Moving into the halls of residence can be super stressful, especially if you are moving far away from home into a new city. For me, there was less stress involved because I’m technically only moving an hour away from home, and so far I haven’t been super homesick because I was away from my family for a year on student exchange (which I can guarantee cured me of homesickness for the rest of my life lol). Regardless of your situation move in day is still a pretty big deal, so my roommates and I have collaborated together our different move in day experiences to create the top ten best tips we can think of to help with a smooth run for the big day!
1)
Know the process. Every hall has a different system of moving students in. Some have a place you can park, some want you to unload and then move your car somewhere else, some require you to have filled out forms online (like medical) and won’t let you check in without them. Check in with your hall manager, check your email, or if you have one check your Facebook page and make sure to ask any questions if you have some!
2)
Check the weather. A lot of UOA halls you have to unload all your stuff, and then move your car while someone waits with the stuff. It is super not fun to have a cyclone come through on the weekend that you are meant to be moving in (thanks Auckland weather), especially because all of your things are waiting outside for you to move your car. Also because you will have to leave your things outside the dorms while you and your family are moving them in, so it is super helpful to have a waterproof cover or umbrella in case it does rain and you have to leave stuff outside. Also, you might just want a cover for your stuff so that it doesn’t get dirty.
3)
Bring any tools you think you might need. Definitely, a screwdriver to unscrew tiny little screws. Some battery packs that you might have for fairy lights or alarm clocks will need to be unscrewed, and it’s super frustrating when all you want is to make your room look pretty. Also, bring bluetack to stick up any posters on your wall, and also a gazillion pins to decorate your pinboard with posters, polaroids and whatever you have bought with you from home!
4)
Get there early on move-in day. This one is kind of a toss-up. Just sort of see what is going on with your Facebook page because this year I arrived at 8:30 on the dot and there was pretty much no one there. But last year everyone had the same idea and arrived at 8:30 so there was a line going all the way up onto Symonds street. The idea is to miss the huge rush of people, and usually, this can be accomplished by going early. It can also help if you arrive earlier because it means you have more time throughout the rest of the day to get settled in and meet your flatmates or the people on your floor.
5)
Have your stuff ready to unload as soon as you rock up. Because if there is a lot of people all arriving at the same time you’re only going to have a few minutes to unload before you will be asked to move your car. It’s super helpful to have all your stuff together and not in a hundred small bags and boxes that you have to unload while a line of cars behind you is waiting for you to finish, lol.
6)
Check in with the FB page. Most UOA halls of residence will have a facebook page set up pretty early. It’s a good place to ask any questions and find out more about what is going on with move-in day and all the events of O week. I can guarantee you that your halls will be putting on a huge amount of events to welcome you and make you feel comfortable so investigate on your FB page and see what’s up! It’s way easier to dress up in costume for an event if you actually knew to bring a costume with you because you checked the FB page. I mean the look sharp store only has so much stuff.
And a free tip that isn’t really a tip but definitely something worth remembering: just have fun! Its move-in day, and no matter how confused or nervous that might make you don’t forget that this is the first chapter of what is going to be an amazing year. So just breath, take a moment, and enjoy it!