{"id":12500,"date":"2019-08-13T12:27:08","date_gmt":"2019-08-13T16:27:08","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.kzoo.edu\/news\/?p=12500"},"modified":"2022-03-21T16:47:38","modified_gmt":"2022-03-21T20:47:38","slug":"what-to-bring-to-campus-2019","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.kzoo.edu\/news\/what-to-bring-to-campus-2019\/","title":{"rendered":"What to Bring to Campus: Alumna Offers Tips for First-Year Students"},"content":{"rendered":"

Excitement is building across the country for first-year students who are anticipating their college experiences and planning what to bring to campus this fall. It\u2019s a time Ximena Davis \u201919 fondly remembers even though she attended college close to home after growing up in Kalamazoo.<\/p>\n

\"What
Student employees help first-year students with moving in to the residence halls. Read what one alumna offers for advice regarding what to bring to campus on move-in day.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

\u201cIt was still a different place to stay and I was very excited,\u201d Davis said. \u201cI was ready to explore being an independent person. I also got to see a different side to the city than the one I saw while living at home.\u201d<\/p>\n

Davis\u2019 experiences\u2014beyond majoring in English<\/a>, minoring in sociology and anthropology<\/a>, and declaring concentrations in film and media studies<\/a> and American studies<\/a>\u2014included regularly attending Art Hop, a fun evening of art exhibits and events in and around Kalamazoo; writing for K\u2019s student blog<\/a> and establishing the Kalamazoo College Filmmakers\u2019 Society<\/a>, one of more than 70 organizations available to students.<\/p>\n

Residential Life<\/a> has its suggestions<\/a> regarding what to bring to campus this fall. However, it helps to get some perspective from someone like Davis who has lived in the residence halls while attending K. Based on her experiences, here are her suggestions after living in Hoben Hall<\/a>, DeWaters Hall<\/a> and a Living Learning House<\/a> in her years at K.<\/p>\n

Avoid overpacking<\/strong><\/p>\n

Even if you\u2019re arriving from several states away, it\u2019s better to leave yourself more space than to overpack.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s good to have pictures of friends, but you don\u2019t want to be overwhelmed in your space,\u201d Davis said. \u201cI brought trinkets and keepsakes to occupy my desk space my first year. But throughout that year, I found it was too much. I was constantly getting stuff I wanted to decorate with, and I ended up packing away what I originally brought. I found myself wishing I would\u2019ve given myself more of a blank slate by leaving more at home.\u201d<\/p>\n

Davis said that includes the cold-weather clothes she brought too soon.<\/p>\n

\u201cAfter moving in, I was going through my clothes and realized I brought five different jackets for various levels of warmth, along with my winter jacket and snow boots,\u201d Davis said. \u201cI must have thought, \u2018What if it snows in October?\u2019 as it has in many years. But even if it does snow early, it probably won\u2019t be enough to justify boots.\u201d<\/p>\n

There could be exceptions to this rule of thumb if students can\u2019t return home between fall and winter terms or if students don\u2019t have both fall and winter coats available to them, although additional space in a residence hall room is valuable.<\/p>\n

Buy local<\/strong><\/p>\n

If it makes it easier to pack less, remember most items can be purchased in Kalamazoo stores and thrift shops after you take a visual assessment of your space. The shopping experience can also be beneficial.<\/p>\n

\u201cBecause Kalamazoo College is located in a city, it\u2019s not difficult to go to a store to find things you might need,\u201d Davis said. \u201cEven if you\u2019re worried about not having a car on campus, there is public transportation, and carpooling is a good way to make friends. I think going with a roommate can be a bonding experience.\u201d<\/p>\n

Record your experiences<\/strong><\/p>\n

Bring to campus simple tools and decorations that will enable you to better remember your first year at K. Davis, for example, decorated with strings of lights that used clips for attaching photos, and she kept an assignment notebook that doubled as a journal.<\/p>\n

\u201cI first had a couple of pictures from prom or an amusement park, but it helped to keep adding to it,\u201d said Davis, regarding her string of lights. \u201cI brought it every year and added to it every year.\u201d<\/p>\n

Within the journal, \u201cI kept all of my thoughts in one place,\u201d Davis said. \u201cIt was nice to have during that time of change and then look back on those memories. I think it helped me grow into a more confident person and helped me be better organized.\u201d<\/p>\n

Talk to your roommate in advance<\/strong><\/p>\n

Before Davis moved to campus, she feared the worst regarding her roommate.<\/p>\n

