<p>Hi! When my daughter and I went to orientation I thought the Dean of students said there were student volunteers to help move boxes and things up to the dorm rooms, but when I looked at the UVA site it didn't mention that and recommended to bring a hand truck.</p>
<p>Do the student volunteers only help empty your vehicle at the curb or do they actually bring the boxes to the room? Does anyone know how many storage containers can fit under a loft bed raised as high as possible? Our containers are 24"L x 16"W x 14"H. Where does one pull up to unload at Gooch? Any additional advice is appreciated, thanks.</p>
<p>I hope for my D’s sake the helpers take it all up to her room b/c I’m planning on doing the drive-by-drop like Dean Pattie said his parents did with him Okay, not really. My impression from that talk was that the student helpers do take it to the actual room BUT I heard him mention the dolly, too, so it’s a good question.</p>
<p>My son was a helper a year or two, but he is not here to ask. I believe the helpers do carry the boxes, etc. up the to the dorm rooms. BUT, you can’t count on a helper being available when you arrive. There are a number of them, but if a bunch of folks arrive simultaneously, you may not be able to get help. Also, later in the day the helper staff dwindles . . . . So, best advice is hope for help, but plan an alternative, just in case.</p>
<p>Yes, when my son moved in 2 years ago, there were plenty of helpers. They were all wearing Tshirts with a joke on them - it was something to the effect of we’ll move it anyway, even though you’ll never use it, with a drawing of a grand piano.</p>
<p>Label all your stuff with the room no. and dorm name, particularly since the helpers may be carrying it. It still is a good idea to keep your car locked when you leave it, and to keep your eye on your electronics, even though the first year dorm area is safe. </p>
<p>As of 2 years ago, it was not crowded from 8 am to 10 am, but then everything backed up. It still worked after 10 am, but you had to wait, and parking spaces were more difficult. You use the nearby spaces for as short a time as possible and then move your car to another location (as of 2 years ago it was the Scott Stadium parking lot). From there, you can still walk back to the dorm to help a student get settled.</p>
<p>We came in I64 to 29 north bypass to 250 business east to south on Alderman, which avoided all of the congestion on 29/Emmett St.</p>
<p>Everyone goes to the Barracks Rd. shopping center and the Rt. 29 Walmart and Target on move in day. You might check out the locations of some other stores in the area to avoid the crowds. </p>
<p>Just don’t hang around past your welcome. My wife and I planned a trip to Madison’s beautiful Montpelier estate on the way home, which helped my wife cope with the departure.</p>
<p>I was a greeter for 3 years. We do carry things up to the room. I never needed a dolly, my mom tried to bring one for my first year and since we didn’t use it (SO MANY STAIRS) we did not bring it back. 8am is the best time to come or else there will be chaos.</p>
<p>Move-in at UVa is FAR more organized than at the other schools where I’ve worked (including when I was in Res Life in grad school :)). There will be lines to get to the dorms, but once you are there, you can often be unloaded in 15-25 minutes. Then you can move your car (I think most people move cars to the stadium) and let the next family unload.</p>
<p>Last year, when my daughter moved into Balz-Dobie, there were helpers there, but far more people moving in than helpers. A hand truck was quite useful, as the parking lot is a long walk to the entry door of the dorm. Don’t forget a doorstop, power strips with long cords, patience…</p>
<p>Just a heads up, the official helpers will have t-shirts that make it clear that they are helpers. When my daughter was moving in a guy who looked college age but was not in an official t-shirt started helping us. I thought maybe he was a fellow student being nice but kept a close eye on him and started asking him the usual questions… What year are you? What dorm are you in? Turns out he wasn’t a student. We found a way to nicely send him on his way (and nothing was missing) but it was weird.</p>
<p>That’s really weird erwinrd. You are lucky nothing got stolen. The locals have a bad rep for that kind of stuff (especially stealing bikes and things left out in libraries).</p>
<p>My guess is that guy was not a thief - just a local looking to meet women by being helpful.</p>
<p>However, a fraternity brother of mine years ago did get a suitcase full of clothes stolen from the trunk of his car while he was moving into my fraternity. I saw it and chased after the 2 kids on a bicycle, but they got away. I don’t think they found much use for his highly starched oxford shirts.</p>
Okay, not really. My impression from that talk was that the student helpers do take it to the actual room BUT I heard him mention the dolly, too, so it’s a good question.</p>