1. Have your list.
If you love organization like me, you know how much lists save the day. Before my freshman year, I made a master list of everything I wanted to bring to school with me. It was partially made up of recommended items to pack made by the college I attend and other recommendations from friends. It was so useful to me that I saved it for the following year, and plan to use it again to pack up this year! I recommend giving yourself at least a week before you leave to make the list. That way, it is easy to highlight particular things you need to buy beforehand. Trust me, you are going to want to avoid the Target by campus for the first couple weeks of school. ;) I made this list to give a pretty comprehensive guide to whatever a college student may need.
2. Gift your roomates!
It’s nice to start on the right foot at the beginning of the school year! A nice treat for your roommates is the best way to do that.
At the beginning of my freshman year, I gave each of my roommates a little potted succulent and a mini pumpkin. We bonded over our little window garden and eventually replanted a couple in bigger pots. Our little pumpkins were excellent fall decorations and we eventually carved them on Halloween. Since then, it has been our tradition to do it every year. For my sophomore year, I gifted my roomies a Zeeta face mask and spray. When we wanted to stay in, we would do “face mask Fridays” and watch a movie. The sprays were put to use on several occasions: Cheerful Citrus when our tiny dorm room got too stuffy, Lovely Lavender on our pillows at night, and Brain Boost whenever we needed a little pick-me-up!
3. Get A Planner (of some sort)
To say the first weeks of school will be overwhelming is an understatement. If you’re a college student, you get it. If you aren’t, you definitely will. During my first quarter, my favorite professor gave the entire class this tidbit of advice. She recommended getting the syllabus for each class and writing down every reading, homework assignment, and midterm, final, and club meeting week by week. Even if you do not have a ton of time to dedicate every day to writing in a planner, this is a great way to have a semester/quarter-wide schedule that doesn’t need updating very often. I’ve noticed that everyone on campus seems to have a different way to do this! Google Calendars, formal planners, or extra large calendars seem to work well. In my experience, this allowed me to get an overview of a given week and plan ahead. When it seems like a lot, my best piece of advice is to write (or type) it all down!
If you have a special college student in your life…
Sometimes school is hard. For me, I didn’t realize how difficult it would until a few weeks into my first month, right around midterms. A bright spot during my first round of exams was when I got a Zeeta care package from my mom. She stocked it with an eye pillow, my favorite body oil (Las Vegas Lavender), and smudge spray (for my closet) and a couple of extra goodies (including the best Vegan Energy Bars). It was really really nice to know that she was thinking about me.
You can have a Zeeta care package made just for your favorite college student. Just add their shipping address when making an online order. If you want to send a special message, just click "Add a note" on the checkout page.
Best of luck this school year!