{"id":14181,"date":"2026-05-14T18:00:00","date_gmt":"2026-05-14T23:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.tarleton.edu\/becomeatexan\/?p=14181"},"modified":"2026-05-13T15:58:09","modified_gmt":"2026-05-13T20:58:09","slug":"the-ultimate-summer-checklist-for-incoming-texans","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.tarleton.edu\/becomeatexan\/the-ultimate-summer-checklist-for-incoming-texans\/","title":{"rendered":"The Ultimate Summer Checklist for Incoming Texans"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p>Your first semester at Tarleton State University will be here before you know it, Texan! While summer is the perfect time to relax, travel, and make memories, it\u2019s also a great opportunity to start preparing for your next chapter. From shopping and roommate chats to planning your future space, here\u2019s your ultimate summer checklist before heading to Tarleton State this fall.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"height:19px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Connect With Your Roommate<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>If you already know your roommate, now\u2019s the time to start chatting! Talk about room decor, shared items, routines, and what you\u2019re both planning to bring so there are no surprises on move-in day. It\u2019s also a great chance to start building a connection before arriving on campus. Having those conversations early can help move-in day feel way more comfortable, exciting, and a lot less overwhelming.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"height:20px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Start Planning Your Space<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>One of the most exciting parts of preparing for college is imagining your future space. Start a Pinterest board, save TikToks, or make a notes app list of room inspiration, organization hacks, and must-have essentials.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Bonus tip:<\/strong> Coordinate colors or themes with your roommate before you start shopping!<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"height:20px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Build Your College Shopping List<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Summer is the perfect time to slowly start collecting items you\u2019ll need for campus life. Think beyond bedding and decorations, and start planning for the everyday essentials you\u2019ll actually use for class, in your room, and shared spaces. <strong>Don\u2019t forget:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Shower necessities and laundry supplies<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>School supplies and desk organization<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Snacks and simple kitchen essentials<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Storage bins and cleaning wipes<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Command hooks (trust us, you\u2019ll use them more than you think)<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Pro tip:<\/strong> Keep an eye on summer sales so you can spread out purchases and save money on bigger items before move-in.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"height:20px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Learn a Few Easy Meals<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Even if you\u2019ll mostly eat on campus, learning a few quick and easy meals now can come in handy later. Try mastering:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Quick pasta dishes<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Microwave-friendly meals<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Easy grab-and-go breakfast options<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Simple coffee, drinks, and energy boosts<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>A go-to comfort meal for late nights or stressful weeks<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>Nothing fancy, just easy, reliable options that make you feel a little more at home.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"height:20px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Make a Hometown Summer Bucket List<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Before starting your Tarleton State journey, take time to enjoy your hometown and favorite people. Make a summer bucket list filled with things you want to do before move-in day:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Visit your favorite local spots<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Have a movie night with friends<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Take lots of pictures<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Spend time with family<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Go on one last spontaneous summer adventure<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"height:20px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Create a Vision Board for Your Next 4 Years<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>College is a fresh start and a chance to grow in so many ways. Create a vision board with goals, dreams, experiences, and reminders of what you want your college journey to look like academically, socially, and personally.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"height:20px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Get Excited, Texan!<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>This summer is the beginning of something exciting. While it\u2019s important to prepare for college, don\u2019t forget to enjoy the moments in between. Summer will fly by, and before you know it, you\u2019ll be moving into your new home at Tarleton State and starting an unforgettable new chapter. We can\u2019t wait to welcome you to campus this fall, Texan! If you have questions about enrolling at Tarleton State, connect with your Admission Counselor HERE.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Your first semester at Tarleton State University will be here before you know it, Texan! While summer is the perfect time to relax, travel, and make memories, it\u2019s also a &#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":915,"featured_media":14183,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"inline_featured_image":false,"advgb_blocks_editor_width":"","advgb_blocks_columns_visual_guide":"","wds_primary_category":49,"footnotes":""},"categories":[49],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-14181","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-student-life"],"acf":[],"featured_image_src":"https:\/\/www.tarleton.edu\/becomeatexan\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/36\/2026\/05\/B.Smith-Blog-Feature-Photos-copy.png","author_info":{"display_name":"swdguilbeau","author_link":"https:\/\/www.tarleton.edu\/becomeatexan\/author\/swdguilbeau\/"},"author_meta":{"display_name":"swdguilbeau","author_link":"https:\/\/www.tarleton.edu\/becomeatexan\/author\/swdguilbeau\/"},"featured_img":"https:\/\/www.tarleton.edu\/becomeatexan\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/36\/2026\/05\/B.Smith-Blog-Feature-Photos-copy.png","coauthors":[],"tax_additional":{"categories":{"linked":["<a href=\"https:\/\/www.tarleton.edu\/becomeatexan\/category\/student-life\/\" class=\"advgb-post-tax-term\">Student Life<\/a>"],"unlinked":["<span class=\"advgb-post-tax-term\">Student Life<\/span>"]}},"comment_count":0,"relative_dates":{"created":"Posted 22 hours ago","modified":"Updated 2 days ago"},"absolute_dates":{"created":"Posted on May 14, 2026","modified":"Updated on May 13, 2026"},"absolute_dates_time":{"created":"Posted on May 14, 2026 6:00 pm","modified":"Updated on May 13, 2026 3:58 pm"},"featured_img_caption":"","series_order":"","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.tarleton.edu\/becomeatexan\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/14181","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.tarleton.edu\/becomeatexan\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.tarleton.edu\/becomeatexan\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.tarleton.edu\/becomeatexan\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/915"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.tarleton.edu\/becomeatexan\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=14181"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/www.tarleton.edu\/becomeatexan\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/14181\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":14186,"href":"https:\/\/www.tarleton.edu\/becomeatexan\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/14181\/revisions\/14186"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.tarleton.edu\/becomeatexan\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/14183"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.tarleton.edu\/becomeatexan\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=14181"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.tarleton.edu\/becomeatexan\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=14181"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.tarleton.edu\/becomeatexan\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=14181"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}