Here's How to Move In and Get Set Up in Columbia Housing Right — From a Staffer Who Lived It

Mia DeLuis Zayas (CC'20) knows Columbia residence hall life inside and out. Since 2019, Zayas has worked for Columbia Housing. She started as a student worker, but now manages the undergraduate student housing experience from room assignments to move-in/move-out to safety checks full-time. 

On top of that work experience, Zayas lived in Columbia residence halls all four years of her own undergraduate experience at Columbia, which translates to a deep well of wisdom for those who are preparing for move-in today.

"My work is really diverse and different day-to-day, which is really great," Zayas said. "We just want to make sure our students feel as comfortable as they can be in their new home away from home." 

As a Columbia College student, Zayas double majored in Ethnicity and Race Studies (with specialization in Latinx Studies) and Educational Studies. Originally from Camden, New Jersey, Zayas acutely remembers the anticipation both she and her parents felt in preparing to move onto Columbia's Morningside Heights campus. 

"My parents are both from Puerto Rico and they moved to New York City when they first migrated to the States," Zayas said. "My dad lived in the Bronx, my mom lived in Brooklyn, and eventually I chose to go to college in New York City, which is where they started their lives. It was heartwarming to return, but there were also a lot of overwhelming things, and that is normal for everyone to feel.

"I think a lot of that came from not knowing what to expect — I'm the first person in my family to go to college. I just remember my parents renting this big minivan because I had packed way too much stuff. My parents were anxious, of course, and we got to campus way too early. So don't do that!" 

Zayas fondly remembers pulling up and onto campus to unload her supplies at Carman Hall and being greeted by waving orientation leaders enthusiastically welcoming students to campus. 

Columbia News recently sat down with Zayas to learn more about the dos and don'ts of settling into Columbia housing as well as the lived and learned tricks of getting into a routine and making friends in a way that works for you, using your residence hall as a base of operations.

Tell me a little more about your own move-in day experience. 

After we brought our car onto 114th, we opened the trunk and people started unloading stuff for me into bins that would go to my room.

After that, I walked up to the check-in table and learned how to use my key, my ID card, and what a dining coin is. You're getting a lot of information, but everyone was warm. 

Later in the day, there was Convocation, which was very emotional for me and my family. You take a pledge about academic integrity. I remember my parents not knowing how to work their phone cameras while trying to take a video of me reading from the pamphlet. Suddenly it felt so real. 

After that, everyone disperses and it is time to leave your family. I remember my dad was taking a photo of me and my mom by the fountains in front of Low Library and a Public Safety Officer came up to us and was just like "no, you get in there! You need to take a photo too." It was super sweet. Everyone wants to help welcome you.

What would you say your top tips are for a successful move-in?

I think when students come they're thinking about what they might need, but not that they'll need to move this stuff out at the end of the year. The number one tip would just be "pack in a moveable way." Students sometimes pack heavy things or things that make a lot of garbage (like constructing new furniture) and I would recommend against that.

I definitely brought a mini fridge, but if you're a first-year student, you don't really need that because you'll have a meal plan, which is required.

I brought way too many clothes. You just need your day-to-day wear, a nice outfit or two, an outfit for a job interview, just in case, and then things to run around in. You don't need that many shoes!

Another good tip would be to bring an umbrella. My parents bought me this huge umbrella and I used that so many times in my first year! If you bring a bigger one and you get caught in the rain, you can invite new friends you see on campus under it while you make your way to class. 

A shower caddy is also important. Even if you're sharing a bathroom with three other people in your suite, you might not want to clog up the shower space with a lot of bottles, so a shower caddy helps you take things in and out. 

One thing I'd recommend: If you are a shorty like me and plan on elevating your bed to increase storage underneath, bring a little step stool to help you get on your bed. 

So you're moved in. You've brought the right stuff. Now, it is time to meet the people on your floor. Where do you start?

I remember that first day, I just moved into my room and my roommate was there already and she was just like "Hi, I'm Sydney, I'm from Chicago," and we just kind of went from there. For my class, there was a huge Facebook group where everyone who was living in Carman Hall was able to join and find out who was living on their floor. Housing makes it much easier now where you can go in the housing portal and see your roommates and suite-mates.

We made a Facebook messenger group to share about ourselves and share what we were bringing so we didn't double up on the same things. I definitely recommend students do something similar because it helps you acclimate and prepare. 

Everyone came from such different experiences. I had a suitemate on the Track and Field team and another from Florida, which was so different from my experience growing up. Columbia is also known for having a lot of international students, so it was great to meet people at floor meetings where you can follow up and ask about all the different places people are from. 

There's a lot of running into people and just kind of saying "Hey, what are you guys doing tonight?" People naturally will say "Oh yeah, that sounds interesting, I'd like to go with you." You get to learn how you are with different people.

Would you classify yourself as an introvert or an extrovert? Do you have any advice for quieter students getting acclimated in the residence hall?

I think when I started at Columbia, I was definitely introverted, but by the time I graduated, I was more of an extrovert. When you come to college, you discover that what is different from high school is that your friend groups will change and you will have different friend groups for different things. There will be people you like to go to the library with because you know you can study with them or people you like to go eat lunch with because your schedule aligns or they like John Jay more than Ferris, just like you. 

