From Suburbia to Peoria – Johnalie

03/09/2020 1:01 AM

Hey, everyone! I hope the new year has been treating you well. This week I’m going to tell you a bit about my experience moving from the Chicago suburbs to Peoria. It’s been a hot second since I made the jump my freshman year, but I’m going to tell you everything I can remember about it!

For me, the drive between home and Bradley is about 2.5 hours one way — not an awful drive, but definitely a bit of a hike. I know a few people who rented a Uhaul and moved in their stuff with their roommate, but I was lucky enough to be able to fit all of my stuff into my family’s mid-size SUV. I was able to save myself some space by buying what I didn’t already have once I got to Peoria.

That said, my move-in day was a bit different than the majority of the other freshmen in my class because instead of moving in on official move-in day, my roommate and I moved in about 3 days earlier. If you’re wondering how, pay attention to this life hack: register for the latest possible orientation session. My roommate and I picked the last possible date to minimize the amount of driving we’d have to do over the summer. Having the last orientation session allowed us to move in at the start of our session, a few days ahead of the rest of campus. By the time move-in day came around, we were very much unpacked and settled into our new home away from home.

Living in Peoria took a bit of getting used to, as anyone who isn’t local could imagine. There’s always a learning curve that comes with moving into unfamiliar territory. Truthfully though, the longer I’ve spent here around Peoria and at Bradley, the more it’s come to feel like home. So if you’re worried, just remember that a lot of us have been in your shoes and that it’s all going to be okay.

Thanks for reading this week’s post! As always, if you have any questions about moving to Bradley, orientation, or anything else, feel free to reach out in the comments. 🙂