It is that time of year again. College students are making their way to campuses across America to move-in to their new homes for the next academic year. I remember my first move-in almost a decade ago at a small, private college in the colonial town of Gettysburg. Since August of 2001, I have been a part of many move-ins as a resident and staff. This is the first year where I have not had some type of formal responsibility on move-in day. So I decided to write some words of wisdom to the students, and parents, who are going through move-in:Timing - Most schools will give students a particular time or window of time to move-in. Please stick to this time!! The reason you are given this is to help with the flow of traffic and reduce the amount of congestion in certain areas of campus. Trying to arrive at 7:00 a.m. so you can have your pick on the side of the room is a couple things: a) a douche bag move; b) creates more havoc than necessary; and, c) you are using supplies that someone else should be using during that time. Which leads me to the next item...
Cart - Do not count on the school having some type of cart or conveyance to help you move your stuff. Because of the jackasses above, more than likely, one of them has taken your time slot and therefore a parking location and/or supplies that may have been available to you. This means further to carry items and without mechanical assistance.
After many move-ins, I invested in a cart through permanently borrowing one. This has been one of the smartest decisions I have made. There is nothing like using minimal energy to carry in many bins and boxes. This allows one to responsibly sip alcohol later because there is remaining arm strength to lift the can or glass. Compare this to other consumption methods of bonging or shotgunning which provides quick fixes for tired arms.
Leggings - This is a new phenomenon and one that I cannot quite figure out. Leggings are now considered pants!! When I was in college (not that long ago), they were almost exclusively worn by athletes or those exercising. Leggings should have stayed in this realm. Young women, if you have to wear leggings, move-in may not be the best option. You are probably going to be lifting or carrying items because there are no carts left. This is because of the jackasses not following their move-in time. This means sweat. Sweat can accumulate in weird places. Swamp ass in leggings is not pretty for any one involved. Let's save the leggings for going out later.
Hydration - This is a key to move-in. There is going to be sweat. Move-in almost always seems to fall on the hottest day of the year and residence hall rooms are either not air conditioned or have been sitting stale all summer long. Sweating is a guarantee. Make sure to bring water with you. College campuses like to make money. You will pay a lot more money to get a bottle of water on campus than you ever would from a grocery or convenience store. Some campuses may hand out water, which is fantastic. However in my personal experience, this is quite rare.
Also, contrary to popular belief alcohol, and mainly beer does not hydrate you. Yes, the cold crispness of a freshly opened beer may instantly cool you to the core, but it is not helpful. If you need to consume beer, please do so with an equal amount of water. There are probably some campus policies that you need to be aware of also in regards to alcohol.
College Parties - This last note is for the parents out there. PLEASE GOOD LORD TO NOT ATTEND A COLLEGE PARTY DURING MOVE-IN!! Do not walk by a party and accept a beer. Just walk away with your head held high knowing that you are better than the 20 somethings. As a parent, please set a positive example. Drinking with students who may be underage is condoning behavior that most campuses have policies against. Also, parents have been sent to emergency rooms on college campuses during move-ins because they partied too hard!! It is sad to have a parent who has to have a conversation with the Dean of Students about his/her personal drinking behaviors. It is embarrassing to your son or daughter. Please don't let it happen.
If you follow the notes above, you should have a successful move-in. Just be calm and patient. It can be easy to get frustrated and upset, but don't. I promise people are trying to help, but sometimes your "crisis" may not be the highest item on a priority list. Staffs train and prepare for weeks and months to make move-in go smoothly, but sometimes there are hitches along the way. Trust me, if you rub staff the wrong way during move-in, they will be talking about you and your family for the rest of the year. You would then be labeled as one of the jackasses from above. And this can haunt you for future move-ins.
Until next time...
-Justin
Cart - Do not count on the school having some type of cart or conveyance to help you move your stuff. Because of the jackasses above, more than likely, one of them has taken your time slot and therefore a parking location and/or supplies that may have been available to you. This means further to carry items and without mechanical assistance.
After many move-ins, I invested in a cart through permanently borrowing one. This has been one of the smartest decisions I have made. There is nothing like using minimal energy to carry in many bins and boxes. This allows one to responsibly sip alcohol later because there is remaining arm strength to lift the can or glass. Compare this to other consumption methods of bonging or shotgunning which provides quick fixes for tired arms.
Leggings - This is a new phenomenon and one that I cannot quite figure out. Leggings are now considered pants!! When I was in college (not that long ago), they were almost exclusively worn by athletes or those exercising. Leggings should have stayed in this realm. Young women, if you have to wear leggings, move-in may not be the best option. You are probably going to be lifting or carrying items because there are no carts left. This is because of the jackasses not following their move-in time. This means sweat. Sweat can accumulate in weird places. Swamp ass in leggings is not pretty for any one involved. Let's save the leggings for going out later.
Hydration - This is a key to move-in. There is going to be sweat. Move-in almost always seems to fall on the hottest day of the year and residence hall rooms are either not air conditioned or have been sitting stale all summer long. Sweating is a guarantee. Make sure to bring water with you. College campuses like to make money. You will pay a lot more money to get a bottle of water on campus than you ever would from a grocery or convenience store. Some campuses may hand out water, which is fantastic. However in my personal experience, this is quite rare.
Also, contrary to popular belief alcohol, and mainly beer does not hydrate you. Yes, the cold crispness of a freshly opened beer may instantly cool you to the core, but it is not helpful. If you need to consume beer, please do so with an equal amount of water. There are probably some campus policies that you need to be aware of also in regards to alcohol.
College Parties - This last note is for the parents out there. PLEASE GOOD LORD TO NOT ATTEND A COLLEGE PARTY DURING MOVE-IN!! Do not walk by a party and accept a beer. Just walk away with your head held high knowing that you are better than the 20 somethings. As a parent, please set a positive example. Drinking with students who may be underage is condoning behavior that most campuses have policies against. Also, parents have been sent to emergency rooms on college campuses during move-ins because they partied too hard!! It is sad to have a parent who has to have a conversation with the Dean of Students about his/her personal drinking behaviors. It is embarrassing to your son or daughter. Please don't let it happen.
If you follow the notes above, you should have a successful move-in. Just be calm and patient. It can be easy to get frustrated and upset, but don't. I promise people are trying to help, but sometimes your "crisis" may not be the highest item on a priority list. Staffs train and prepare for weeks and months to make move-in go smoothly, but sometimes there are hitches along the way. Trust me, if you rub staff the wrong way during move-in, they will be talking about you and your family for the rest of the year. You would then be labeled as one of the jackasses from above. And this can haunt you for future move-ins.
Until next time...
-Justin
