How do you pack for college?

<p>My parents didn't go to college, and neither did anyone in my family. How exactly do you pack for college? Do you put everything in suitcases? Or in cardboard boxes? Generally how many suitcases/boxes do you bring? Is it common to bring a bicycle to get around if you go to school on a large campus? How much clothes should you bring? Are college students fashionable or are they more relaxed?</p>

<p>i need to know this info to, and i think its okay to bring a bike</p>

<p>How are you getting to school? Driving? Flying?</p>

<p>hes probably driving like me</p>

<p>Cool. Coordinate with the new roommate on the big items (TV, fridge, microwave) since you don’t need two of those. If your campus is large, then yes, a bike is great to have, especially when your classes are on the other side of campus or you’re running late somewhere. All of the other essentials (toiletries, school supplies) can either be packed into luggage or boxes. If you plan on doing some traveling during the school year, pack it in luggage. If not, then get some boxes, and just throw them out after unpacking to save space. As far as clothing styles on campus, this will totally depend on your school. Some schools are pretty laid back with gym shorts and a t-shirt being the norm. At others, students are decked out in Brooks Brothers and Vineyard Vines. I say just wear whatever you want. It’s college. Nobody will give you a hard time. Bring a decent amount of clothing. This will prevent you from having to do laundry every two days. Anything I didn’t cover?</p>

<p>I put most of my stuff in big bags and suitcases. Some stuff I brought in cardboard boxes, but that takes up a lot of space. I brought 3 suitcases, 3 or 4 bags, and maybe 1 or 2 cardboard boxes. Try to pack a little lighter than that, because you’ll be getting stuff that you may want to bring home (books, etc.).</p>

<p>I live on an average-sized campus, and most people don’t bike. Mostly because you have to go a lot slower on campus, and sometimes people don’t hear the bikes very well. But they’re a good investment if you’re going all over campus.</p>

<p>From what I’ve seen, there’s a combination of fashion and comfort. Some people wear nice clothes to class, other people come in sweats. Just go with what you normally wear.</p>

<p>Hope this helps!</p>

<p>Don’t bring too much stuff, though. Remember, your room is not that big, and you have to put all that stuff somewhere. I’ve managed to fill up most of my space, and I didn’t bring much because I flew in.</p>

<p>did you check the list by kateapollo at the top of the forum? seems pretty thorough…maybe a little too much so but you can edit it of course…</p>

<ol>
<li>Gather everything you think you might need and/or want at college.</li>
<li>Divide everything that you gathered into two halves.</li>
<li>Take one group of items and shove into car. Leave the other group at home. </li>
</ol>

<p>Andddd done!</p>

<p>:p</p>

<p>Thanks Student247! How many suitcases do you usually bring to college?</p>

<p>Suitcases, duffel bags, my storage ottoman and laundry basket. That fit pretty much everything.</p>

<p>I’m a pathological over-packer, so I brought an entire SUV-full of stuff. That was a large duffel bag, 2 large suitcases (and I mean BIG), 3-4 crates of random things that wouldn’t fit anywhere else, and other odds and ends. I like having a bike on campus (although my campus is quite small) just because it allows me to be a little lazy, and it’s convenient exercise whenever I want.</p>

<p>As for the average person, I would bring about 2-3 weeks worth of clothing at the minimum, and 1 month’s worth of underwear/socks (you will NEVER request anything else for birthdays ever again!!). You’d be surprised how busy you get, how little time you have to do laundry, and how many socks the dorm dryers eat… As stated, I have enough clothing/shoes/useless items to furnish a second dorm room, but I’m weird…</p>

<p>Good luck!</p>

<p>Does anybody fly in?</p>

<p>I mean, it just seems like such a hassle to run around buying so much stuff closer to the school…and then figuring out a way to bring it home when the year’s over.
But I’m taking a plane to school in the fall and I can’t imagine packing to survive a semester all in one (overly charged) piece of check-in luggage when everyone here’s bringing bags and boxes worth of stuff from home.</p>

<p>@trumpetcolor – I’m going to be flying to my college in the fall too, but I’m still working on my packing plans.</p>

<p>For people who are flying into their school, try these methods:</p>

<ol>
<li><p>Send the boxes by UPS to your dorm. Before you do this, give your dorm’s main office a call and see if they can hold it for you. Some colleges will have dorms that have storage rooms. </p></li>
<li><p>Give the housing people at your school a call and see if there are any local companies that do shipping/holding of packages for students. </p></li>
</ol>

<p>There are companies like CollegeBoxes that ship boxes to school, hold your stuff for the summer, etc. </p>

<p>[Student</a> Storage, Student Shipping - Collegeboxes](<a href=“Collegeboxes: College Moving, Student Storage & Shipping”>Collegeboxes: College Moving, Student Storage & Shipping)</p>

<p>I’m just packing a large suitcase with clothes (going to fold them into my dresser and hang up other clothes) then return my suitcase in the car.</p>

<p>I’ll also have boxes and duffel bags, with my sheets, and other stuff. Most of the boxes I’ll flatten and put under my bed.</p>

<p>Luckily I live close enough to make multiple trips (not close enough to do it frequently, but close enough so that if I find that I need my bike, record player, or whatever I could).</p>