Move-In Tips from Parent & Family Relations Student Assistants

Ashley Turner

Hometown: Frisco, Texas

• You don't need to bring every piece of clothing in your wardrobe to your residence hall. Remember, space is limited and bringing more than you need or clothing that is not in season, is probably not the best idea. For example, don't bring your winter coats and sweaters in August; wait until the Thanksgiving break to bring those items back!
• Also, come with tools, extension cords, Ethernet cables, etc. I guarantee that every store here will be sold out of EVERTHING.

Bobby Gonzales

Hometown: Midland, Texas

• I personally didn't live in the residence halls but I would recommend that incoming students should bring with them a small portable dolly, which is a good investment given that you must move in and out of the rooms as well as when you move off campus.
• I suggest buying the small essentials in your hometown given that the stores around campus will be out of stock or running low (Ethernet cords, storage bins, batteries etc.).

Kaitlin York

Hometown: Lubbock, Texas

• Get there early: Not only do you want to get a head start, the key to a successful move in is parking. The closer you can park to the door the better. Trying to lug a mini fridge across the parking lot is even more awful than you can imagine.
• Space it out: Don't bring everything from the car to the room before unpacking. If you have a bunch of boxes, remember your student's roommate probably does too. Not only will there be a ton of boxes, it will be you, your student, their roommate, and their parents. That's a lot going on in a small space. Bring a box in, unpack it and then get another one, it will at least help the stress of clutter!
• Dress Comfortably: Being a typical girl I wanted to look cute as I moved into my room for college. It was pointless, tell your student to dress comfortably! You're moving in the middle of August and it's hot and walking to the car and back carrying boxes is a workout.

Aislim Athie

Hometown: El Paso, Texas

• It's fine if you over pack (kind of). You'll realize when you're unpacking everything that you don't need every single thing you brought and will probably end up sending everything right back home with mom and dad.
• Coordinate with your roommate: my roommate and I decided she'd bring the microwave, I brought the TV, but we each did bring our own mini fridge. (I lived in Horn/Knapp, which has much more room for two fridges than most traditional residence halls)
• Buy thin plastic hangers for your clothes! There won't be a lot of space in your closet and this really minimizes it.
• Use a college student "registry!" This was the best thing my parents and I could have ever done. We went to Bed Bath & Beyond in my hometown, made a registry where I basically reserved a lot of the things I'd be using in my room, and instead of hauling everything six hours away, we just paid and picked it up when we got to Lubbock. This is something really worth thinking about, because there is no way that every store in Lubbock will have all the bed risers and shower caddies available for you and all the other thousands of students that are coming in the fall.
• Leave the high school t-shirts at home. On your first week at Tech you'll get more shirts than you'll know what do with. (I ended up having my mom take my high school ones back home with her when she came up to visit)
• Lubbock floods!! Bring a pair of rain boots, a rain jacket, and an umbrella. You'll wake up for class one day, realize it's been raining all night, and the streets on campus are flooded. Make room in your closet for these three things.
• Last but not least, enjoy your move-in day, get to know your roommate and hall mates, and most importantly try your best to make your residence hall feel like home.

Adriana Lopez

Hometown: Dallas, Texas

• Bring a dolly. When you get to move in, most likely people will already be there and the big red bins they let you use to help with move-in are most likely already checked out. When I got to campus, they told me the wait was about 4 hours for a red bin so we just individually started carrying boxes up. Bringing a dolly with you just in case will allow you to move in right when you get there and save you the hassle of carrying boxes up on your own.
• Pack light. Your student doesn't need every single thing from their room back home that will most likely not even fit in their room to begin with. Have them take only the essentials, because you don't want their room to be cluttered or chaotic.
• Finally, make sure your student takes decorations and little things that will remind them of home and make their room feel more like home. I think this is the most important, because if your room doesn't feel like home, chances of homesickness go up. I was fortunate enough that my dad put carpet in my room so it felt cozy and a little like home so when I came home after a long day, I was able to relax and not feel like I was in a strange place.

Alyssa Carey

Hometown: Whitesboro, Texas

• DON'T OVERPACK. I came with boxes upon boxes. About half of the boxes were decorations, but I had failed to remember the dimensions of my small half room. I ended up only using 1 of 4 boxes of decorations and made my parents truck the rest back home with them. Also, don't bring all your high school t-shirts, because in just my first week of my first year I got more free t-shirts then I could ever imagine. You only have so much closet space...
• AVOID BIG STORES. Trying to go to Target, Bed Bath & Beyond, or even Walmart on a college move-in day is so crazy. There are college students and their parents in every aisle. If you can wait or maybe buy the important stuff before you come, you can avoid those major department stores as much as you can!
• DON'T FORGET THE NECESSITIES. It is so easy to forget to bring basic needs for your room. Just remember to bring tissues, Band-Aids, an extension cord, lots of power strips, snacks, an umbrella, earplugs, a flash drive, a sewing kit, shower shoes, Ibuprofen/Tylenol, and most importantly......REAL meals (Easy Mac, Spaghetti-O's, soup, etc.) for late nights when the dining hall is closed and you are starving!

Julia Pena

Hometown: Austin, Texas

• Keep your boxes – After move-in most people just toss away their cardboard boxes. Well, when it's time to move out, your student will have to find more cardboard boxes. Break the boxes down and stick them in the back of your student's closet. They do not take up that much space, you can tape them back together, and then it's one less thing to worry about when moving out.
• Think need not want – A residence hall room is a small space. Especially when divided by two. Yes there are all these cool things your student can buy for their room and for girls, well we have a lot in the closet to begin with. When your student is choosing clothes to take with them, encourage them to ask themselves if they really wear it on a regular basis. While walking through Target, ask your student if they see them using it on a regular basis.
• Buy residence hall things at home – Help your student by buying things at home before you come up to Texas Tech. College move-in can get crazy and many things run out very quickly at Targets and Walmart's in Lubbock. I recommend buying what your student needs for the room at home. If it doesn't fit in the car, don't sweat it. Just at least try to buy the small stuff.
• Make it feel like home – Encourage your student to make their room feel like home. Put up curtains. Personalize it. Maybe even buy a décor for the door. This is their home for the next year and it helps to make it feel like home.

Sam Phariss

Hometown: Houston, Texas

• Move in day is kind of crazy, between all the students moving in and out and people meeting their roommates and new people, it helps to have your move in day planned. Decided what time you are going to arrive before move in and try to coordinate with your student's roommate. The residence hall rooms can be a little small for two people to be trying to move in all their stuff.
• Move in your biggest items first and organize as you leave, with clothes for the end. Clothes are easy to organize but take a little more time to unpack.
• Lastly it is important to remember that the more organized your room is the better kept your room will stay.