subject: Going away to College for the first time [print this page] Going away to College for the first time Going away to College for the first time
Going away to college for the first time can be stressful- both for the family of the person who is going away as well as for the student who may have never been away from their family before.
Therefore, only take with you the bare essentials that you will need while away for the first semester. Depending on your financial situation and circumstances, if you forget something or even if you want to bring a minimal amount of stuff because you know that you will be going home on your first break in a few weeks, then that is perfectly fine.
As with most college kids who make the journey of a thousand miles (literally) to go to college, they often do so with a rented van that is packed to the brim with their things. It is important for both parents and kids who are going away to college to consider the size of your living space that you are going to be residing in once you get to your final destination. Have you spoken to your roommate yet? Do you have a roommate? What is your living situation going to be like once you arrive? If anything, if you know that you are going to be living in a dorm room, then it is always best to under-pack rather than pack too many items because then you will be faced with a situation where you'll either have an extremely crowded room and an unhappy roommate or you'll be forced to spend money that you perhaps don't have on putting your excessive things into storage.
Most colleges will tell you exactly what the dorm rooms will look like as well as the items that will come with the dorm room and/or pictures to give you a better idea of what you will be dealing with. Additionally, it is recommended to talk to your roommate, whether via email or over the phone prior to getting to college this way you can work out the details of who can use what and who is bringing what. For instance, you don't want to show up to college, meet your roommate and realize that both of you have brought a microwave and a television when you could've just shared. Work it out so that it works out well for everyone involved.
