Your Summer Checklist After Committing to a College

Confirm Enrollment First

Everything else in this checklist assumes your deposit and enrollment confirmation are done. If you have not formally confirmed your spot yet, that is the first task, not housing or orientation.

Housing and Roommate Forms

Most colleges open housing applications shortly after the May 1 deposit deadline, and many assign rooms on a first-come basis within eligible groups. Fill out roommate preference and lifestyle questionnaires as soon as they are available rather than waiting until the deadline, since later submissions often mean less choice in dorm, room type, and roommate matches.

If you are requesting a specific roommate, both students usually need to list each other by student ID before the housing deadline, so coordinate directly with them.

Health Forms and Immunizations

Colleges will not let you register for classes or move into a dorm without required health forms on file. This includes immunization records, a physical exam form in some cases, and proof of health insurance or a waiver. Request your immunization records from your pediatrician or high school early, since some offices take weeks to process a records request during summer.

Orientation and Placement Tests

Register for orientation as soon as dates open, since popular sessions fill and your session date sometimes determines your course registration time slot. If your school requires placement tests for math, foreign language, or writing, take them before orientation so your results are ready when you register for fall classes.

Final Transcripts and AP or IB Scores

After graduation, ask your high school to send a final, official transcript directly to your college. Admission is conditional on your senior grades, and a school can rescind an offer if grades drop significantly. If you took AP, IB, or dual enrollment exams, send official score reports through College Board or the IB organization so your college can evaluate credit before you register for classes.

Financial Aid Loose Ends

Check your financial aid portal for outstanding requirements: verification documents, a signed master promissory note for federal loans, entrance counseling, or additional tax forms. Complete these before your bill is due, since an incomplete aid file can hold up your registration even after you have deposited.

Health Insurance Decision

Decide whether you will use your college's student health insurance plan or waive it with your own comparable coverage. Waiver deadlines usually fall in late summer before the fall term starts, and missing one enrolls you automatically and bills you for the plan.

Technology and Move-In Logistics

Confirm your college's laptop or software requirements for your program, since some majors need specific software or a minimum computer spec. Set up your student email account early, since colleges send housing assignments, orientation details, and billing notices there, not to your personal email.

Check your move-in date and time slot, packing list restrictions for your dorm, and whether your college requires renter's insurance or offers it as an add-on.

Meal Plan and Campus ID

Select a meal plan if your college offers multiple tiers, based on how often you expect to eat on campus versus cook for yourself. Some schools require a minimum plan for first-year students living in a dorm, so check whether you have a real choice before assuming the cheapest option is available.

Submit your photo and any required information for your student ID card before you arrive, if your college allows it. A pre-loaded ID that works for meals, laundry, and building access on move-in day saves a long line at the campus card office during the busiest week of the year.

Packing and Travel Planning

Check your dorm's packing list before you shop, since colleges often restrict items like halogen lamps, hot plates, extension cords, and certain furniture for fire safety reasons. Measure your assigned room or a typical room layout if the college publishes one, so bulky items like a rug or a desk fit before you buy them.

If you are flying or traveling a long distance to move in, book travel early, since move-in weekend prices for flights and rental trucks climb as the date gets closer. Confirm what your family can bring into the dorm building itself, since some colleges limit vehicle access or parking during move-in to manage traffic.

Emergency Contacts and Campus Safety Registration

Register for your college's emergency alert system as soon as you have a student account, since these texts and emails cover weather closures, safety alerts, and building emergencies. Add a local emergency contact if you have one nearby, and make sure your parent or guardian's contact information on file is current.

Store campus safety and health center numbers in your phone before you arrive. Looking them up during an actual emergency wastes time you do not have.

Keep a single folder, digital or physical, with copies of your deposit confirmation, housing assignment, health form receipts, and orientation registration. Move-in week gets hectic, and having every confirmation in one place saves a scramble if a staff member asks for proof of something you already submitted.