How to: packing clothes for college

Packing for college can be an extremely stressful experience, but don’t make choosing which clothes to bring one of those stressors. When choosing what clothes you want to bring to college with you, think about only the essentials and as yourself, “Will I really wear this?” and think about if you have worn it in the last six months. If the answer is no to either question, then simply do not pack the item. 

We all know what clothes we frequently wear, as these are our favorites, which certainly means you should pack these items. These items could include average T-shirts or graphic tees, comfortable shorts like running shorts and cotton shorts, jean shorts for summertime, jeans, leggings, a couple jackets, and a few sweaters for chilly days. These clothing items should take up the majority of your closet space—and you’ll be glad that they do because that minimized space for unnecessary clothes. 

One key for packing clothes for college is to only pack what you will need for the first few months, which means if you packed summer, winter, and spring clothes you really should take some back home so as to create more room in your closet—because no one likes a cluttered closet. With this, that means packing shorts, T-shirts, and tank tops for the first few months with a couple pairs of jeans in case the weather gets chillier faster than you thought it would. The same thing goes with long-sleeved shirts and sweatshirts because you won’t really need them for a while until it gets colder outside. With that in mind, though, it does not hurt to bring one or two of them in case it gets cold in your dorm or, like said before, there is unexpected cold weather. 

On the other hand, though, if you live far away and will not frequent trips home, that changes things a little. If that is the case for you, you may want to go ahead and pack for about six months out and prepare for at least the summer and fall seasons. This would mean packing more than just a couple pairs of jeans or leggings and more long-sleeved shirts as well as sweatshirts, as you will most likely wear these more in the fall. With that in mind, it could be suggested to pack less summer clothes because summer will be gone not too long after school starts.  

Assuming you most likely will go home for Thanksgiving and Christmas, those are great times to switch out your clothes, trading in your summertime and light fall clothes for your heavier and warmer winter clothes. The same thing goes for finding a time right before springtime to head back home and trade out those winter clothes for those springy outfits. Though, if you are someone who lives far away, then at Christmas time, you should switch out those beginning six months of clothes for the following six months of winter and spring. 

If after moving to college you go through your clothes and realize you either brought way too much or brought some clothes you really have no idea why you packed, don’t be afraid to simply pack them up and bring them back home. Use this as a guide to keeping a spacious closet and prepared for a fashionable school year!