Hacks 101: Move In Day

Hey everyone, Libby here. Today I am going to share 10 quick life hacks to help make your move-in day run smoothly! Move in day is an extremely fun and exciting day marking the first day that you call Furman your home! 

1. Label everything. I recommend packing your things in duffels, Ikea bags, and bins that are easy to carry and not too heavy. Label as many items as you can with your dorm and room number because students will be there to help you carry everything up to your room, including tons of athletes on campus for pre-season like men’s football and women’s soccer players. You likely will be able to park very close to your dorm door so trips from your car up to your room won’t be too long. 
2. Bring a tool kit! There is always something that needs assembling or hanging. I met my first Furman friend, and now best friend and roommate, because our dads exchanged screwdrivers in the hallway and then introduced us to each other!
3. Leave your door open. Something I really enjoyed was poking my head into other people’s rooms to see their styles, accessories, and organization ideas. And while you are poking around, don’t be shy and say ‘hi.’ Also, if you leave your door open, people will poke around your room, too!
4. On move in day, say ‘yes!’ Whether it is opening the door, carrying some of your bags, or helping to assemble something, just say ‘yes!’ If someone asks you to run to get a cold drink at the bookstore cafe or Starbucks, if you aren’t overwhelmed, say ‘yes!’ By saying ‘yes’ here and there, you will meet people and maybe even help each other out along the way. 
5. Pack “like” items in the same bag. Your room, guaranteed, will feel like a tornado hit it but if you put all your desk stuff in the same bag, for instances, you will get in put away much faster. Keeping like items grouped also makes decorating and organizing all your things much easier and definitely keeps from items getting lost in a mess on the floor. 
6. If you can, and if you have the help, unload your car in waves. This helps to stay organized throughout the moving in process. It is overwhelming to have both your stuff and your roommate’s unpacked stuff all in the room at the same time covering the whole floor space! Bringing in and unpacking a couple bags or bins at a time keeps the tornado more of a small storm.
7. Ok, this next hack is a good one! If you have a sibling “helping’ on move-in day, assign them to trash duty. My big sister tagged along for move-in day since she had never been to Furman before. She either stressed me out with all of her advice or got in the way. The solution? I put her to work making runs to the massive dumpster outside in the quad. Trash and recycling builds up while you are unpacking everything so it is actually extremely helpful to get it out of your way.  
8. Make your bed first!! I know it sounds odd, but you will feel much more settled because you will know you have a place to sleep that night. If nothing else, though, it provides a great comfy place to kick back and take a break for a minute or two.
9. Bring water and snacks. Furman is HOT in August and there are a lot of stairs in the dorms. Even though the dorms have air conditioning, moving in is a workout!
10. You have TIME, the whole day, and the weeks following. Don’t worry about having every item in the exact perfect spot. Honestly, it is nice to save some mini projects because then it gives you something to do the first few days in between orientation sessions. 

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Now, I know this year will bring some new challenges and changes as we all respect the social distancing guidelines, but I guarantee the University and the returning students will help all incoming freshmen feel welcomed and excited in whatever ways possible! 

And if you ever have any questions never hesitate to ask a returning student! Or one of us, the summer interns! 

My email is emulligan@furman.edu and my instagram is @libbyymulligann !!

Have a great day! 

Best, Libby