The trickiest thing about college is that you only pack up part of your life, not all of it. When you pack to actually move with your family you take everything and you can tell what you forgot because it's still sitting in the middle of your room. When you move for college you leave most of your things back home and only take what you need for college. Because of this anything you could potentially forget would blend in with the rest of the stuff in your room. For this reason, it is incredibly important that you make lists and check, double check, and triple check them. Check off your list when you put things in your boxes or bags. Then check them off again as you put them in the car, and a third time when you unload them into your dorm.
My second tip: make separate lists: one for food and kitchen supplies, one for clothing, one for bedding, etc. Then, tape each list to the main box that all that stuff would be in so you know where each goes and where to find something you're looking for.
Tip number three: Pack an overnight bag. Whether you're only going two hours away or two days away like me, you will want this. The reason for this is because some schools have late check in times for dorms and you might not have enough time to get all your stuff moved in before hitting the hay and it'll be much easier to just pull your pjs and a change of clothes out of a small duffel than to dig through all your boxes looking for them. If you're only going a few hours you only need to pack enough for one night. If you're like me however, my trip consists of one hotel night, and then I probably won't get to my dorm until late the next afternoon so that's a set of pjs shared between both nights and 2 changes of clothes. Whichever situation you're in you should also pack your phone chargers, make up, and whatever things you need before bed or in the morning. Some people have even recommended doing this for a few days in case you get distracted by all the club fairs and events the first few days, but I personally would suggest you try to settle in as soon as possible.
This next tip is similar to the last because it's about getting your priorities straight. In a very obvious box, maybe clear or marked with red duct tape or a huge exclamation mark, pack the first things you'll need. This could be your speaker system so you have some music to play while you unpack, or your sheets so if you do end up not unpacking everything before you go to bed at least you have those. If you have a suite like me, with your own bathroom, you should put your soap and toilet paper in this bin so you can wash your hands and go to the bathroom. Another good idea for this bin is cleaning supplies, the last people in your room may have left it messy or it may have not been cleaned recently and be covered in dust, you want to start with a clean room so you don't just pile your stuff atop the dust. Also, put your garbage bags in here, you could end up with lots of trash from unpacking, don't leave it on the floor. Also, think about things you should put up first, for example, you may want to put your bed risers in early if you're using them so you don't end up with a pile of stuff to go under your bed while you search for them.
Those are all my tips for now, if you want to see what I'm packing check out this list.
Tip number three: Pack an overnight bag. Whether you're only going two hours away or two days away like me, you will want this. The reason for this is because some schools have late check in times for dorms and you might not have enough time to get all your stuff moved in before hitting the hay and it'll be much easier to just pull your pjs and a change of clothes out of a small duffel than to dig through all your boxes looking for them. If you're only going a few hours you only need to pack enough for one night. If you're like me however, my trip consists of one hotel night, and then I probably won't get to my dorm until late the next afternoon so that's a set of pjs shared between both nights and 2 changes of clothes. Whichever situation you're in you should also pack your phone chargers, make up, and whatever things you need before bed or in the morning. Some people have even recommended doing this for a few days in case you get distracted by all the club fairs and events the first few days, but I personally would suggest you try to settle in as soon as possible.
This next tip is similar to the last because it's about getting your priorities straight. In a very obvious box, maybe clear or marked with red duct tape or a huge exclamation mark, pack the first things you'll need. This could be your speaker system so you have some music to play while you unpack, or your sheets so if you do end up not unpacking everything before you go to bed at least you have those. If you have a suite like me, with your own bathroom, you should put your soap and toilet paper in this bin so you can wash your hands and go to the bathroom. Another good idea for this bin is cleaning supplies, the last people in your room may have left it messy or it may have not been cleaned recently and be covered in dust, you want to start with a clean room so you don't just pile your stuff atop the dust. Also, put your garbage bags in here, you could end up with lots of trash from unpacking, don't leave it on the floor. Also, think about things you should put up first, for example, you may want to put your bed risers in early if you're using them so you don't end up with a pile of stuff to go under your bed while you search for them.
Those are all my tips for now, if you want to see what I'm packing check out this list.