Moving Day. Finally. I'd been looking forward to this for a long time—the day I'd head off to college and move into the dorm. I was really ready to start college life. It's funny, going away to college always seemed like it was way off in the future. Before I knew it, I was graduating. Then, the summer flew by and suddenly the big day was here. Fortunately, I had planned ahead, which I think helped the move go a lot smoother. Still, I learned some things by making mistakes, too.

As you prepare to head off to college, I hope my experience can help you get ready. Here are some of the things I learned.

By the time my family finished loading our van, we hardly had enough room to sit. But still, I thought, I'll need all this in my new home. That full van should have tipped me off. When we got to my new college, it was obvious I had brought way too much. There was nowhere to put everything in my small room—that one other person had to still fit into! The biggest issue: my clothes. I had way too many to put away. There just was no room in the small closet.

I ended up sending most of my winter clothes home with my parents. After all, I knew I wouldn't need them right away, anyway. When I went home for Thanksgiving, I took a big suitcase full of summer clothes and brought my sweaters back with me. Of course, if you're going halfway across the country to college, you might not get home till Christmas or later. In that case, and if you're headed to some place cold and snowy, you'll have to pack more winter clothes.

When we arrived on campus, it was hot, humid and hectic. Hundreds of people were moving in at the same time. The stairs and halls were jammed with people—especially family members carrying boxes, bags and furniture. There was one elevator; it was faster to use the stairs, and I was moving to the third floor!

The good news is that most colleges recruit upperclassmen to help the freshmen move in. This is a big help. Plus, everyone made me feel really at home right away.

But still, there was the issue of working many, many boxes through many, many people and finding somewhere to put them. We came up with a system. While my dad and my brother carried stuff in, Mom and I started putting it all away. But, of course this takes a long time. When our van was finally unloaded, it was still almost impossible to walk through my dorm room. The center of the room was almost literally one stack of stuff. Fortunately, my roommate wasn't arriving until the next day. And believe me, it took that long to restore order to the chaos!

Your dorm room probably won't have much furniture in it; mine had a bed with two drawers underneath, and a small desk—nowhere near enough space to store all the stuff I brought. So check with the residence hall director to find out if it's a good idea to bring some of your own furniture to give you more drawers and storage. Ask what's provided, and what furniture you're allowed to bring. But be warned: It's likely your room will be too small to add much furniture. You may want to ask the hall director for an idea of what kind of space there is—or if you're still in the process of visiting schools, intentionally make a mental note of what the dorm rooms look like as you view them. How much stuff do those students have? How much space is taken up by their own stuff versus what is school furniture?

One way to increase storage space is with stackable plastic crates. They're great for packing and then for storing stuff in your room. You can stack 'em up and make a little night stand to hold a lamp and alarm clock by the bed. You can also stack them in the closet to hold folded clothes. Also, you may be able to get flat plastic storage cases to slide under your bed if it doesn't have built-in drawers underneath.

On moving day, the Targets and Wal-Marts in your college town will be packed with students trying to pick up last-minute items. Avoid the mad rush and long lines. Make a list of all the miscellaneous things you'll want at college, and shop for them before you leave home.

You can find a list of packing suggestions on page 44 of this issue. You don't have to take everything on that list; it's just to start you thinking about what you might want to take. But, it also isn't comprehensive. So, as you're going through that list, add anything extra you think of that you may want to take. This will make sure you won't miss anything. I would've forgotten my tennis racket if I hadn't listed it. (And I really needed it since I was taking a tennis class!)

When you're making your list of stuff to bring, know what you can't bring. Ask the college for a list of what's allowed and what's not allowed in the dorms—and under what conditions. (Some colleges, for example, don't allow any appliances that have to stay plugged in—like a mini-refrigerator or microwave—because of potential fire hazards.)

As you make your packing list, think about those items that you and your roommate can share, like a refrigerator, coffee maker or television. You don't need two of these "space takers" in one small room. It's a good idea to find out in advance what your roommate is planning to bring, so you don't have too many repeat items.

There are plenty of details to consider when you're getting ready for college. Start planning early, make lots of lists, and be sure to check and recheck those lists. The time between high school graduation day and the first day of college will fly by, so don't wait until the last minute.

Once you're all packed and ready, relax. Have a great year.