Since the semester is wrapping up, these tips are about finals and packing.  So cut this article out and stick it in a safe place for next year.

1. Do not throw things into random boxes! It might seem like the easiest thing to do when you’re in a rush with finals and packing, but once you get home and need your laptop cord or that half-empty bottle of shampoo for the night, you’ll wish you had packed differently. Which brings me to…

2. Mark your boxes! If you’re using a plastic tote, slap a piece of duct tape on it and write a general list of what’s inside. If you’re using cardboard use either duct tape or just write on it. When you get home to pull the half-empty shampoo bottle and laptop cord out, you won’t have to dig through the boxes that all look the same. Because chances are, they’ll be in the last box you look in, and then you’ll have a mess.

3. Don’t forget finals. It might be crunch time, but you’ve still got a few days. Divide up your list of to-do’s so you’re not bouncing from a Shakespeare research paper to a senior seminar paper (which I may or may not be doing as I type this).

4. (If you haven’t already) Get your friends’ phone numbers, facebook, snapchat: hit all of those social media connections to stay in touch over the summer, especially if you’re graduating.

5. This one is for the seniors: thank your professors. They’ve had to put up with you for a long time and sometimes you were probably a pain in the behind.  But look at you now, getting ready to graduate and be an adult!