<p>Like many of you, I'm wondering about move in day. I live in Germany and so I really want to start getting myself organized so that when the time comes to finally move in, I'm not an emotionally unstable and confused wreck. Having that said, my main queries are:</p>
<p>1) How much of your stuff should you mail/store at the school prior to your arrival?
2) How many people bring their own furniture (i.e. desks, beds, chairs etc.)? I know that the majority of the rooms are pretty small but after having spent a week in JJ two summer ago I think I might actually be better off bringing in my own stuff.
3) What generally happens on move-in day?</p>
<p>If any current students are willing to give their insights I'd be very happy :D</p>
<p>Most people from far away (anyone who has to fly to get to Columbia) don’t bring much on move-in day besides a couple of suitcases and a backpack or duffle bag (for laptops, etc.). For the first few days there’s shuttles to Bed Bath and Beyond so that students can buy stuff like lamps, hangars, bedding, towels, etc. Some people have stuff shipped over during the first week- though from what I recall it was never anything larger than a printer or a TV.</p>
<p>If you’re going to live in John Jay, be aware that the rooms are pretty tight. Bringing in your own furniture is definitely a bad idea, because of all the logistics involved in getting it there (size limits on shipping, etc) and then dealing with housing when you dump all the other furniture outside your door. You should just buy a set of bedlifts in case you get one of the cot-type beds (the alternative is getting lucky and having a high wooden-frame bed), get a couple of pillows that you can use to turn the bed into a sort of couch and use that instead of the chair.</p>
<p>Fortunately for you, you’ll be moving in on the first move-in day, when everyone who’s not from the Boston-Washington DC corridor moves in- meaning you’ll be moving in with less than half of the freshman class. The process itself is pretty streamlined. There’s plenty of people available to help out and direct you to where you need to be. That night IIRC there’s also a mixer where you can get free food and meet other people.</p>
<p>Thanks so much rjv! That’s really helpful. Yeah, Epaminondas. After looking at the rooms I’ve realized that bringing my own stuff would just be a hassle</p>
<p>All the same size: Twin XL. I hear that you can’t really get sheets for this abroad but you’ll have multiple opportunities to buy them once you get to campus, whether it’s from the Bookstore or from the BB&B trips that were mentioned earlier.</p>
<p>Looking, back, I brought A LOT of crap that I didn’t need to, including pens, pencils, staplers (all around campus), towels, shampoo, toothbrushes, deodorant.</p>
<p>Yes, I probably saved 20 bucks by buying all of that stuff at home vs. in new york but then I also had to fork over 15 bucks to check an extra bag.</p>
<p>rjv covered the furniture aspect. I also want to add that unless you are consistently printing out color copies, you will not need to bring your own printer.</p>
<p>I was a minimalist on move in day. Only brought clothes, electronics and anything expensive–it all fit into one large suitcase, a carry on and a backpack. I left shampoo, towels and even my toothbrush at home. This also serves the purpose of leaving a set of your essential toiletries at home so you don’t need to pack them when you go back for a few days. </p>
<p>Google “free amazon prime trial” a week before you move in and sign up for one. If you luck out you can get a 3 month free trial, otherwise, I think it’s 1. With that, 2-day shipping is free (with no purchase minimum) and you can just order only the things you need. This way you won’t bring anything that you don’t need. This will also come in handy when you’re ordering books and need them quickly. The only caveat is that the package center lines can get long so you’d have to go there early in the morning or near closing to avoid waiting in line.</p>
<p>I agree, dont bring furniture and utensils. Craigslist for furniture [if you even have room], and you can get your utensils in harlem [avoid the stores right next to columbia for buying more than a couple things]</p>
<p>since you are from Germany. I would avoid mailing things that you can buy here.
3) What generally happens on move-in day? you move in, get to meet ppl on your floor, and it will probable be hot in your dorm.</p>
<p>I have to agree about the Amazon free trial, and not just for the items you’ll need, but also for textbooks too. In the dorm, you won’t have room for much else beyond your clothes (at least in the dorms I looked at). Everything is easy to get to from the subway if you need anything else too.</p>