Moving in day – what to expect!

• Author: Lauren Dennington, Law with Criminology LLB(Hons), School of Business and Law

Any moving day is nerve-wracking and exciting but moving into halls is a completely unique experience. Here is a breakdown of the day so you know what to expect and you can calm those nerves a little bit!

The morning of moving in day

Depending on where you are travelling from and what time you plan to get to halls determines the time you want to wake up, but I ended up waking up at 6am to leave at 7am. I spent this hour getting ready (comfy clothes is a must as you will be moving boxes for most of the day), eating some breakfast, packing those last-minute essentials and giving my dog some cuddles before I set off for my new home.

I spent the next three hours on the road and as for any road trip you want to make sure you have a good playlist and some snacks to keep you going! I arrived at my halls at about 10am, went into reception and was greeted by some very welcoming people who pointed me in the right direction and handed me my key card and an inventory checklist. I then went down to my flat and after some lovely student ambassadors helped me figure out how to use my key card to get into my room, I had a nosey around my flat.

Seeing my flat for the first time!

I was the first one to arrive in my flat, so after unloading the car, I went and grabbed a couple of cupboards in the kitchen (it worked out about two cupboards per person for my flat), a shelf in the fridge and a drawer in the freezer.

Once I knew my food was sorted, I then moved on to the next most important thing to me and that was my bed! I found that making my bed made my room feel a lot more homely from the start, which really helped. While sorting things in my room, I left my door propped open and I would encourage everyone to do this, as it made my housemates feel like they could pop in for a chat. It was a great way to get to know each other, and the made-up bed meant they had somewhere comfy to sit!

The afternoon of moving-in day

While I still had family there (with a car!) I popped to Asda so that I could do a big grocery shop and get everything I needed like cleaning supplies, fridge bits, staple cupboard items and snacks. The first grocery shop is always the biggest as you have to buy everything, so it is a good idea to do this when you still have access to a car, as you don’t want to be dragging everything back on the bus!

After unloading my shopping, I then said goodbye to my family and unpacked the rest of my room. I then completed the inventory checklist that was given to me at the beginning of the day and walked it back to reception with a couple of my housemates so we could then go on a wander and find our nearest shops and where we were going to do our laundry.

My first night in my new home!

We then headed back to our flat, made some dinner, chatted with each other and then went out to enjoy our first night of freshers’ week!

You’ll hear this a lot but everyone really is all in the same boat, which makes it that much easier to make friends. Just try to relax, enjoy the day, be yourself and you will be absolutely fine!