1:48 pm - Mon, Apr 30, 2012

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Karina’s Guide to Packing A Dorm Room, Pt. One

Sorry for a rather massive delay in posting—Ashley and I got swept up in the maelstrom of events and finals and research papers that swirl up around college students in the month of April. As graduating seniors, there are many topics to tackle in our blog, both sappy and silly alike. But today, my friends, I am going to address a most dreaded but necessary topic: cleaning out the dorm room.

I know—if you are anything like me, this sends a shudder down your spine. My room, for one, has usually amassed so many random objects by the end of the school year that even Madonna would balk and say that calling me a “Material Girl” simply doesn’t cut it. Don’t believe me? Check out this picture from my freshman year dorm room, with my roommate, L. You’d be forgiven for seeing more of a semblance to a Where’s Waldo scene than a freshman year dorm.

Admittedly, a low, low point in our messy lives… we gave up cleaning and just threw the clothes on the ground. Who needs a pool when you can swim in clothes, eh? 

Most organizational guides will tell you to start way in advance. I know that this is hardly going to happen, as you’re likely getting in deserved and important last hang-out seshs with dear friends and studying for finals until the wee hours of the night. However, if possible, try to do the following steps before your last few days at school:

• Don’t book your flight directly after your last exam. Believe me, cramming for a test while cramming storage boxes is a recipe for double disaster.
• Amass a collection of large cardboard boxes. No, this isn’t to construct your new home under the nearby bridge post graduation (or is that just a concern of this liberal arts major?), but to use as shipping or storage containers. Go to UHaul to buy good sized ones for $2.25 a pop, or stake out boxes from the recycling rooms in your dorm. Preparing for this is way better than trying to utilize old Costco size cereal boxes (not that, ya know, I ever tried that or anything… maybe)
• If you are renting a storage unit, figure it out with a group of friends about a month in advance. Coordination amongst undergrads during finals season is like herding cats—it doesn’t work (leave that to the professionals).
• Now, the most feared pre-shipping step: clean your room. Having everything in its right place makes it infinitely easier to organize, ship and store at the end of finals season.  

Stay tuned for our next post in this series, when I will go over the key ways to go about actually packing up your dorm room—from one messy chick to another. Until then, good luck with finals and frolicking with friends!