Advice for Move-Out Day

Hello, Missouri State! It is week 14 and summer is right around the corner which for most students means move-out day is on the calendar. After moving out of the dorms last year I have some tips I’d like to recommend to others to ensure the process isn’t added-on stress during finals week.

Start Early

My first piece of advice is to start the move-out process sooner rather than later. If you are visiting home or you’ll have company from home visiting you before the end of the semester, make a pile of things that can be sent home so that you have less to pack. I find that taking home winter clothes or clothes you never wore and don’t see yourself wearing the remainder of the semester are the best things to pack first because it frees space in your room and you often won’t regret sending them home early. I personally like to wait until the last week to take home my decor because it’s what makes the room “mine” and when I take it down before I need to the room isn’t as comfortable to live in. But if seeing empty walls and desks doesn’t bother you, I advise taking these items home next. If you start early packing and moving the things you don’t need, the final move-out looks a lot less intimidating and creates an easier finals week. 

Keep, Donate, Trash

If you don’t have the option of starting early, one thing you can still do that will help ease the final week is to go through your space and create keep, donate, and trash piles. I like to start at my desk because it often holds the most items that can be thrown out or passed down. If you find that you have unopened school supplies or supplies in good condition, consider asking others around you if they could benefit from them. In the dorms, they will have bins in the lobby for any bed sheets, toiletry, and cleaning products students are able to donate. Any assignments or syllabi from the school year that you have collected can often be recycled. This method will also show you what you are keeping so that you can plan accordingly. For example, if you have accumulated several textbooks you plan to keep that you didn’t have when you moved in, it’s good to know this ahead of time before you start to pack.

Goodbyes

Once you’ve completed your packing and cleaning of the space, it’s time to say goodbye to your college community. I found this to be the hardest part of the move-out process because I had done life with these people all school year and wouldn’t see many of them again until the start of the next semester. One way I believe makes the process easier is making plans to connect over the summer. Several of my friends and I made sure to call each other during the break or see each other if possible. This helped when hugging goodbye because I knew that we had an agreement to keep in contact. Something I also reflected on was the beauty in hard goodbyes. 

Missouri State is here to support its students and moving out is not designed to create added on stress. If you feel that you need help or find yourself overwhelmed, a great resource to utilize is your Resident Assistant (RA). It is their job to offer you assistance and resources you may need during this time. I hope that your year was all that you hoped it to be and that this post helped you gear up for the break ahead of us.

“If we were meant to stay in one place, we’d have roots instead of feet.” – Rachel Wolchin 

~Aubrey

(Bio: My name is Aubrey Hardy, a sophomore studying special needs education. Fun fact: I grew up on a farm.)