Transitioning from the dog days of summer to the hustle and bustle of campus life can be a challenge, especially when it comes to moving in.

UVM students shared what helped make packing (and unpacking) smoother, so they have more time to enjoy the events the first week of school has to offer.

Sophomore Nick Ludman shared a crafty tip to avoid spending hours at the closet hanging up clothes.

“I take a box, fit the top with PVC piping, and hang my clothes from the pipe,” he said. “That makes it super simple to lift off the clothing hangers all at once and squeeze them in beside your roommate’s clothes.”

Ludman spent last year in a forced-triple dorm room.

“I was overwhelmed at first, but we put our heads together and found the best way to move furniture around to maximize space,” he said. “We even snuck in a couch from the hall’s common room and put it underneath a bunk bed so we could all sit and play video games.”

Students shouldn’t worry about buying school supplies before classes start, Ludman said.

“It’s all at the UVM bookstore, so that makes it really convenient,” he said.

Junior Jordan Kleiman moved out of the dorms to a spacious apartment in downtown Burlington this past May.

“On the drive from UVM to my new apartment, I kept passing furniture on the street. Some of it was really nice. I piled it into my car and I ended up finding almost all of my furniture that way,” she said. “Burlington neighbors rock.”

Sophomore Alice Osiecki, a new transfer student at UVM, shared her tip of using resources available on the school’s website to save money.

“The most important thing is checking the list UVM provides of what you can and can’t bring to the dorms,” she said. “There’s multiple times where I bought something that wasn’t allowed and had to return it.”

Osiecki, practiced in the art of unloading cars, perfected her unpacking technique.

“I like to grab cardboard boxes and put as many small things in as I can. It’s better to move in with bigger items than take continuous trips with smaller items,” she said. “Also, use the move-in crew because they’re here to help.”

Whether you’re moving into a triple on the 6th floor, a suite in programmed housing or an apartment downtown, students have countless tips to avoid breaking a sweat as new residents settle in.