Moving out of the dorms can be an overwhelming experience for most college students. First-year students are expected to study and take college-level finals for the second time ever and then vacate the dorms a day or two after finals week.
The beginning of April marks the rapid approach to the end of the spring semester, and Sun Devils will be expected to move out of the dorms in about a month. But what can students do to start preparing for move out now?
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According to University Housing, students not enrolled in classes and living on campus during ASU's summer sessions are expected to move out no later than noon on May 10.
Students are required to follow proper checkout procedures when moving out of the dorms, such as defrosting the fridge, returning keys and deep cleaning rooms, according to the website.
After students vacate their dorm rooms, an assessment of proper checkout procedures will take place based on the room inventory report residents completed during move-in.
Failure to follow proper move-out procedures could result in financial charges to a student's MyASU account, so allowing ample time to properly move out of the dorms will be crucial to avoid potential housing fines.
Move out in waves
In-state student Elena Titus, who is a junior studying biological sciences, said this is her third year living in student housing.
Titus said one thing she wished she knew the first time she moved out was to move her belongings out of her dorm room in increments.
"I overpacked so much, so I had to bring a lot of my clothing and miscellaneous items home kind of over the span of, I want to say, maybe a month," Titus said.
Titus also shared she wished she had started to move out of the dorms earlier in her freshman year.
"If you overpack, start maybe around spring break because that's when you're gonna stop wearing the majority of your heavy stuff," Titus said.
Look for apartments early and ask for help
The moving-out process for out-of-state students can be more difficult, depending on how far from home students are.
For Karan Chauhan, who is a senior studying informatics, home is a 38-hour plane ride away in Botswana. Chauhan said moving was overwhelming at first, but he eventually got used to the process.
The biggest piece of advice Chauhan shared for international students was to try and make friends in the area.
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"It would be helpful making friends who live in the area that you're going to school (with) because if they're nice people, they'll let you keep your stuff that you can't obviously take all back home," Chauhan said. "And if not, there's always storage."
He said he also wished he looked for apartments sooner when moving out of the dorms because spots filled up quickly.
Chauhan lived in the dorms his freshman year of college, moved to an apartment complex his sophomore year and moved to a different apartment complex for his junior and senior years.
You're moving more stuff than you think
Claudia Kennedy, a sophomore studying early childhood education, currently lives in her sorority house located in the Greek Leadership Village.
Kennedy lived in the San Pablo Hall last year and plans to live in her sorority house again during her junior year.
The one thing she wished she had known before moving out of the first-year dorms was how many belongings can accumulate over a year.
Kennedy said she was not aware of how much she had collected and advised students to take inventory of their items before moving out.
"I had so many random free things I had from ASU and stuff, and I had no idea how much more stuff I had for move-out than I did for move-in," Kennedy said.
Kennedy's biggest piece of advice for students moving out of housing this spring is to start planning and packing as soon as possible.
"Start actually understanding how much stuff you do have and if there's things that you don't need," Kennedy said. "Like the earliest you can start packing things up, I would recommend doing and not procrastinating on it and waiting for the last minute because it's just gonna be the longest day of your life for move out."
Edited by Senna James, Abigail Beck and Natalia Jarrett.
Reach the reporter at asadlier@asu.edu and follow @audreymsadlier on X.
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Audrey is a junior studying journalism and mass communication. This is here third semester with The State Press.
