The best tip I got for packing for college was to buy the blue rectangular zippered bags from IKEA. We bought our daughter 8 of them. With the exception of odd shaped things like a lamp or clothes basket, she was able to fit all of her things into these bags. They are very easy to carry in and out of the dorm. My daughter will move home next weekend. I drove to her school to haul some of her bigger items since she can’t fit all of it in her car. She did send back two of the blue bags full of winter clothes. She’ll fill the remaining 6 bags and they’ll easily fit in her car. I ordered the bags from eBay since I don’t live close to an IKEA store.
I’m not too worried about her cleaning out her room. She and her roommate can handle that on their own. I can’t believe her first year is already coming to an end.