<p>W&M says students can start showing up to move in etc. on Friday at 8 am. We are trying to figure out when we should arrive. We will be driving from the DC area and don't want to sit in traffic, so we'd like to come later if that won't cause a problem.</p>
<p>Can someone give an idea of what we can expect if we show up at 8 am versus some other time? </p>
<p>Thanks!!</p>
<p>well i’m not quite sure… all i can tell you is that on the orientation schedule, it says move-in is from eight to noon. </p>
<p>my family is actually coming down from the DC area on Thursday and staying the night in Williamsburg so they don’t have to drive on the beltway/95 in rush hour traffic.</p>
<p>Veteran of two freshman move-ins here. If you arrive at 8:00, you’ll be behind a whole bunch of folks. Last year we got there at about 7:20 AM (front of Dupont) and were able to snag a decent spot to unload the car. We put all of d’s belongings on the lawn and then moved the car to the garage to accommodate other people. Although the move-in crew was great, the scene was somewhat chaotic around 8 AM and for most of the rest of the morning.</p>
<p>We’ve occasionally mused that moving in at 4 PM would have been much less crowded, but I have an anxious bunch and they were all chomping at the bit to get started. (And so, apparently, were most of the other W & M folks). Are you spending the night or returning to DC later that day? </p>
<p>It’s an experience I wouldn’t have missed - good luck, all!</p>
<p>^^^ Just realized that an afternoon move-in isn’t possible because Orientation starts at 2 PM. The online info says that freshman check-in is 8 AM - 1:45 PM (for those who like to cut it close, I guess). W & M handles the whole move-in thing well, so you’re in good hands.</p>
<p>If I remember correctly, 8-11 was the busiest time. If you get there right at the start you can probably still find parking and if you’re the first one in the room you can claim which bed and closet you want (if you haven’t already decided online). There are a whole bunch of students who help with the unpacking. The first thing they do is help move things out of the car and onto the grass so they can free up parking, and then you carry things up to your room. There are usually free lemonade and cookies from the Wesley Foundation and free CFL bulbs and travel mugs from SEAC, the campus environmental group. Also keep in mind that it gets hotter as the day goes on, and the ACs are not built to handle 300 sweaty students and their families all at the same time - that is, if you’re lucky enough to be in a dorm with central air. There are events on Saturday for parents as well, but it is not necessary to attend them.</p>
<p>When DD moved in freshman year, we got there right before 8, coming from DC. We left at 5:45, so hit no traffic. Once your car was unloaded, they asked you to move it so others could park there. Belongings were staged in the lawn and there were helpers to carry it up; she was in Barrett.</p>
<p>Last year she was an OA, so got to move in early and is doing the same this year. No parking issues, yeah. </p>
<p>They are pretty strict about the 2 pm orientation beginning thing, so plan to be done with everything by then - lunch, the last minute Target run, etc.</p>
<p>i got there at 9:30 (i stayed the night in the burg) and had no problems, and my roomie arrived at 10:30. i will say you probably want to get there early because it can take awhile to unpack, especially if lots of people are in the room, and once orientation starts that’s it for free time. luckily my parents hung around after i left and unpacked all my stuff and ran out to grab a couple things we forgot, because otherwise it would have been tough to get everything in its proper place.</p>
<p>oh my gosh, i’m SO happy i moved in on the 18th. 
i went down there for pathways with all my stuff and then got sick the night before… so we just figured we’d take my stuff to my dorm while we were already there.</p>