During the first year of university, most students elect to live in student halls. These vary from university to university and there can even be a huge difference in halls which fall under the umbrella of the same academic institution. However, one thing remains fairly similar across most university-endorsed student residences, which is that leaving can be a difficult time. Whether you are moving back to your parent’s house for the summer, straight into a new flat with friends or whether you are packing your possessions away to spend the summer back packing across Europe, the process of moving out of your halls can be difficult. Here are a few things to consider when preparing to leave. You’re standing at the door way to your room, surveying the damage you have accumulated throughout your first year of university. If you have acted anything like the archetypal student, there will no doubt be a shelf lined with a variety of empty and cheap wine bottles and a traffic cone lingering in the corner, likely draped in a few pieces of unwashed clothing. This is your opportunity to discard of these pieces before your parents get here and before the recycling facilities become filled with similar students doing similar things. Leave the traffic cone in a nearby car park to hide any hint of wrong doing. Likewise, if there you are close to any particularly busy routes to local pubs wait for the night and leave any unwanted items near the path. An enterprising drunkard will no doubt have similar thoughts to your own and will abscond with the incriminating item. And now it is their problem. It is important to consider your security deposit. It is doubly vital to consider your security deposit if it was paid for by your parents. Look for any cosmetic damage which may be around the room. This might be more possible once everything is packed away and you can get a really good look at the damage done. Deliberate as to whether you can repair or disguise any of the damage in order to regain the initial investment. Once returned, hopefully in the full amount, this can be used to put towards the deposit on the living quarters for the next year. The largest shock at moving away from your student halls may be the unavailability of vending machines at any hour of the day. The toasted sandwich maker, it may trouble you to learn, is not a consistent feature of every home. As such, now is the time to wean yourself off these delicious night time treats. If moving back to your parent’s home, consider their food supplies a brief substitute. If moving into your own place, be prepared to face the prospect of a bare cupboard and no magic machine to dispense late snacks. In this modern day of social media and interconnectivity, this might not be as much of an issue, but be sure to take as many names and numbers from your soon-to-be ex-hall mates while you still have the chance. This early introduction to networking will prove to be useful. You never know when you’ll need guests for a party or to crib from another’s lecture notes. This might be your last chance to find out the contact details of those you’ve shared your living space with in the last year. Lastly, when looking out across the empty room and waiting for your parents to arrive, consider small your bags actually are and how it was ever possible to make the room such a mess considering the lack of worldly goods you actually appear to own. This is the first step towards moving out to your very own property. Next year, likely in a rented house, will be a very different prospect.