Chapter 2

Chapter 2: “Move in Day!!”

July 2012-August 2012

I stated before that I was going to write this book on the basis of journal entries, but it has taken me a couple of days to settle down. The college life already seems to be overwhelming. However, it’s only been a couple of days so I will get back on it.

My move in went as good as it possibly could have gone. For one, I decided to move-in early, which I can say is the thing to do. Moving in early gives you a plethora of options. It allows you to find your classes in a stress free environment, you can set your room up the way you like it, and the crowds are much smaller. My planned move-in date was Friday, but I decided to move in Thursday night. I contacted the office of my dorm and they informed me that the office was open till 12, so this was perfect.

I arrived in Chapel Hill at 10pm, and to my surprise no one else was moving in late like I was. I didn’t have anyone bumping into me as I dragged my massive loads of luggage to my room. My dad and I could also take our time moving in because we didn’t have to worry about the parking limit. If I would have moved in at the regular time, we only would have been allowed 40 minutes to unload my room supplies. The unloading was a very swift process. I would also like to say that my dorm easily holds all of my stuff.

After all of my belongings were in my room I was ready to move. My roommate had already moved in earlier in the day, so I didn’t have to worry about messing with his side of the room. He was also there for an extra hand that I desperately needed. My roommate had lofted his bed, so I decided to try the idea because it gives you so much extra space. However, after sleeping in the high loft for 2 nights I decided to remove the loft. Even though I don’t have as much space as I did; I sleep way better now.  My advice would be to do whatever makes you comfortable. It is your side of the room, do with it what you please. Remember you have to live in this small compact room for at least a year, you better get used to it!

The first night at college seemed like an eternity because I was very worried about the thought of falling off of the loft and I was still running on adrenaline from moving in. Finally, my eyes decided to shut for a split second, and my roommate’s 8am alarm clock went off!!! What?! We hadn’t even started school yet and his alarm was going off!! And then…. a second one. I thought I was listing to a symphony full of out of tune trumpets. I took a deep sigh of relief as the alarm clock was turned off. However, this is going to be a very long semester. It is not that I don’t mind getting up early, but when I can sleep in, I like to sleep. This might be a good thing; at least he is not throwing up every night, well not yet. I told you that I would be speaking of my roommate often, and this is just the beginning.

Since I was up so early I had some time to run my little errands. If I didn’t mention before, it is a great idea to make a list of things you need to do before you move in. This helps because when you get here, time will fly by. I have only been here for 2 days and I can’t even remember the people I met at dinner. For example, I had to go get my computer hooked into the wireless connection and they also gave me connection access through my IPod. I had to pick up my books at the bookstore, talk to the financial aid people, and I attempted to find all my classes. If you get stuck with an early riser like I did, knock out some of the little things that will be easily forgotten.

So the best advice to take with the whole moving in process is to move-in early. Call the university and ask if they will allow you to do so. Trust me, you won’t have near the stress that the thousands of other kids will encounter on the big day.

As I approach my third night at one of the best universities in the nation, I am still in awe at the thought of going to college. I have all my books and am ready to go, but the thought of going to college hasn’t hit yet. I have always heard that time will fly by, but I had no idea. It’s like I am in a car that never stops, and if you blink for a second, you could miss something that could change your life.