It can be overwhelming to consider everything you will need to get through the first year, let alone the first semester, of college at an HBCU when you are getting ready to start school. Considering everything you might be doing in school, thinking about what to pack can become overwhelming. For college students, It is critical to consider all aspects of packing for HBCU students, so we put together this college packing guide to help.
Attending an HBCU means a lot to many individuals and emits collective energy from people with diverse and similar tastes. Some people may be more frugal when it comes to packing than others, which isn’t always negative, but it does mean that you should assess what you truly need and don’t.
College Packing Guide: The Importance Of Knowing Your Living Space
Knowing about your living space is important when preparing to move to your desired college. Typically, first-year college students are obliged to be on campus for their dormitory lodging. So, with that said, it’s critical to understand your living space. Some dorm styles are traditional, requiring students to share their living space with one or more roommates, ranging from one to four.
Other dormitory styles include solo dorms, which require only one student to use the room. However, as a freshman, you will normally share a room with someone. As a result of having to share their living space, students must prioritize the basics first and their wants second. Make your area feel like home, as it will be your temporary home until winter and spring break, when students can return home.
Tips For Figuring Out What To Bring
To prepare for packing, I asked some college students I already knew about things they thought I’d need to bring to school, which helped a lot. YouTube videos were also helpful. Thousands of college students and alums create numerous packing tips and tricks videos on that platform; additionally, it will help even more if you search your dorm room and school on YouTube to see a student actually video blog the room and give a room tour so students know what to expect before moving in.
Scrolling on the Pinterest app can also help students understand their room’s aesthetic and overall theme. It’s also a great tool for a college packing guide. Lastly, creating an Amazon gift wish list can help students figure out what they might want to bring by using other people’s lists as inspiration or scrolling through the Amazon dorm essentials tab usually posted on their website around the summer.
Room Essentials In This College Packing Guide
For your room, it’s important to know your space and how big it will be. First and foremost, if you have an idea of a room theme, you will start looking at items that match your aesthetic, but most importantly, it’s important to know what you need for your room. When thinking of how to live, you want to think of consolidation.
Finding storage spaces and ways to make your room look cute while creating a moveable space is important. Storage bins, hanger extensions, collapsible cubbies, and rolling storage carts can help your room have more space while adding to its aesthetic.
Regarding the bathroom, shower caddies help students the most with staying organized while bringing all of their bathroom essentials back and forth with them to the bathroom. First-year students live in dorm halls with shared restrooms, which signifies that they are in a communal setting and share the facilities with other students or their entire floor.
Supplies that I recommend for students to bring to campus with them would most definitely be cleaning supplies for their room, common areas that might be shared, and, most importantly, the bathroom. Resources that a student would need for school, even if the majority of instructional materials available nowadays are electronic in the environment.
Above all, anything of personal significance that could help the student get used to their new room or create a cozy atmosphere, such as a family photo or a valuable item, could be beneficial.
The Importance Of Leaving Things Behind
Although it’s common for students to think that packing up their whole life into a few suitcases and storage containers is the only way to prepare for college and move in, that’s not always the case. Students typically enroll in college for the fall semester, which lasts for three and a half months, depending on their living situation. Some students also receive a fall break, while others do not.
In the latter case, the student takes Thanksgiving break, which typically lasts for a few days rather than a full week, and continues to study until December, when winter break occurs, during which they generally are out of the classroom for a full month and a few weeks before the start of the spring semester.
Students normally have one spring break, which falls in March after the spring semester, the shortest college semester. Following that, they often take an approximately three-month summer break, which ends in May. Students need to carefully consider what clothes to pack for each season when attending school.
To make an informed decision about what to bring and leave behind, students should know that their school may not experience all four seasons to the fullest extent, depending on location. Students can typically use their vacations and home time to bring items in style for the upcoming school year and out-of-season items back home.
Depending on available space, some students may not need or want to get every piece of clothing with them. This is acceptable because it frees up more room in their dorm for new items.
In conclusion, it’s critical that the student feels at ease with the items they plan to take and not pack when they move onto campus throughout their college preparation. When it comes to what to pack to move into your living space, needs and wants will vary as you move up in classification; don’t put too much pressure on yourself regarding packing. This can be stressful, but don’t allow it to be!
