Moving across the country for college

So, you have received an acceptance letter for college. Congratulations! Now it’s time to get ready.  Unfortunately, moving across the country for college is not an easy task. Mostly because this will be the first time that you move on your own. Of course, your parents and professional movers will be by your side. Still, this is something that is primarily on you. Luckily, Master Moving Guide prepared some tips to help you do this in the smoothest possible way. Take a look!

Moving across the country for college statistics

Moving to college can be mentally difficult. That is why we have prepared some useful statistics that will show you that there are many more young people that are going through the same process as you. You are not the only one!

• More than 40% of Americans that attended college in 2020 had to move away from home. It is the highest percentage since 2005
• When it comes to moving across the country for college know that more than 30% of all college students have left their home state for this reason.
• In 39 out of 50 states, more students do not have to move out of state to go to college
• 17% of Californians and 20% of Texans go to relocate out of state for college
• 75% of students from New Hampshire are most likely to study out-of-state, most than in any other state
• Colleges with the biggest out-of-state admissions are Dartmouth College (98%), Brown (95%), Yale (93%), MIT (93%), Notre Dame (92%), and John Hopkins (90%). If you are got accepted to one of those, all of your friends will be coming from other states
• Students averagely move around 300 miles for college
• Colleges with the farthest pull are CalTech, MIT, and Stanford. To attend these schools, students averagely traveled more than 1,000 miles

Will you rent an apartment or move to a dormitory?

Now that you are feeling more optimistic about the move, let’s take a look at how to organize the whole thing. Of course, the first thing you will need is to choose whether to move to a college dorm or rent an apartment. Now, what you will choose depends on many aspects. Still, you should know that renting an apartment is usually cheaper than moving to a college dorm. However, living in a dormitory means that you will be closer to action. So make sure that you check all the perks before you call your interstate movers to transport your stuff.

Make a checklist with a plan and the list of items you plan to take with you

Once you make all the decisions it is time to start preparing. Of course, the first thing that you will need is to make a checklist with a plan and all the items that you want to move with you. A plan needs to have all the steps that you need to take from the moment you start your move until you enter your new home.

What items do you plan to move?

When it comes to preparing your items for the move, you need to think well. What will be the size of your living space? Is it a furnished space or do you need to bring furniture as well? Will you have safe storage for your more expensive items? Think well before you make a list. Also, check with your college. They will surely have some guidelines regarding the items that you need to bring as well as the items that are not allowed in the dormitory.

Find reliable movers to help you

Next, you need to look for a moving company. At this moment, you need to decide whether you want to pack your stuff on your own, or you want to hire professionals. Professional packers will do this job faster but you will also need to pay them more. Fortunately, when moving across the country for college, you do not have to pack a ton of stuff. So our suggestion is to hire movers only for transport. Also, it is important to hire interstate movers without getting scammed. There are many frauds on the market.  So check every mover thoroughly before you hire.

Learn about moving quotes before you start searching for movers

While you are hiring movers, our suggestion is to find a few options and then ask for their moving quotes. In the meantime, learn what is a binding estimate and only consider movers that are offering those types of quotes.

If you are packing on your own, first prepare packing materials

If you decided to pack on your own, first you need to prepare packing materials. To pack for a cross country move, you will need moving boxes, plastic wraps, bubble wraps, packing tapes, labels, and markers. To avoid paying for moving boxes, which are the most expensive items on this list, you can visit your local grocery store, bookstore, or liquor store and check whether they have some free boxes that want to get rid of.

Tips for packing

Finally, it is time to pack. When you are packing pay attention to the following:

• Do not overweigh your boxes
• Strengthen your boxes with an additional layer of packing tape from the bottom
• Prevent your items from moving inside the box by adding crumpled packing paper or bubble wrap inside the voids.
• Wrap your boxes in plastic wrap if you are moving during bad weather
• Properly label your boxes, especially those with fragile contents

Hopefully, you will do this smoothly

That is all you need to know about moving across the country for college. Don’t forget to make a plan, ask for moving quotes from multiple moving companies, and pack the right items properly. Everything else will be ok if you do these things right. Good luck!