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A Parent’s Guide to College Moving  

Mom helping Son pack for college

Is your child heading to college soon? Don’t know how to move them there? You’re not the only one. College moving can be complicated, especially if you have a first-year student. There’s move-in and move-out day. You can do it yourself or hire movers. The small costs can start to add up but you can also change the price tag using scholarships.  

That’s a lot of information to take in and it can be confusing. Luckily, Collegeboxes has put together this guide to college moving to help parents.  

Cost of College Moving  

When it comes to college, every parent’s first thought is how much is it going to cost? There is no straightforward answer. For college students, how you move depends on how far they’re moving.  

If your child is staying at the hometown college, then renting a moving truck and doing the move yourself is probably the way to go. Did your son or daughter decide to trade in their Midwest lifestyle for California beaches? Then choosing the best college movers is probably your best route.  

However, look no further than us. Collegeboxes is the top student storage and shipping provider, powered by U-Haul. To get items to college, you can use our Ship to School and Direct Shipping services. We serve over 350 schools and with Ship to School, simply pack your belongings, ship them to us, and we’ll deliver them to you when you get to school. Direct Shipping allows you to send your items to the exact destination and let us, the experts, handle it.  

We also offer Storage and Shipping too. There’s no need to load a car with boxes, check bags at the airport, and haul belongings to and from campus. We do the heavy lifting for you. Ship what you want, store what you want. The process is customized to your needs every step of the way, which allows you, the parent, and the student to control the cost.  

How to Help Them Pack for College 

We aren’t going to tell you that you need to pack all your student’s stuff for them. However, the actual physical packing part isn’t the most important step in packing for college. It starts with a plan, and while you probably already know this, your teenager isn’t the one drawing it out. Figuring out the cost, when to leave, the packing list, and everything else falls on your shoulders, as most tasks do as a parent.  

The first place to start is gathering moving supplies. Collegeboxes can also help you with that. We offer a supply kit, which comes with 5 double-walled (24″x16″x18″) boxes, marker, tape, 5 zip ties, 10 label pouches, a bonus box (36” x 24” x 7”), and free shipping right to you.  

Once you have those it’s time to organize. Here are 10 tips for your freshman on how to pack to get you started. Always start as early as you can to avoid having to stuff boxes the day before you leave. The hardest part about packing is explaining that they don’t need to bring their whole closet with them. When packing your closet, we recommend bringing 2-3 weeks’ worth of clothes that can mix and match for different outfit combinations. Plus, if they’re moving to a new climate, it might be best to gift them a few new options to make sure they’re equipped for all weather conditions.  

When packing, consider what to bring, what to buy, and what to leave at home. Your college student probably believes everything will fit whether in a moving truck or shipping box. You, however, know better than that. It’s really most important for them to have the college living necessities. You can make them do the labor of packing, but when it comes to planning the move, parents should take charge.  

College Move-In Day 

Move-in day is one of the toughest for parents. Not only is it stressful, confusing, and tiring, but it’s the day you really let your child go on their own. Most colleges have a set plan for move-in day and for the smoothest process is to simply follow those that are there to help move you. Be on time, try not to get frustrated, and enjoy the moment.  

This is a huge day in the transition period for you and your child. It’ll be an emotional time for you whether you believe it or not. You’ll miss your student and it’ll be hard to let go. Understand they’ll also need you because living away from home for the first time is scary, even if they won’t admit it. This is all a small section of the day, here is everything to expect on move-in day.  

In the end, the best advice is to take it all in. Hold the hugs a little longer. For the dads, bring a toolkit for the little fixes they’ll need when decorating the dorm room. Go out and enjoy dinner before you leave them for the semester.  

Need more information on moving your child into their dorm? Find helpful advice with our article on 10 Tips For Moving Your Kid Into a College Dorm.

College Move-Out Day 

Now you might think your student can handle move-out day by themselves, right? Well, good luck with that. Most parents will travel to the school the week of move-out day, which isn’t a set day, unlike move-in day. The move-out day is a deadline to move your things out. Instead of waiting till that day, you can plan and move your items to storage when your child doesn’t have finals. It’s a great idea to schedule around their finals. If you get a hotel room with multiple beds, your child can move out of their room early and sleep where you’re staying, giving them a quiet place to study and taking off the stress of moving out.   

It also might be in your best interest to make a list of items that you know you and your child brought to move-in day. Your student and their roommate(s) probably didn’t track everything. Make sure you bring home what you brought to your student’s college living space. This is one of many things to consider on move-out day, and for more, check out our guide to college dorm move-out day.  

All of this can also be handled by Collegeboxes. We simplify college moving and are a great option for any parent or student. Sign up today!