5 tips to help your student prepare for college dorm life

(BPT) – Sponsored by Office DepotMoving your child into their very first college dorm is one of life’s most exciting new adventures. From meeting new people, to exploring new surroundings, preparing for classes and a new place to live, your college student’s life will undoubtedly get very busy, quickly. To help minimize the stress that can come along with prepping for dorm life, consider these five tips to help set your child up for success.1. Don’t procrastinate on your packing list.College students’ schedules are often jam-packed at the start of the year, leaving little time for shopping and organizing. Create a shopping list now with your child and get a head start on purchasing the items they will need. Preparing in advance can help your student avoid scrambling to shop for college supplies at the last minute when their selection might be more limited. Additionally, you may forget important items if you wait until just before the school year begins. Start getting what’s needed now and get it packed so there’s one less thing to worry about when it’s time to move.The school should be able to give you a list of what’s available in the dorm as well as what you’re allowed — or not allowed — to have. Office Depot has a huge selection of backpacks, technology and more to suit your college student’s style, plus desks, chairs and dorm decor to help them feel at home, while they’re away from home. In addition, you can find expanded product assortments for college students in select Office Depot and OfficeMax stores across the country, including bedding and storage solutions from DormCo. Check out Office Depot’s Ultimate College Packing List for more ideas.2. Be strategic for extra space.For many students, the biggest challenge is fitting all their dorm room essentials into a limited space — which they often share with a roommate (or two). Smart, space-saving strategies can help to alleviate this issue. For example, raising a bed off the ground with bed risers creates a lot of room for storage below, and convenient storage carts make organization easy.Get in touch with roommates ahead of time to make sure you don’t duplicate items that can clutter up a room. And that luggage that was used to pack clothes and other essentials in? Consider storing things in there you won’t need as often, like out-of-season coats and boots or extra towels. The luggage can then be stowed under your bed or on the floor of your closet, so it’s out of sight but easily accessible. Click here for more college dorm space-saving suggestions.3. Create a budget and stick to it.Tuition, books, housing — college comes with a lot of expenses. You may want to prepare a budget ahead of time to get the most bang for your buck on purchases of school supplies and dorm decor. Do your research to find deals and other ways to save to help stay on track.And there’s no need to wait until the last minute. Office Depot is helping parents and students get a jump-start on their shopping now. Buy any backpack, including JanSport®, at an Office Depot or OfficeMax store and save 25% on qualifying school supplies like notebooks, binders, pens and more, now through July 1. You can also save on thousands of items from PCs, laptops and tech accessories to furniture and chairs during the company’s Sizzling Summer Blowout Sale in stores and online.Enrolling in free loyalty or rewards programs can also help you stretch your dollars. With a free Office Depot® OfficeMax® Rewards program membership, members earn 2% back in rewards on supplies, furniture, technology and more, both in stores and online at OfficeDepot.com, plus take advantage of special promotions, instant pricing discounts and more.4. Parents, send a care package (or more).No matter how much planning is done ahead of time, things will likely be forgotten. That’s where care packages from parents come into play.The perfect care package for a college student includes a mix of necessities (snacks, toothpaste, pens), personal effects (photos, clothes) and gift cards to help support them throughout the semester. And you can shop, pack and ship all in one trip at Office Depot and OfficeMax stores with FedEx® and USPS® shipping and mailing services.5. Savor the momentWith so much change happening, it’s easy to let the stress of it all take over. But remember, sending your child off to college and moving them into their first college dorm is a moment to be remembered. Stop packing and take some photos. Go out and enjoy a meal together and reflect on how far you’ve both come.