The countdown to the new school year begins! With only a few weeks left of summer, the excitement to pack up all your belongings and go back off to college is all too real. It's also an exciting time for the incoming freshman as they pack all their stuff up for the first time and leave their family behind to move off to a place completely unfamiliar to them. The one thing that every incoming student can advise to these freshman is this: you will overpack. This statement could not be more spot on, I believe I was told it by every upperclassman I met and they were completely right. The fact is that you are not just going to overpack, you are also going to bring a bunch of useless stuff with you that you will probably never touch for the entire semester. The truth of the matter is that you simply cannot get around it, every freshman makes this mistake and the best thing you can do is follow these tips to make moving in as easy as possible for you.

1. Do not bring every single item of clothing you own.

Seriously, don't do it. You will regret it. I guarantee that whatever dorm you are in the closets will be small and very little will fit in the dresser they give you. Do not bring every single jacket, shirt, and every pair of jeans you own. Do not even think about bringing your winter clothes up yet either. Odds are, you won't even experience the winter weather until after Thanksgiving break. The best thing to do is bring up your summer clothes and then switch them out at Thanksgiving and winter break. Because trust me, you will not need that North Face jacket until a few months into the school year. Also, unless you are planning to rush a sorority, do not bring every fancy dress you own. Though you think you may need them, you probably never will. Unless you are specifically told that a party is fancy, most college parties are extremely casual. And I guarantee that you will rarely use those dresses you bring with you.

2. Same goes for shoes.

Just like clothes, you do not need to bring every pair of shoes you own. Bring the basics: everyday shoes, flip flops, boots, workout shoes, and one pair of fancy shoes. Trust me, this is all you will need. Don't be that person who brings five pairs of heels and 10 different pairs of boots. Though you think you will need them, you probably won't and they will just be taking up space in that already small dorm of yours.

3. Bring a coffee make.

I cannot stress this enough! Even if you are not an avid coffee drinker, you will become one. Coffee is a staple in every college kids' diet and is the thing you will need most off all when it's 2 a.m. and you are struggling to bust out that ten-page research paper you procrastinated on. Though you make think well there is a Starbucks on campus, bring a coffee maker anyway. In fact, go to Starbucks as little as possible because if you rely on that for your coffee you will be stuck waiting in line, forced to pay, and screwed once they're closed for the day. Just don't do it. Starbucks is fine every once in a while, but you need a coffee maker in order to survive college. Just get one. It will be the best thing you ever bring with you.

4. Do not bring your awards.

Unless you plan to parade them around and put them up on your wall like a complete a**hole, don't bring them. Nobody cares that you won your fourth-grade spelling bee or that you were MVP of your high school soccer team. That was in the past, the whole point of college is to start a new life in a new place and bringing those awards with you looks like you were never able to leave high school behind.

5. Bring a mattress cover.

Much like the coffeemaker, this is a must that every college freshman should bring with them. One fact about the dorms is that people have lived in them before you. People have slept in and done god knows what in the same bed that you will be sleeping in for the next year. The best thing you can do for yourself is bring a mattress cover. Believe me, avoiding that mattress they give you as much as possible is the best thing you can do.

Though I could go on for days about what to bring and what not to bring to college, the main thing to focus on is to not bring too much. If you can't see yourself ever using it, or only using it in certain circumstances, then the best thing to do would be to not bring it. If anything is missing, you can always order it on Amazon later - after all, their Prime Student subscription is free for the first 6 months and half-price afterwards. So when in doubt, always err on side of brings less than more.