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As usual, the summer days are quickly flying by. This means that in just a couple of weeks, a new crop of freshman students will be leaving home for the first time as they begin their four- or five-year stints in college. The realities of dorm life can be somewhat sobering for kids who are used to living in sprawling suburban homes. Eighteen-year-olds who once had access to walk-in closets and large bureaus will now have to make some important wardrobe choices since dorm rooms provide very limited storage areas for clothing. How do you choose what to take and what to leave behind? Read on to find out.

The first thing you need to take into consideration when packing for college is the weather patterns in your school's town or city. A student who is planning on attending the University of Alaska will have to pack much differently than a student who is going to Arizona State. The expected weather conditions will obviously dictate how many t-shirts or sweaters and jackets you should bring to school.

Another thing you need to consider is how many times you will return home during the school year. Some students come back home for every school holiday, whether it is the 3-day Columbus Day weekend or the month-long semester break. If you plan on returning home frequently, then you can get away with packing seasonal items. For example, when you first go off to school in August, pack some summer and fall wardrobe items. Then when you come home for Thanksgiving, you can swap those clothes out for your winter sweaters and heavy outerwear. If you think you will only return home once or twice during the year, then you are going to have to pack clothes for every season just to make sure you are prepared. This means you will have to limit your selections. You probably will have to content yourself with 4 sweaters instead of 10, or 2 jackets instead of 3.

You should also think about how much access you will have to shopping malls near your school. If you are going to school in the heart of a major city, you will have no problems finding a mall to supplement any wardrobe deficiencies you might experience. However, if you are going to school in a small town, there might not be a mall within a couple hundred miles.

Finally, you should think about what kind of activities you will likely engage in. If you are planning to play lots of sports or work out a lot, then you will need to bring appropriate clothes. Similarly, if you are planning to join the Debate Team then you would probably need to bring some nicer clothes. Don't forget that you will probably want to attend a semi-formal or formal dance at some point, so bring a suit and tie or a couple of nice dresses.

Living in the limited confines of a dorm room will require you to make some wardrobe sacrifices. So take the advice listed above and pack smarter!