Packing for the inevitable trip home for the summer never gets enough shine. Sure, most people would recognize the nagging frustration of such a task, but its monopoly on bittersweetness and nostalgia are unparalleled. While it marks the end of responsibilities as a student (which are certainly stressful) and the dawn of summer vacation, the requisite goodbyes and see-you-agains always take their toll. There’s also an entire corpus of memories from the past year to deal with. Perhaps they mirror the room you’re packing. Some things have been neglected in various recesses, some are demanding your immediate attention, and some will be a lot of fun to toy with over the summer. Below are my suggestions for literally packing up your dorm room, but extrapolate from that advice what you will. 

Get started early! Tidy up periodically, taking scraps of time where they come to reorganize and clean. No one wants to end the year finding spilled Millers and some Subway wrappers stuck to the floor, so it’s better to head those sorts of things off in advance. 

Find cheap or free cardboard boxes for storage. This has been a life-saver for me in the past. Straight up, I love boxes. 

Stop buying things. I know this could be a brand-new concept for some, but a constant influx of online purchases isn’t going to lighten your load. I understand that there are LDOC outfits and stock Gucci belts to consider, but consider putting off your next order until you’ve arrived at your summer destination. But if you do cop that Amazon order, make sure that you save the box. Seriously, it’ll help. 

Study for exams! This one might sound a little counterintuitive, but the peace of mind from finishing strong can’t be understated. Leaving campus tends to be easier when you aren’t considering changing memories or have multiple tearful emails to fire off to professors. 

Hunt down your friends that don’t have food dollars! Some of us haven’t seen the sweet light of Benson since early March, and it’s been a very dark two months. They would definitely appreciate the sentiment (my email should be attached to the article if you’re feeling generous).

With these threadbare suggestions, you should be unequivocally prepared for move out day. I’d like to wish the best of luck to those graduating (also, yikes) and to everyone else, have a great summer!