A serious discussion is held while packing the car on whether it is really necessary to bring along the spare tire.
Is your only car a Miata? 
No a Prius. But now I’ve googled Miatas and I think I need one.
My friend just got a flat tire moving her daughter back to college. So, yes, the spare tire is necessary.
Ha! On the parents FB page for my freshman daughter’s college, parents started posting several days before move-in about whether everything would fit in the car and who was bringing Uhauls or trailers or caravans of two or even three vehicles! We we flying, and got everything (suitcases and local purchases) in the back of a rented Nissan Rogue (without removing the spare tire, lol). We pulled up to the college behind a parent and kid in a Mini Copper with no visible stuff in the back at all. We were super impressed—until we saw the same student a little later, pulling stuff out of the back of a huge SUV!
When we moved my daughter into a traditional sized dorm room there were uhauls backed up a mile long.
At Wyoming - horse trailers!
My husband was mad that I was shipping boxes as well as fully packing our SUV. We went out to diner with friends who were also about to take their kid to college. He asked them if they were shipping anything. “No” said the husband and my hubby turned to give me his " told you so look". But then the wife piped up “We’re just talking both SUVs”. That wiped the expression off my husbands face pretty darn quick.
Last year we took my Subaru Forester and my H’s good sized SUV fully packed . Yesterday w/D having most of the big things for the room (futon, refrigerator, tv, tv table, etc. ) we just rented a small Uhaul trailer and filled that. It wasn’t full but it was actually so much easier to load everything in and out. And really we didn’t have much at all in the SUV except 3 passengers and our dolly and small flatbed to bring things in. In the end, the uhaul just made it all an easy process - not all the cramming and room arranging in the car(s)!
My son brought 20 t-shirts to college last year. Not exaggerating! No one needs that many t-shirts, especially not a kid who does his laundry every week.
I know that my D did NOT do laundry every week–a lot less often than that. She had a LOT of clothes so she could put it off and still remain clothed in — something.
You might have packed too much for college when…you haul it all back untouched.
Not a problem here. My car doesn’t HAVE a spare tire:)
You might have packed too much for college when…you have stuff bungy corded to every available external surface on said vehicle.
Actually the packing list for son was probably 20 t-shirts and one pair of pants.
@Massmomm my son packed 25 t-shirts last night!
She packed today. The only problem with taking less back sophomore year…the excess is still in my basement! Not for long though We got her a nice futon last year. I’m liking that futon a lot less after hauling it back and forth. Yeah for pickups. Boo for 90% chance of rain tomorrow…
We flew, checking 4 large suitcases and carrying on the maximum allowable. Arrived at destination airport around midnight, called motel for shuttle. They said it was already on its way for some other guests & would pick us up too.
The shuttle turned out to be a 10 passenger van. The other guests included a 6 person rock band complete with amps, guitars, keyboard, etc! The driver was floundering trying to stuff it all in & I was despairing at the thought of having to sit this one out & wait for the shuttle to come back. The leader of the band finally took over and we eventually took off with all the baggage, 10 passengers, & the driver.
D’s roommate is from overseas and arrived with exactly two suitcases.
My daughter took 40, yes four oh, sundresses to college her first year. To Wyoming where the sundress season is very short.
This year (#3) she is limiting herself to one duffel because she really wants to drive back with a friend and he doesn’t have room in his car. It’s only a little over 2 hours so she’ll come home some time in the fall and pick up the more wintery stuff. She really HAS learned something in college.
Goodness. Back in the old days, I flew to college (by myself) with two suitcases. I survived.