+ Many stores have special ads for moving to college. These can help give you ideas of what you might want or simply style ideas. For example, see Target's college section, Walmart's college section, and Bed, Bath, and Beyond's college section.
+ Fun fact about Bed, Bath, and Beyond: if you sign up for coupons/emails, they will send you 20% off one item coupons every once in a while, and sometimes $5 off coupons. Even though their 20% off coupons have an expiration date, BB&B accepts expired coupons. (This might hold true for the $5 off ones, too. I can't remember.) So when I bought things for college, I brought a bunch of 20% off coupons with me. You can only apply one coupon per item, but that's still pretty good.
+ A note about beds: almost all colleges have extra-long twin beds. That mean that you will need extra-long twin (XLT) sheets. Check with your college before buying bedding to avoid being caught with the wrong size.
+ Bedding: There are two clear options that I see here: buy a complete set, sometimes called a "bed in a bag" set, (like this) or build your own set. Bedding sets can be a great way to make sure you have everything you need and that it all matches. Unfortunately, most of the sets have colors or styles that I don't like. Sometimes they also mean compromising on the quality of the comforter or sheets. So instead of buying a set, I bought my comforter, sheets, and a blanket separately. If you buy a good comforter, it will last you for years, and you can simply buy a different comforter/duvet cover if your style changes. For example, IKEA has some cool duvet covers. I don't remember if they carry XLT sizes, or if my friend just got a normal twin comforter and cover. The size matters less for comforters and blankets, than for sheets. Also, since the cover is removable, it is very easy to wash.
+ Have the proper tools to do your laundry. Do you have shirts that need to be ironed or steamed that you wear on a regular basis? Then make sure you have something to do the job. If you never iron any of your clothes, then don't bring unnecessary equipment that will just clutter your room.
+ My school has a housing website that lists suggested move-in times for freshmen. Almost all of the freshmen live on the same part of campus, so they suggest that it is spread out over two days and give you a different 90 minute time slot on one of those days based on your dorm or last name or something. This still leads to major traffic and parking problems and gives generally insufficient time for moving in. But the dorms open two days before that madness begins! You don't need special permission to move in "early" after the dorms have opened. And moving in before most people can lead to a lot less stress (finding parking, using elevators, etc.). So explore all of your options before concluding that you are required to move in at a certain time.
+ Moving-in with the help of your parents: Lots of people have a parent (or two) that accompanies them the first time they move-in to college. So here is some advice about that. You are the one moving and the one who will be living in the space for the next year or more. So it doesn't matter how much your parent insists that things be a certain way in your room; you will be the one living there. That said, sometimes compromise makes things easier. (And you can always change things when they leave. :) ) On the other side of the spectrum, my parents have been very helpful with me moving in the past. For me the biggest thing to realize was that they needed my direction about what to do. I needed to say where I wanted my clothes or if I wanted help moving furniture. No matter how much I had planned out how I would organize things in my room, my parents couldn't adequately help me until I shared my vision (and specifically how I wanted them to help) with them.
+ Bed, Bath, and Beyond has a program through which you can select things from one store (such as the one in your hometown) and then pick them up at a different store (such as the one close to your college). It is possible that other stores have a similar option. This can help avoid transporting some bulky items and can be especially useful if you are moving to a different state. If you think transportation from your hometown to your college town might be a bit difficult, be sure to look in to options like this.
+ To wrap things up: a checklist (or two)! I have seen several stores that have checklists for moving to college. Yes, they want to sell you things, but looking through checklists can help you get a good idea of what you might want on your personal checklist. Here are Target's checklist builder and Bed, Bath, and Beyond's checklist.
Happy moving!
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