College is a wonderful but chaotic time of life for anyone living away from home for the first time. Over that first year as a freshman, you could receive a lot of important mail and packages. There is the fun of ordering impulse purchases with your student loan, the comfort of care packages from home, and the responsibility of official mail in your name. Having all that sent to a dorm or shared house isn’t ideal.
So what’s the solution? Some parents might say it’s better to have important mail sent to a home address instead. But this just opens up different concerns about privacy and security. If you want to be independent and mature as a college student, you want the responsibility of handling your own mail. A better option is to sign up with a virtual address provider and have mail sent there.
Why Students Need A Separate Postal Address.
Having a separate postal address makes a lot of sense when you’re living in shared accommodation at college – especially in a building with bad facilities and security. You can’t always trust the postal service or delivery companies to get your important mail in your hands, and then there’s the issue of other students. You can bypass all this stress by relocating your mailing address.
Mail security and theft are a big concern in college dorms. A modern residential building on your campus may have a reasonably secure mail room with boxes for letters, but what about bigger parcels? Are delivery people going to take the time to contact you and wait for you to come down and collect it? Or will they just dump it in an unsecured location? There’s also the fact that mail can easily get mixed up in these buildings. Either way, it doesn’t take much for an immature student to start opening letters or care packages that aren’t intended for them.
The issue of getting delivery people to hand over packages in person assumes they will deliver at all. Some companies might not deliver to college dorms because of the security risks and hassle. They don’t want to deal with the complaints so will advise customers to redirect the package elsewhere. Some companies will set up lockers and collection points for deliveries in local areas or businesses. The lockers are great until they get vandalized, broken into, or just stop working. The local businesses may have good intentions, but may not be open for collection after class and may not be that reliable. At that point, you might as well have a virtual address instead.
Then there’s the option of setting up business mail. For entrepreneurs with a side hustle, a business address makes a lot of sense. Clients, investors, and collaborators aren’t necessarily going to want to do business with someone with a college dorm address. Startups can come across as far more professional and successful by registering a business address in a better location in the city. As with the personal mail, the team will collect this business mail for you, keep it safe, and handle it as per your instructions.
Finding A Reliable Virtual Address For Students
The best solution for students facing these stresses and uncertainties is to find a local virtual address. These addresses give you somewhere new to send their mail – whether it’s a care package from home, important documents from the college, deliveries from out of state, or anything else. Top address providers should have locations available within your area. There could be something not far from your dorm room or college campus for easy access. Once you have a location set up, you can enjoy a range of services and benefits.
The main reason to opt for a service like this is professionalism and increased security. Every piece of mail and package is handed over to the reliable team running the mailing address. They can take custody of any pieces – typically from any carrier in the country – and house them in a safe location. The mail is then secure, with no risk of damage or package theft, until you decide what to do with it. You can have it forwarded somewhere or collect it at a convenient time.
Another feature that provides added peace of mind for students is the use of apps and digital notifications. This means you can keep track of all your mail and packages much more easily. The team will send a notification to your profile, including a photo of the mail as proof, so you know when it arrives. The additional push notifications on the mobile apps provide even greater real-time information. So, you could be sitting in your lecture or study group and get a little alert that the package you’ve been waiting for is ready to collect.
Then there’s the option to create scans and PDFs for important documents. This is something that entrepreneurs benefit from a lot when signing up for a virtual address. However, students can enjoy these perks too. Some of that important mail may be information you’ve been anxiously waiting for. Perhaps you’ve been awaiting important documents related to your course, funding for your scholarship, or maybe some important medical information. Rather than have that sitting in these alternative locations unseen, you can give your permission for the team to scan the mail and turn it into a PDF. You get all the important information, reference numbers, and other documentation you need and can handle the physical copy at a later date.
Students Don’t Have To Worry About Their Mail
These virtual office spaces do come at a price, with different monthly plans and fees to consider. Even so, they can easily prove to be worth the cost if they eliminate the risk of mail theft and ensure that students get everything delivered on time. Students with startups don’t have to stress about packages not making it to their campus mailroom or other students interfering with private correspondence. The alternative locations are professional, secure, and incredibly helpful. So, if you’re struggling with college mail or looking at options for your first year away from home, check out the best virtual address locations near you.
