Emily Lin is the Campus Representative for CampusRiot at Georgetown University, she’s currently a junior studying Comparative Literature, Linguistics and Chinese. Read more from Emily Lin here.
As summer fast approaches (about one month away!), us students have to start thinking about what we’re going to do with our stuff over the summer. Having hopefully determined what we’re going to do with summer (see: What Students do in Summer), now the next step is to find a storage option that works for us in terms of price range, time range and most importantly, amount of shear stuff you need to store.
My one piece of advice? Convenience for the amount of stuff you have is paramount. At the end of the semester all students are freaking out about final exams and papers. Adding the stress of packing and storage will turn the already stressed out student into a giant “crap-I-think-I-accidentally-packed-my-chemistry-notes” wreck.
That being said, it is still important to shop around and make sure you’re not getting gipped for your storage. Luckily for you, I’ve compiled a list of summer storage at Georgetown superlatives.
The Most Convenient: The Corp
[image via thecorp.org]
The way Corp storage works is you order boxes, go to Reynolds or Bulldog Alley to pick them up, pack and have the boxes ready for pick up by the designated date for your dorm/apartment. When you come back be it fall or spring, your stuff will be ready for pick up on Harbin Patio (make sure to book a blue cart!).
| Item | Large box (18x18x16, weight limit 55lbs) |
Small Box | Large Fridge | Non-Corp Box (max weight 70lbs) |
Total for ‘average student’ with 4 lg boxes & a fridge |
| Price | $34 | $24 | $54 | $44 | $190 |
Pick up boxes from April 31st to May 9th
| Pros: | Cons: |
| The Corp picks up your stuff, right outside your door! | They only pick it up at designated times(aka you gotta pack by their schedule) |
| Convenient—look no further than campus! | Picking your stuff up, especially if you lacked the forethought to book a blue cart, can get realllyyy tedious. |
Pick up at a specific date/time per dorm or you can bring your stuff to bulldog or reynolds yourself
The Best for long term/people with a lot of stuff: CityStash
[image via citystash.com]
CityStash will deliver empty boxes and containers to your door, pick them and whatever miscellaneous objects that can’t be put into boxes up, store them and then deliver them to your doorstep on demand.
| Item | Medium Box (18x18x16) | Large Box (18x18x24) | Dorm Fridge | Medium Container (27x17x12) | Large Container (28x20x15) | XLarge Container (34x24x20) | Total (4 medium boxes and a fridge) for three months |
| Price | $6/month | $9/month | $10/month | $6/month | $9/month | $16/month | $102 |
| Pros: | Cons: |
| New customers get discounts when your rent is over $125/month beginning with 15% off you can store more stuff for cheaper, or less stuff for longer for cheaper | $35 dollar pick-up and delivery fee (each time) |
| Order more boxes if you’re anxious about fitting things, if you don’t use them in the end, they won’t charge you! | Minimum storage duration is three months which could problematic for students who want to move in early |
| Pack and keep boxes and containers up to seven days free of charge | |
| Good for long term, if you’re studying abroad | |
| Cheaper than the Corp |
The Cheapest (aka the most laborious): Find a group of friends to split the cost of renting a U-haul and storage space in the City
If memory serves me correctly, last summer I paid about $85 for storage. Yes, it was cheap but I also had to spend a whole day moving my things—and the things of three of my friends—from our rooms, into a U-haul and then drive down to a storage facility and load aforementioned things from the U-haul to the storage space. The whole process was tedious and while there were definitely some bonding moments getting lost in DC trying to find the storage place and forming our super-efficient moving things system, I’m not sure the whole endeavor was worth it. But if your main concern is money and you’ve got the time, then I say go for it.
err…something like that?
[image via dormdelicious.com]