In high school, it feels like you have one friend group all the time, but at college, you can have friendships based on schedule, interests, or habits. 

One thing I always tell students is that it is totally normal, and sometimes preferable, to eat in the dining hall alone. What I've seen be really successful is if students see people sitting at a table with a free seat to ask "Hey, is this free? Okay if I sit down?" Then everyone just eats, but maybe you hear something funny in conversation that resonates with you. That's where you jump in — it can really spark a further conversation. You don't have to put yourself out there that much, but it opens the door for new people to find out a little bit about you.

How do you make your residence hall feel homier?

Well, candles and crockpots are not allowed, but you can make your room feel homier in the little details. Maybe you coordinate the color of your sheets with your roommate. I always find it nice when I see pictures of people's families in the room in small frames. I talked to my parents a lot that first semester, but when things started to get busy with midterms or finals, that started to happen less frequently. But it was nice to have mementos of home and it was also a conversation starter with others. 

How do you find spaces to study? Are there peak times to avoid?

Study spaces are not so hard to find on campus — it is only during finals that you'll find things get so crowded. My first year, I was not a library-goer, but I really utilized my residence hall's basement, which had a lounge. I'd go down there with my laptop, my books, and I would spend the evening there doing my homework.

I also loved studying in Lerner Hall. I would sit on the ramps a lot on the upper floors and just study there. Sometimes I would eat there too and people would pass by because it was near the Student Life Center. It's a great spot to learn about different organizations on campus. 

After my first year, I became more of a library-goer. This goes back to me being a shorty, but there's a library in Kent Hall, East Asian Library, that has really low seats, so my feet would be able to touch the ground! It is pretty quiet, but not complete silence, which I don't do well with.

I would also always go to the Business and Economics Library in Uris Hall, which has a lot of group working going on in it, so it is also not completely silent. Uris is one that might get restricted to certain students during finals time, so keep an eye on that. You can always check the Libraries website about access. 

Okay, so laundry. An essential part of any first-year college experience. How does it work at Columbia?

First step: Have someone teach you how to do your laundry before you come to campus. In each residence hall, you will have washers and dryers, either in the basement or on the first floor. 

Second step: Do laundry at off-peak times. On Sunday, from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., it is going to be crowded, especially in one of our bigger residence halls. I was a type-A person, so, for me, I would get up at 8 a.m. and finish 9 or 9:30 a.m. during the week. People aren't really doing laundry during the weekdays, so you can sneak in a load. It is pretty easy!

Another tip: Don't overload the washer or dryer. That's a big mistake, especially if you wait a month or so to do laundry and put it in all at once. The good thing is laundry is free at Columbia, so you can split up large loads. 

We have a new laundry vendor with Columbia Housing that is really great, so if you ever have an issue with the machines, they can come fix them quickly. 

I would also recommend using laundry pods because they are easier to tote around compared to the full bottle of detergent. 

What about laundry etiquette?

Set a timer. If you leave the laundry for too long, people will take your items out of the laundry and put them on the laundry table so they can use the washer and dryer. Which might mean you have to start all over again, which is disappointing. With our new vendor, we actually have an app that lets you know when your washer or dryer is getting close.

What is your best advice for how to get settled into a new routine?

I think part of where students make mistakes is biting off more than they can chew their first semester. I found it was better not to go too hard on clubs in that first semester because it would be difficult to set the full routine and schedule that would get you into good habits. 

Eventually, those larger habits like studying, eating, sleeping, and things like that can slip away when you're trying to fit so much in.

If you're interested in a club, go for one or two but maybe hold on five — the next semester you can reassess. Student organizations, they meet at the same time every week, so you can plan around those meetings with classes, study, and socializing mixed in. 

Every day might be different, but you can still find the gaps — find the gaps in your day and capitalize on them. Maybe you have classes all day, but between each class you have an hour. You could take a nap or do some homework so the evening is less crowded.

Capitalize on that time early on when you don't have assignments due every week. You can find joy in a lot of random moments on Columbia's campus. 

What is your favorite spot on or off campus?

One of my favorite spots is the bridge between main campus and Columbia Law School, Revson Plaza. It is a really beautiful place to take pictures and there is also a lawn you can sit on and tables where you can study outside. It is quiet and calm in the evening, but you can still hear the hum of traffic. 

Riverside Park is also really nice if you need to get away from it all. If you walk down 116th enough so that you're right by the water, there are some big rocks you can sit on and look out on the New Jersey side from there. It is like a 15-20 minute walk down there and it is really peaceful. 

What is your favorite part of your job?

When it comes to move-in, seeing the students interacting with their family or their people — it's really sweet. Last year, a family came and they were all wearing t-shirts with their student's face on it at check-in. Just those little joyous moments of sending someone off. Sending someone to college is a sad goodbye, but it's also a really beautiful one because it could really change a family and change what the future means for that student.

This isn't just a college experience or college for someone, these families are kind of handing over their kids to us and saying, "Take care of them," and we're saying to them, "We've got you." That's beautiful.