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" Last week I was faced with the difficult task that most of you will likely encounter in the near future: cramming for finals while simultaneously trying to pack up everything you own into a car or box or suitcase that never seems to be nearly big enough. Oh yeah, and let&amp;#039;s not forget finding the time to hang out with and say goodbye to the people you&amp;#039;ve come to know and love for all these months.It&amp;#039;s a rough time: mentally, emotionally and physically (my back&amp;#039;s still hurting from lifting all those boxes).So here are some tips to make sure things go a bit more smoothly for you than they did for me:  DON&amp;#039;Twait until the last minute to pack: There are many obvious reasons for this but also some not-so-obvious ones. First, you want to make sure you&amp;#039;re able to spend quality time with friends you may not be able to see during the summer months instead of endlessly folding all of your clothes. So make sure to break up your packing ahead of time!Another thing is that you often forget all those little things you have to do before leaving the dorm like sweeping, cleaning out the fridge, and checking out with your RA. This can be especially time-consuming when your RA is nowhere to be found, which isn&amp;#039;t infuriating at all...   DO throw stuff away: If this is your last time using a twin bed there may not be a very good reason to stress out over how to find space to pack up your sheets, mattress pad, egg crates, etc. At the end of the year, there are often many convenient ways and places on campus to, instead, donate these things! The same goes for your rug. If your room next year is carpeted, you may want to think twice about trying to squeeze a 5 x 8in your mom&amp;#039;s hatchback.And lastly, if you secretly know you&amp;#039;re never going to wear those parachute pants again that (for some reason) decided to be a fashionable for about a day and a half, dump it.   DOput things in storage: I find this is mainly helpful with storage bins themselves. Some other items to consider storing are: hangers, pillows, dust busters, rain boots, and all of your winter necessities (winter coats, sweatshirts, Uggs) unless you&amp;#039;re traveling to/live in some polar climate. CampusCardboard.com is great for all of your storage/shipping needs!   DO be careful when taking things down: If you&amp;#039;re anything like me, you thought college independence meant not double-checking with mom when trying to be ultra crafty. This means using things like plastic hooks and Velcro. Terrible idea. Little did I know this stuff would soon cost me an undisclosed fine from my lovely university. The plastic hooks can strip the paint off the wall so maybe ask your RA, a neighbor, or parent who&amp;#039;s visiting for some help. As for the Velcro, it&amp;#039;s often difficult to get all of the sticky residue up. I&amp;#039;ve been told nail polish works but &amp;quot;Goo Gone&amp;quot; spray is probably your best bet.  Now that you&amp;#039;re a packing expert - get to it! "^^<http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#string>
<http://www.seventeen.com/life/school/advice/a7327/how-to-pack-a-dorm-room/>