Yay! Congrats!! You made it! You’ve made your May 1st decision and graduation is right around the corner.  So now what is there to do? So this summer isn’t just about lounging around and celebrating?

I’m sorry if I have burst your bubble but there is a lot to get done as Move-In Day is right around the corner and you will be away from home for 4+ months.  Although, I do want you to celebrate and be EXTREMELY proud of yourself for all of the hard work and dedication that you have put into these past 13 years of schooling and extracurriculars and sports, you are going to have to prepare for the next four years simultaneously.

Here’s what you should do before Move In Day:

1. Attend all of the grad parties and have fun at your own (if you decide to have one) This time is ALL about you.  You have gone through 13 years of schooling, have taken countless hours out of your already busy day to go through the gruesome college application process, and you have had to wait for months to find out if you got into your favorite schools or not.  Take the time to be PROUD. For a lot of us, that is hard to do. We always want the next best thing, to move onto the next goal, and to just continue and let the gears turn and turn but in truth, this will just lead to burn out. If you take a moment and recognize all that you have accomplished and allow yourself to feel pride.  You will kick off your “new life” to a great start.
2. Sign Up for an Orientation Date and make necessary travel accommodations. You should receive an email after you put down your deposit about different orientation dates for you to attend.  If you can, try and pick a date close to the beginning of when they start. This is the best way to have more of a guarantee of the classes that you would like to take (more on this later)
3. Get A Job! If you would like/need, you should get a final high school summer job.  As bittersweet as it sounds, you going to need the money when you get to college and it is always good to have something to do over the summer.  Don’t know where to get a job? Contact local businesses and ask if they need any help, reach out to neighbors, and other local parents to see if they need a babysitter, find a camp, whether it is sleepaway or local, they are always looking for younger people to work
4. Pack! You may be dreading this as much as I am.  As much as I love to organize and plan and such, packing brings me so much anxiety.  What am I going to need? What if I forget X, Y, or Z? BUUUTTT my beautiful and wonderful friend came up with this amazing college packing list that is already posted on the blog.  I would recommend to start shopping and packing at least 4-5 weeks in advance. This way if you order anything or if you want to get something popular, you will have ample time.
5. Activate Loans. This is going to be something that you have to sit with your parents for but most likely, you have to put down the basic tuition and fees before your first day of classes.  With this, you may have to activate the loans that you were approved for. The activation period may take a couple of days to weeks so please be aware of this and the deadlines that lie ahead.
6. Meet Your Roommate.  At some point in the summer, you will get an email with your rooming information and your roommate(s).  Spend some time reaching out to them, getting to know them, meeting up if they live close, that way it will be a smoother transition come Move-In Day.
7. Register For Classes. This is CRUCIAL, for obvious reasons.  Usually registering for classes will take place at your orientation and if that is the case, there are still things you can do beforehand that can help you.  First, try and find a “map” of the classes you need to take over the course of your four years for your intended major. Second, before you attend orientation, use the class planner option in your school’s portal to plan out different options for your week so that when you get to orientation and classes are not available the way you had planned, you can go to plan B or plan C.
8. Learn the Last Minute Life Skills. If you haven’t already, you should take the time to learn how to do laundry, budgeting, cleaning weekly, making doctors appointments (and go before you go to school), and planning.

If you think that there is something that I have missed, don’t be afraid to comment it down below.  I would love to hear your suggestions. As well, for more college tips and general motivation, be sure to follow me on Instagram and check out the Fashion Your Passion Podcast.