Move In Day for me, as a first-year, is from 9:00 AM to 4:00 PM on Friday and my reservation is from 9:00 AM to 9:30 AM (I’m moving into Oak). My first question is what happens after you move in? I assume that from 4:00 PM onwards, the orientation begins since everyone should have moved in by then, but what about until then? Are you free to do whatever you want, or do they have things planned for you?
My second question is how bad is the wait in the line? Do you have to get there before your reserved time to avoid a long line? If so, how long beforehand?
My third question is what happens if you’re late. Will you have to wait for all the people in the current reservation period to go through before you get in? Will you miss any important planned events?
My daughter moved into Oak two years ago–her time was 10:30 a.m. Here are the answers to your questions:
- You're basically free to do whatever you want. Most kids set up their rooms, meet their roommates, RA, and hallmates, explore campus, get something to eat in one of the dining halls, visit the financial aid office, the bookstore, the housing office, and just basically chill out. I don't remember there being any organized events before 4 p.m.--keep in mind that students will be moving in ALL day, so if you have an early time, you just have more time to do all the things mentioned above.
- The lines will get longer as the day goes on, so having an early time is nice. We got to campus about 15 minutes before our appointed time and waited about 45 minutes in a slowly moving car line near Alumni Stadium (different dorms/areas have different traffic flows). Halfway through we were greeted by a group of upperclass students who passed water and snacks through the car window--very nice! Then at the end of the line you give them your paperwork and you get your room key. From there, we proceeded to Oak and waited in line for maybe 10 minutes (about 8 cars) and then when it was our turn a bunch of kids descended on our car, helped us load everything into two large bins, and wheeled everything up to the room--it took about 10 minutes. Very swift and efficient. Then we moved our car to another part of campus while our daughter stayed in the room and started unpacking.
- If you're late you simply get in line with your car when you arrive--you don't have to wait until all the people in the current reservation go through. And you won't miss any important planned events unless you get there after 4 p.m. I would highly recommend going to the orientation--it's a great way to come together with fellow students, have a last event with your parents, and kick of the year in a memorable fashion.