Room assignments have been posted and we’re sure many of y’all have already begun to plan your dorm decorations and what you’ll be bringing to college. It really is super exciting to plan your dorm room.
We’ve moved in and decorated dorm rooms a few times now, and we’re here to impart some knowledge about the move-in process, dorm room decorating, and what to bring to college.
Move In:
Move-In day for students is the first day of NSOP, Sunday, August 27th. If you’re an international student who will be participating in Access Barnard's Pre-Orientation Program, you’ll move in one week earlier on Monday, August 21st. Move-In day can be a hectic and a little chaotic when almost 600 people are all trying to move in on the same day. You can find out some more about the move-in process here (ResLife will be sending more move-in details soon), but here are our personal tips on how to have a smooth, successful move-in:
- Have patience and a water bottle. No matter how early you get there on move-in day, you will have to wait, both inside and outside. You’ll have to wait in line to check in, for a cart, and for the elevator to get all your stuff up to your dorm room. Just relax and take a deep breath, you will get all your belongings and yourself into your dorm room on move-in day, it just may not happen immediately. Also, New York City in the summertime is hot and humid and it very well may be like that on move-in day. It’s unpleasant weather, but don’t let that make you a krabby-patty. Keep a water bottle on hand because it's important to stay cool and #hydrated.
- Pre Move-In: Your summer homework should be talking to your roommate(s). Get to know them, their personalities, hobbies, preferred living situations, and WHAT THEY ARE BRINGING. It doesn’t make sense for you to shell out tons of money for things if your roommate(s) are bringing the same items. It may make sense for some, but when both of y’all have two kettles, mini-fridges, coffee makers, brooms, vacuums, and whatever else - it’s about to be mad annoying and crowded. Talk to your roommate(s) beforehand, not only get to know them, but to coordinate with them as well.
- Have easy-to-move luggage if you can. Though there will be big carts that you can use to help you move in, more than likely, not everything you bring will fit in the cart. If you’re packing your things in luggage, try using suitcases with wheels as opposed to duffle bags. That way, if everything doesn’t fit in the cart, you can still easily wheel your bags all around campus.
- Have your dorm necessities easily accessible. You probably won’t be able to unpack your entire room before the required programs begin. To fully move in and place everything where you want it will take at least a couple days. That being said, make sure you have your must-have items packed in either a separate bag or at the top of your boxes/suitcases. Must-haves include bedding, toiletries, towels, medicine, and a couple of outfits/pajamas. As long as these are easily for you to get to, you can continue unpacking as long as you need to without getting frustrated because you can’t find that one thing you absolutely need.
- Arrive at the start (and maybe a bit before) your scheduled arrival time. Depending on what floor you live on, you’ll be asked to arrive at Barnard at a certain time. Usually, if you live on the 8th or 7th floor, you’ll be asked to arrive between 8 and 9 AM, the 5th and 6th floor, 9 and 10 AM, and so on and so forth. With over 600 students moving in, the staggered arrival times is meant to help with the flow of people in and out of the building.
- Strategically unpack your belongings. Unpack your bedding first for a well needed nap, or try to get those f i r e fits you’ve planned for NSOP placed in the drawers quickly. Don't waste valuable time focusing on the minutia, NSOP is a very busy time so prioritize unpacking. It may be best to save stashing those winter clothes or fixing up your desk for a day or two.
- R E L A X. You only get to move into a college dorm for the first time once, so enjoy it! At the end of the day, 99.9% of the frustrations you experience during move-in will disappear as soon as you finish unpacking, but you also need time to just chill. Make sure to practice self care early and often. If something is truly taxing, step back and take a break. There’s no deadline to finish unpacking by, and you can continue to change and reconfigure your room throughout the school year.
Dorm Decorating:
Your dorm room will be your home for the year, so make it a comfy, welcoming place that you enjoying being and relaxing in. The white walls and wooden furniture can be a bit austere, so take some time to jazz it up and personalize your room to represent you!
- Posters, Pictures, and Prints Galore. One of the easiest ways to make decorate your room is by putting pictures and posters on the wall (with non-paint damaging tape and putty). It’s easy to do and can showcase your personality, interests, and passions. There’s tons of websites that you can order prints from, you can print out personal pictures at your local drugstore, and you can hunt through thrift shops and flea markets to find some great vintage posters. You can go as hard as you want with the pictures and use 1 or 1000.
(Note: Only blue painters tape is allowed to hang things up on the walls. Other things may damage the walls, and if that happens, ResLife can fine you for damages.)
- Don’t Buy Before You See It. We wouldn’t recommend buying certain things until you know what your dorm actually looks out. Bed raisers seem like a great idea, until you get to your room and find out your bed is already raised or it can’t be raised at all. Or that your wall is as hard as steel, so pinning that tapestry won't be a possibility. Or that rug may seem perfect until you realize that your room is longer than it is wide and it just won’t fit. Don’t buy any big for the walls or floor until you know exactly what you’re dealing with. There’s a Bed, Bath, & Beyond 7 subway stops away at Lincoln Center and there will be a shuttle running to and from it the first couple days of NSOP, so returns and purchases can be made pretty easily. Also, Amazon Prime has a discounted member rate for students, so really embrace that free two day shipping.
