Moving in and out of College

College is a crazy time in life. The school year seems to take such a long time but seems to fly by in an instant all at once. I guess that’s just the nature of being at that stage of life. Spending long nights studying alone in the library is never an ideal situation; however, it can all feel worth it when you’re able to spend time with your friends doing silly things in college. It’s also the first time that many young adults spend extended time away from home and their families, which can be liberating for some and scary for others. For me, it was always a really freeing and exciting feeling to spend time away from home and feel like I have my own life for a bit. Obviously, one eventually comes to realize that living in college is much more different than living alone in the real world. 

One of my least favorite parts about college living is the moving in and out process. No matter how much you feel like you’ve prepared to move in with boxes, packing supplies, etc., you’re guaranteed to run into problems that you wouldn’t expect. The first time I moved into college as a freshman, the school made it an extremely easy process by having students dedicated to helping freshmen move in their stuff. You would simply pull up their car to the front of the building and a team of volunteers would take all your belongings in a long line to your assigned dorm room; it took a lot of stress off of the freshmen and their parents on that already stressful day. However, this treatment is a one-time thing for freshmen. Every other move-in day consisted of me dragging countless items back and forth campus between my car and my dorm by myself. 

What’s worse than moving in, though, is moving out of the dorms. Moving out for the semester is a sincere struggle and a mental battle in itself. The end of the semester means the end of the final push through countless projects, papers, and exams. Still, instead of celebrating your victory over societal and educational pressure, you have a day to get all your stuff out of our dorm - thanks, IWU. The main problem with this is that everyone is trying to move out at once with very limited room in the doorways and hallways. This creates havoc in the small hallways and an absolute traffic jam in the parking lot. 

Another tough part about moving out is the lack of packing supplies, boxes, and other necessary things for moving. You just finished exams, you are not at all thinking about the moving process. Consequently, there is a complete drought of any forward planning when it comes to packing. Most students simply gather what they can and make trips to their cars, where things are tossed, squeezed, and packed haphazardly in attempts to fit all their stuff in. The hardest part about moving out, though, is having to say goodbye to your dear friends who you may not be able to see until next fall. This was always my least favorite part of moving out, and I never felt ready for all those relationships to be put on hold for the summer (or indefinitely, in some cases). Hope you enjoyed it!