College Survival Series: Moving In

The College Survival Series introduces and discusses different aspects of college life, and aims to prepare college students for all situations they might encounter during their college career.
Moving In
With Labor Day weekend just a few days away, many students are moving to their respective campuses for the start of the fall semester. Living in a residence hall is a very unique experience, and can be a little daunting, especially if you're living on your own or sharing a room for the first time! Here are a couple tips to help you prepare for move-in day!
1. Contact your roommate! Before you even get to campus, you'll likely receive a letter from your housing office with your roommate assignment and some of their contact information. Reach out to them and chat on the phone, over email, or through Facebook, so you can sort of get a feel of who you're living with and arrange who will bring bigger items for the room (TVs, fridges, microwaves, etc.) so you don't end up with two of each thing in your room! (Unless, of course, that's what you guys want to do!)
2. Make a packing list. Write down everything you think you might need until the next time you visit home (for most students, that's Thanksgiving!). Even though you may feel silly bringing a heavy coat to campus with you in late August, you'll be thanking yourself come November! If you're not sure what to bring with you, check out collegepackinglist.com. They have an awesome interactive list with everything a residential student might need, and they also have a iPhone app if you want to see the list on the go!
3. Only show up at your designated time on move-in day. In order to avoid chaos in the residence halls, ResLife offices schedule specific times for each residential student to move in, normally by location. I know that moving to campus can be exciting and you may want to get there as soon as you can, but only show up to move in when it is your designated time! The move-in staff will appreciate it and it will make for an easier move on your end as well.
4. Utilize the move-in crew. Many colleges recruit their fall athletes to assist with the heavy lifting up to your room (that may just be on the top floor!). Definitely take advantage of this service so you and your loved ones don't have to spend hours lugging heavy bags up the stairs when you should be enjoying your move-in experience together! (Your parents will definitely be thankful for these guys!)

5. Meet your RA/CA! RAs (Resident Assistants)/CAs (Community Advisors)* are students employed by Residence Life to make your life easier! They live in the residence halls with you and are a great resource for you to use if you have any questions or problems within your residence hall. Make an effort to meet them - they're there to help!
I hope these tips help with your move-in day, and that you enjoy settling into your brand new dorm room!
Good luck, and welcome to campus! :)
*They're the same thing, just different terminology depending on what college you attend.