I’ve got a scenario for you, imagine this. You’re one month away from moving into a completely new place with new faces, spaces and things to be learned. Your whole world is about to change. How do you prepare for moving away from home? Well, here’s a four-week timeline on how to mentally prepare yourself for college.

Week 1: Four weeks until you move away from home!

There’s one month until you go to college, and time seems to be moving faster than ever before. So, what should you be doing to make the most of your time left at home?

Try to spend as much time as possible with your family and friends. Let’s be honest, moving away from home and going to college is a huge change that typically comes with confusion, exhilaration, excitement and fear.

You’re about to stuff up your whole life and move away from home! Too-da-loo! Oh gosh, but trust me, the years spent at Iowa State will be some of the best of your life.

When you’re spending time with your loved ones and friends, make sure to cherish the moments you have readily available now — before you move. You most likely won’t have opportunities to spend time with family and friends as often as you did while you lived at home.

Week 2: Three weeks until you move away from home!

21 days. Three weeks. 504 hours until you start college and become an adult! Three weeks until you move away from home.

At this point, you should be thinking about packing and at least have an idea of what you need to bring to college. An easy way to start this process is to purge any unnecessary clothes, accessories, etc., from your life. Once you’ve purged, you should have a better idea what you have and what you don’t. It helps provide a better idea of what you actually need to acquire for college.

Decluttering is a helpful way to destress before you’ve got to start really packing things up.

Before starting your college dorm room shopping spree, you should search around your home for things such as hangers, cleaning supplies, storage, small things that can easily avoid spending money on. Also, it doesn’t hurt to ask friends, neighbors or relatives if they’ve got anything you can buy second-hand.

Week 3: Two weeks until you move away from home!

Wow, here you are. Fourteen days away from moving into your own living space without parents or guardians!

Take this time to relish the little things you can do at home, but not while away at college. Visit your favorite park, eat at your favorite restaurant, spend time with your family and friends, whatever it may be — cherish those moments.

In terms of packing for college, it would be a smart idea to have acquired (or soon be acquiring) necessary bed supplies, such as a mattress topper, sheets, comforter, etc. Keep in mind that you need to bring shower shoes, a shower caddy, a bathrobe and a stock of shower towels.

Half the stress of preparing for college has to do with deciding what to bring and what to leave at home. Think hard about whether you need to bring that special t-shirt when you’re packing items such as clothes, shoes and accessories.

Week 4: One week until you move away from home!

You’re one week away from going to college. It’s completely normal to be in denial that you’re about to leave home, yet at the same time feel absolutely thrilled to be moving away.

It’s quite an emotional journey, packing up your belongings and moving away from home with the help of your loved ones. Here you all are, so happy and excited for what your future holds. Your entire life is going to change, but things will be OK. Change is an essential component of growing up, maturing and moving on.

Remember to cherish the time spent with your loved ones and enjoy the time you’ve got left at home. Time seems to go by especially quickly when an end to a chapter in your life is imminent.

So pack up your belongings, say your goodbyes and get ready to start the next chapter of your life. Your adventure at Iowa State.