Editor's note: This story was originally published in the 2025 Parent Guide, an IDS special publication.
Helping your student move to college can be a bittersweet experience. It’s hard to see them go, but it’s powerful to watch them grow. Your student may be leaving home for the first time, yet the things they will experience over these next few months will be valuable for the rest of their lives. With the right move-in experience, students can be poised to conquer the following few challenges in this new chapter of their life.
Here are five tips to best prepare your student to move in.
Tip 1: Create a checklist & de-clutter
It's common to over-pack, and while it is better to be safe than sorry, your student will likely only be in the dorms for less than 10 months. Bringing only the bare necessities helps avoid unnecessary clutter during the school year and avoids a hefty move out experience.
Tip 2: Figure out parking
Move-in day across campus is a busy time of year. It can be challenging to find parking and there are strict parking rules that can differ from building to building. My best advice is to call the center desk of the residence hall your student is moving into beforehand and ask about places to park while moving in.
Tip 3: Communicate with roommates
Make sure you're moving in at a different time than your student’s roommate. The dorms are already fairly small, and they can feel even smaller with two families and their belongings moving in simultaneously. Have your students communicate with their roommate when each of them will be moving in. I recommend at least a four-hour gap between move-ins.
Tip 4: Encourage your student to organize their space
Unloading all of your students’ belongings can be overwhelming. As you unbox everything, I would highly recommend organizing the space as you go through the process. Have your students decide how they’d like their room to look as you bring their things to their room. This way, you avoid having a large pile of items in the middle of the room. Placing things where they belong as you go will save you time and stress.
Tip 5: Encourage your student to explore campus
Campus will be home for students for as long as they’re going to school here, so it’s important to get to know the place! It can be intimidating to go out on your own, so offer to tag along with your students on errands such as eating at a restaurant on Kirkwood. Encourage them to take some walks around and outside of campus with friends throughout their freshman year.
Congratulations on being the proud parent of a Hoosier! Happy move-in, and we will see you in the Fall.
Aryana Amin-Tehrani (she/her) is a senior studying marketing, management and digital and social media business applications.