- Dude. Chill. Remember, you will only be in this room for only 9 months. You don't need to slave over having your small room capturing the true essence of your being, because you’re about to pack it up and do it again quite soon. Don't COVER every square inch of your room if you don't have to and don't spend 3 hours strategically hanging your string lights. Odds are, after spending so much time in there, your room will just adopt your personality organically anyways!
What to Bring to College:
While you may think that you need to bring e v e r y t h i n g from home in order to make it college, but you really don’t. You’ll be surprised by the amount of items you actually need. Pack consciously and think about the things you actually use in your day-to-day life.
- What You Don’t Need for College
- Lots of Books: There’s not enough space in your room and you have access to some of the best libraries in the world via the Columbia Libraries and New York Public Libraries Systems. Take advantage of being able to check out virtually any book you want plus access to some amazing archives. Plus these are HEAVY and take up more space than you think when trying to put things into storage for the summer.
- 1000 Pairs of Shoes: Again, lots of shoes take up space and you can only wear two of them at a time, max. Cut it down to the basics and make sure the shoes you do bring are versatile and comfortable (i.e. don’t give you blisters or make your feet hurt).
- Every Item in Your Closet: There will be a point in the semester where you will start wearing the same outfit almost everyday with slight variations. Both of us normally find an outfit that feels comfortable then ever so slightly vary that from day to day, don't overthink and don't overpack! Again, versatility and comfort are key here.
- School and Office Supplies: This may sound strange, but you actually don’t need a TON of supplies for college courses. If you prefer taking notes on paper, a few notebooks will be great for you! But don’t feel compelled to get a notebook and folder for every single class. In many classes, especially lecture courses, students use laptops to take notes. (Notion, my beloved) Wait until you get to a class and find out what’s required before buying 12 different notebooks. Many places suggest getting a printer for your dorm room, but it’s not that necessary in our opinions. You’ll have a $150 free printing quota with access to printers in dorms, libraries, and computer labs. Black and White printing is 10 cents per page, and Color printing is 50 cents, so unless you print out every single assignment and reading you ever get, you definitely won't run out of printing money. Columbia and Barnard use a cloud-based printing system called PawPrint. This allows you to send documents from your personal computer to the printing system and then print out at a location of your choosing by simply tapping your ID.
- What You Do Need for College
- Weather Gear: It rains a lot during the fall and winter (also in the spring and summer, really New York City just has a lot of precipitation). It’s important to have shoes that can manage heavy rain and snow, a good rain jacket, and an umbrella. In the winter, get ready to have a scarf, gloves, and a hat to stay warm. The temperatures during the winter time might be something you’re familiar with, but the wind is what can really chill you to your bone.
- Cleaning Supplies: You’ll need to provide your own laundry and cleaning supplies for your clothes and room. Detergent, fabric softener, and dryer sheets are not provided. Dorms will have vacuum cleaners available for you to clean your room, but beyond that you’ll need to have your own supplies. There’s no need to have a cleaning arsenal that would put Mr. Clean to shame. Usually anti-bacterial wipes, some disinfectant airspray of some sort (like Febreeze), and a broom/swiffer sweeper type of item are enough. If you have a reusable water bottle (which you should) and/or mugs or cups to make coffee or tea, a small bottle of dish soap is helpful as well. Don’t feel compelled to buy and bring all of these items from home. These things are easily accessible in local supermarkets and drug stores, so save some precious space in your luggage.
- A Backpack or Bag for Class: have something you can use to carry your class stuff in. A tote bag, canvas bag, and backpacks are all popular options for bringing your laptop/books/papers to and from class. Be realistic with your choice as well, while some bags are suuuuper cute, try to stick to bags that are durable, able to carry a lot, and not exorbitantly expensive! They will go through a lot of wear and tear being schlepped across campus and thrown onto floors of classrooms and dorm rooms. That Kate Spade purse may not be the best thing to carry your large textbooks and expensive laptop in - especially when it busts a seam.
As a last note, never feel like you need to spend a ton of money on dorm items and decorations, clothes, or bags. The Eco Reps Sale the first week of school will have a ton of second-hand items for sale for really inexpensive prices. Here you can get mini-fridges, bags, clothes, books, and a ton of other things you may want or need. A lot of stores have back-to-school sales and specials, and now that you're college students, take advantage of those student discounts! While some stores require a student ID for in-store purchases (and you won’t have an ID until NSOP), many online stores require only a .edu email address to take advantage of those sweet deals. myUniDays can give you a discount on everything from contact lenses, clothes, music subscriptions and more. If you’re looking to get an Apple product for school, Apple Education pricing can save your some money. Microsoft will give you a complete Microsoft Office Suite for free with your .edu email!