\u201cI knew Residential Life tries to match like-minded students, but I was worried they would make a mistake somewhere along the line and they would give me a roommate I wouldn\u2019t get along with as well as they\u2019d hoped,\u201d Davis said.<\/p>\n

Talking with that roommate in advance through social media, though, helped alleviate that fear. Plus, just as importantly, it helped the two determine who would bring what to campus.<\/p>\n

\u201cCommunication is very important,\u201d Davis said. \u201cIt helps you feel better about this new experience, and it will prevent you from doubling up on big items such as microwaves that can take a lot of space.\u201d<\/p>\n

More information<\/strong><\/p>\n

Kalamazoo College\u2019s new-student move-in day is scheduled for Sept. 10. If you have questions before, during or after that time, more information is available. Find Residential Life at its website<\/a> or contact its offices at housing@kzoo.edu<\/a> or 269.337.7210.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Excitement is building across the country for first-year students who are anticipating their college experiences and planning what to bring to campus this fall. It\u2019s a time Ximena Davis \u201919 fondly remembers even though she attended college close to home after growing up in Kalamazoo. \u201cIt was still a different place to stay and I […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":147,"featured_media":12502,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[232],"tags":[202,38],"post_formats":[],"class_list":["post-12500","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-alumni","tag-orientation","tag-students"],"yoast_head":"\r\nWhat to Bring to Campus: Alumna Offers Tips for First-Year Students - News and Events<\/title>\r\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Excitement is building across the country for first-year students who are anticipating their college experiences and planning what to bring to campus this\" \/>\r\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\r\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.kzoo.edu\/news\/what-to-bring-to-campus-2019\/\" \/>\r\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\r\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\r\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"K Alumna Provides Tips Regarding What to Bring to Campus\" \/>\r\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Excitement is building across the country for first-year students who are anticipating their college experiences and planning what to bring to campus this\" \/>\r\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.kzoo.edu\/news\/what-to-bring-to-campus-2019\/\" \/>\r\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"News and Events\" \/>\r\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/KalamazooCollege\" \/>\r\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2019-08-13T16:27:08+00:00\" \/>\r\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2022-03-21T20:47:38+00:00\" \/>\r\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/www.kzoo.edu\/news\/files\/2019\/08\/What-to-Bring-to-Campus-cMUMMA-MATRICULATION-2017-7904.jpg\" \/>\r\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"2400\" \/>\r\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"1600\" \/>\r\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\r\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Andy Brown\" \/>\r\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\r\n<meta name=\"twitter:creator\" content=\"@kcollege\" \/>\r\n<meta name=\"twitter:site\" content=\"@kcollege\" \/>\r\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Andy Brown\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"4 minutes\" \/>\r\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.kzoo.edu\/news\/what-to-bring-to-campus-2019\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.kzoo.edu\/news\/what-to-bring-to-campus-2019\/\",\"name\":\"What to Bring to Campus: Alumna Offers Tips for First-Year Students - 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It\u2019s a time Ximena Davis \u201919 fondly remembers even though she attended college close to home after growing up in Kalamazoo.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_12502\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-12502\" style=\"width: 584px\" class=\"wp-caption alignright\"><img loading=\"lazy\" class=\"size-large wp-image-12502\" src=\"\/\/www.kzoo.edu\/news\/files\/2019\/08\/What-to-Bring-to-Campus-cMUMMA-MATRICULATION-2017-7904-600x400.jpg\" alt=\"What to Bring to Campus cMUMMA MATRICULATION 2017 7904\" width=\"584\" height=\"389\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-12502\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Student employees help first-year students with moving in to the residence halls. Read what one alumna offers for advice regarding what to bring to campus on move-in day.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>\u201cIt was still a different place to stay and I was very excited,\u201d Davis said. \u201cI was ready to explore being an independent person. I also got to see a different side to the city than the one I saw while living at home.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Davis\u2019 experiences\u2014beyond majoring in <a href=\"http:\/\/www.kzoo.edu\/programs\/?id=12\">English<\/a>, minoring in <a href=\"http:\/\/www.kzoo.edu\/programs\/?id=3\">sociology and anthropology<\/a>, and declaring concentrations in <a href=\"http:\/\/www.kzoo.edu\/programs\/?id=33\">film and media studies<\/a> and <a href=\"http:\/\/www.kzoo.edu\/programs\/american-studies\/\">American studies<\/a>\u2014included regularly attending Art Hop, a fun evening of art exhibits and events in and around Kalamazoo; writing for K\u2019s <a href=\"http:\/\/www.kzoo.edu\/admission\/blog\/\">student blog<\/a> and establishing the <a href=\"http:\/\/www.kzoo.edu\/admission\/filmmaking\/\">Kalamazoo College Filmmakers\u2019 Society<\/a>, one of more than 70 organizations available to students.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.kzoo.edu\/student-life\/residential-living\/\">Residential Life<\/a> has <a href=\"https:\/\/reason.kzoo.edu\/reslife\/assets\/What_to_Bring.pdf\">its suggestions<\/a> regarding what to bring to campus this fall. However, it helps to get some perspective from someone like Davis who has lived in the residence halls while attending K. Based on her experiences, here are her suggestions after living in <a href=\"https:\/\/map.concept3d.com\/?id=198#!m\/17920\">Hoben Hall<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/map.concept3d.com\/?id=198#!m\/17912\">DeWaters Hall<\/a> and a <a href=\"https:\/\/map.concept3d.com\/?id=198#!m\/17933\">Living Learning House<\/a> in her years at K.