Creating A College Checklist Before Going Away To School

There are several scenarios of students who are trying to plan for what they need when going away to college. It may seem as if creating a college checklist is an easy task but there are three categories that students tend to fall into and it probably won't take you long to figure out which of these best describes you.
THE OVERPACKER. This is the person who wants to take all their stuff away with them to school. Honestly this is the worst case scenario because for the most part these individuals are distraught when they arrive on campus only to find that they have to send the majority of their dorm stuff back home with Mommy and Daddy. A much better plan is to limit your possessions to what you will actively need to use while away at school. Over packing only tends to lead to remorse.
THE UNDERPACKER. This individual can't even begin to fathom what they will need during the course of a few months' time. For the most part even with the help of their parents, these scatter brains will likely be calling home and asking their parents to send this or that about once a week. They are so used to Mommy and Daddy taking care of their every need that they can't seem to organize their college supplies or even plan ahead.
THE ORGANIZER. This is the person who does their homework and investigates their options. They search online resources and look for checklists that can help them put everything in perspective. These are the individuals that everyone will turn to in the dorm setting because they always seem to have everything that anyone needs at a given moment. They tend to be more like the parents of the group and are also more likely to become peer counselors or RA's over the course of their college experience.
Your college experience can be wonderful but for some learning how to care for themselves is not without its challenges. When it comes to preparing for going away to college make sure that you take the time to really assess what you need and the amount of space that you will be afforded with in your living quarters. Making the most of this space will require much advance planning and probably several trips to the store or online orders for storage and dorm supplies. However, this advance planning will really pay off in the end.