Heading off to college for the first time can feel overwhelming – after shopping for dorm room essentials and choosing classes, insurance is probably the last thing on your mind. But to avoid stressful situations during the semester, it’s important to make sure you and your belongings are properly covered.

Make sure your insurance is in order before leaving home with this checklist:

Auto

Sign up for a resident student discount

If you’re going to a school 100 road miles away from home or more and you don’t have regular access to a car, you may be eligible for a resident student discount, according to About.com. But remember that if you’re going to be visiting home and borrowing the car from time to time, you should remain on your parents’ policy.

Turn your good grades into savings

If you do well in school, most insurers will offer you a discount on your auto policy. According to About.com, typical requirements include attending school full-time, being between the ages of 16 and 25 and having a GPA of 3.0 or higher.

Personal property

College students generally bring thousands of dollars worth of electronics and other belongings such as bicycles and musical instruments to school with them, so it’s important to make sure all that expensive equipment is covered against loss.

If you’re living in a dorm or college-owned property, your parents’ homeowners or renters insurance will usually cover your possessions against loss, theft and damage, according to Consumer Reports. However, your coverage will probably be limited to 10 percent of the policy’s coverage for belongings. It’s also important to make sure your property will be covered if you’re studying abroad, so check with your insurance agent.

If you decide to live off-campus, your parents’ policy won’t have you covered. But for $15 to $30 a month, you can get a renters insurance policy, according to Consumer Reports. There are two types of policies available – actual cash-value policies will take depreciation into account and cover only what the item was worth when it was lost or destroyed, and replacement-value policies cover the cost of replacing the item with a new one, but are the pricier of the two options.

Before you head off, make sure to take a full inventory of all the items you’ll be bringing with you for insurance purposes.

Renters insurance also provides liability protection, according to the Insurance Information Institute. This will protect you against lawsuits if you injure someone or someone is injured on your property, or if you destroy someone else’s property. Most renters policies provide $100,000 of liability coverage.

Liability

It’s a good idea to get as much coverage as possible, so if you can comfortably afford it, consider purchasing a personal umbrella insurance policy. This will provide you with additional liability coverage above and beyond what’s covered by your renters insurance or your or your parents’ homeowners and auto policies, and kicks in once those coverage limits have been reached. It will also cover you if you’re sued for libel or slander.

You can buy a $1 million policy for about $150 to $300 per year, according to the I.I.I.