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Avoid overpacking<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Even if you\u2019re arriving from several states away, it\u2019s better to leave yourself more space than to overpack.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIt\u2019s good to have pictures of friends, but you don\u2019t want to be overwhelmed in your space,\u201d Davis said. \u201cI brought trinkets and keepsakes to occupy my desk space my first year. But throughout that year, I found it was too much. I was constantly getting stuff I wanted to decorate with, and I ended up packing away what I originally brought. I found myself wishing I would\u2019ve given myself more of a blank slate by leaving more at home.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Davis said that includes the cold-weather clothes she brought too soon.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cAfter moving in, I was going through my clothes and realized I brought five different jackets for various levels of warmth, along with my winter jacket and snow boots,\u201d Davis said. \u201cI must have thought, \u2018What if it snows in October?\u2019 as it has in many years. But even if it does snow early, it probably won\u2019t be enough to justify boots.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>There could be exceptions to this rule of thumb if students can\u2019t return home between fall and winter terms or if students don\u2019t have both fall and winter coats available to them, although additional space in a residence hall room is valuable.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Buy local<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>If it makes it easier to pack less, remember most items can be purchased in Kalamazoo stores and thrift shops after you take a visual assessment of your space. The shopping experience can also be beneficial.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cBecause Kalamazoo College is located in a city, it\u2019s not difficult to go to a store to find things you might need,\u201d Davis said. \u201cEven if you\u2019re worried about not having a car on campus, there is public transportation, and carpooling is a good way to make friends. I think going with a roommate can be a bonding experience.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><strong>Record your experiences<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Bring to campus simple tools and decorations that will enable you to better remember your first year at K. Davis, for example, decorated with strings of lights that used clips for attaching photos, and she kept an assignment notebook that doubled as a journal.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI first had a couple of pictures from prom or an amusement park, but it helped to keep adding to it,\u201d said Davis, regarding her string of lights. \u201cI brought it every year and added to it every year.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Within the journal, \u201cI kept all of my thoughts in one place,\u201d Davis said. \u201cIt was nice to have during that time of change and then look back on those memories. I think it helped me grow into a more confident person and helped me be better organized.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><strong>Talk to your roommate in advance<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Before Davis moved to campus, she feared the worst regarding her roommate.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI knew Residential Life tries to match like-minded students, but I was worried they would make a mistake somewhere along the line and they would give me a roommate I wouldn\u2019t get along with as well as they\u2019d hoped,\u201d Davis said.<\/p>\n<p>Talking with that roommate in advance through social media, though, helped alleviate that fear. Plus, just as importantly, it helped the two determine who would bring what to campus.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cCommunication is very important,\u201d Davis said. \u201cIt helps you feel better about this new experience, and it will prevent you from doubling up on big items such as microwaves that can take a lot of space.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><strong>More information<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Kalamazoo College\u2019s new-student move-in day is scheduled for Sept. 10. If you have questions before, during or after that time, more information is available. Find Residential Life <a href=\"mailto:at%20its%20website\">at its website<\/a> or contact its offices at <a href=\"mailto:housing@kzoo.edu\">housing@kzoo.edu<\/a> or 269.337.7210.<\/p>\n","comment_info":"No Comments","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.kzoo.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/12500","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.kzoo.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.kzoo.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.kzoo.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/147"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.kzoo.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=12500"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/www.kzoo.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/12500\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":12503,"href":"https:\/\/www.kzoo.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/12500\/revisions\/12503"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.kzoo.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/12502"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.kzoo.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=12500"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.kzoo.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=12500"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.kzoo.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=12500"},{"taxonomy":"post_format","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.kzoo.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/post_formats?post=12500"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}