel like it’s everywhere, so finding toothpaste or contact solution can be a struggle.

Avoid the unpacking chaos by thinking ahead and packing a bag for the first few days. Pack this bag like it’s the only one you have for a short trip. This can be a life-saver.

#8. Keep hanging clothes on hangers.

This is yet another genius tip that I wish I had thought of in college. If you have a decent amount of hanging clothes, consider using this tip instead of packing these items in a suitcase. You will save yourself some frustration.

Parcel up these hanging items into groups of 7-10 and then and put them in new garbage bags. Tie the garbage bags around the hangers. When you arrive to your room, you will only need to remove the garbage bags and directly hang your clothes in your closet.

#9. Think about meals.

Moving in will probably take you and your family a few hours at least. Depending on when you move into your room, you need to think about food and drinks. Decide if you will bring food with you or go out to grab a bite to eat.

Side note: This is purely my opinion. While it might sound like a fun idea to eat with your parent(s) on campus, remember you will eat this food all this semester (if you have a meal plan). Enjoy being able to go off campus to grab a bite to eat!

You should think about bringing water bottles and maybe some small snacks to tide you over in this process. You don’t want tiredness, hunger, and anger to set in all at once!

#10. Unpack strategically.

This is slightly different than tip #6 but not unrelated. Even if you pack strategically, you may still find that you need to do some strategic thinking while unpacking. Think about your rooms as being different zones. Then place your unpacked belongings in different spots according to these zones.

This thinking ahead will help the unpacking of containers, boxes, and suitcases much easier. You won’t have to think through where you want items, because you already completed this work.

Additionally, be sure to think where you want large items immediately after unpacking them. Lamps, dorm refrigerators, etc.—these items take up much of your space. So don’t make their placement an afterthought. Take the stress out of moving in by unpacking strategically!

#11. Use in-store pick up.

Aimlessly walking through aisles and trying to recall a mental list you made of things you need is not how you want to spend your afternoon. Take advantage of the in-store pick up option many major stores offer!

These items may be ones you planned on buying all along for college. Be sure you order and schedule your pick up time in a timely manner. You want getting these items to be as convenient as possible after a long day of unpacking.

These items may be ones you thought of as you unpacked. Make a running list of what you will need so as not to forget it later. Be sure this list is easy to find and access and somewhere it won’t get misplaced.

#12. Dress comfortably.

Move-in day shouldn’t be the day you dress to impress. Walking up and down stairs and  carrying boxes and bins call for outfits and shoes that can handle this kind of work. Comfort should be more important than fashion.

Think specifically about the shoes you wear. Avoid sandals that easily fall off like flip-flops and aim for a more practical selection of shoes. Choose shoes that work for walking and moving belongings.

Side note: Some colleges take ID pictures during initial check-in. If you did not have a photo taken during freshman orientation, your ID photo will likely be taken when you check in for first semester.

#13. Respect your roommate’s space.

First come, first serve is probably not the best way to think about move-in day. However, many students think this way about claiming beds, closets, and desks in dorm rooms. Your roommate might be one of them.

Taking the best of everything in the room is probably not the best way to start off the semester. Your roommate will probably resent you. Instead, try to discuss preferences with your roommate before moving in. When you arrive, do your best to be fair in your choice of bed, desk, and closet.

Move-in day can be one of the most stressful days of first semester. Use these 13 tips to help the day go smoothly! You will not regret being prepared for your first day at college.