Finals Week and Moving Out

So, my life became consumed last week with studying for my 5 finals.  But now I'm done!!  Yes, I did say 5 finals.  I took 4 and a half courses this past semester and each had a final exam.  I knew that was a strong possibility but I was still drained by the end of the week.  It felt so refreshing handing in that last final exam but I had a bitter sweet feeling because I was heading home for the summer.  In the end, it was a good thing because the day I got home, I got a head cold and I was happy to be able to sleep and not worry about anything. 

What do I dread most about the spring semester ending?  Besides missing all my friends this summer and the seniors?  Moving out.  It is one of the hardest tasks.  Moving in is easy.  You spend the summer packing and organizing everything into boxes.  Moving out, you throw everything where it fits.  You feel you car is over full and don't know how you acquired everything.  Well after my first year, I comprised some tips and suggestions which I found to work this year:

• Keeping all your moving in boxes and bags.  Either that or bring them back at Easter.  Packing clothes, small things, or taking pictures off your walls helps when the crunch comes to the last minute packing.  But how can you do this if you don't have what you need?  Collapsible cardboard boxes and bags fit easily under a bed or in a closet.

• Send stuff home earlier.  Who needs skis after spring break?  Ok, I know some people still do ski, but after two years, I haven't skied once after spring break.  If you think you might, then save them but I don't so I send them home.  This is the same for the warm sweaters and socks.  Keeping one or two is all you need.  After a week or two you won't even look at them again.  So, my point is, send stuff home you won't need for a month.

• Clean out your papers.  I don't know about most people, but I save a lot of the notes or letters from people.  Most of them are out of date before the semester ends  but they basically end up in a pile in the top my desk drawer.

• Start packing before finals start.  This may seem ridiculous or not even possible but taking pictures down, washing all your dishes, or placing all your dirty clothes in the hamper can go a long way in the end.  When it came down for my final crunch pack this year: my walls were almost bear, my clothes were almost all packed, and my desk was almost empty.  It gave me more time to pack larger things, like my mirror and lamp, safely and in less space.

I know this post comes at a little late of the time for current students moving out, but this wisdom was fresh in my head, so I thought I would share.  Happy Summer!!