Things change, obviously. And though it might seem as though moving into college is one of the few experiences which unites students across the generations, even this most momentous of days has evolved over time.For starters, Pat Lampkin, University vice president for student affairs, said the University has taken great strides in recent years to facilitate the acclimatization of new students to the University.
"Resident staff is absolutely focused on their adjustment," Lampkin said, citing summer orientation programs as one valuable tool which allows new students to get an early look at the Grounds.
Additionally, student greeters, typically in brazen neon T-shirts to distinguish themselves in a crowd, are on site at the dormitories to answer questions and make new students feel welcome.
The Move: then and now
One salient difference between the current generation of college-goers and their parents' generation is the experiences they bring to campuses.
"This generation is more traveled," Lampkin said. "You rarely get a student who's never been away from home before."
Unlike older generations, though, this generation is also less likely to have grown up in a shared environment, Lampkin said, which can lead to roommate difficulties which may have been less common in past decades.
"What we are getting are student who haven't shared space before," she said.
United States Census data from the past four decades supports this assertion. Families with biological children under the age of 18 had an average of 2.44 children in 1965 -- a figure which has steadily declined to the current 1.83 children per family in 2002. Additionally, the median square footage of new one-family homes has jumped from 1,525 square feet in 1973 to 2,114 square feet in 2002, an upward trend in the amount of space available to families.
Dean of Students Penny Rue related a similar observation passed along to her from a friend at another university, who witnessed an orientation in which parents and students were asked in turn whether they had shared a room with a sibling. While the vast majority of parents raised their hands, Rue said, only a small fraction of the students had shared a room.
Because having a roommate is a foreign concept to many incoming students, Rue said there are several options for absolving intra-room disputes.
"What we try to do in Residence Life is provide a structured roommate agreement process," Rue said. "When things go awry, all the RAs are trained" to mediate.
In most cases, a change of roommates is the very last resort.
"Oftentimes, people would rather switch roommates than have the difficult conversation," she said. "But there's no substitute for good communication."
Rue also said the "amount of stuff" students bring is dramatically larger than when she moved into college.
"One person on the floor might have had a stereo," she said, adding that she was particularly popular because she had a popcorn popper.
Rue, the youngest in her family, said her parents "barely put on the brakes in the station wagon" when she moved it, adding that she suspects moving in will always be easier for students who have had older siblings go through the process before them.
"That's one thing that probably doesn't change," she said.
The stuff
Whether it's packing that last storied cotton monkey you just couldn't leave behind or making a trip to Wal-Mart within 10 minutes of arriving in Charlottesville to pick up the toothbrush you left behind, the first day in the dorms is one experience which can be trying for everyone involved.
As far as making the process as painless as possible goes, John Evans, director of accommodations for the housing division, said the key was for all elements of the University to work together smoothly.
"Parking and Transportation tries to keep people moving," Evans said. "One reason it goes so well is people are excited to be here."
Students who purchase machines from Cavalier Computers have the option of having their computer delivered directly to their dorm room -- a policy Evans says greatly simplifies the moving process.
But there are some factors over which the University has no control.
"It's always blazing hot on move-in day," Evans said. "The biggest variable on opening day is the weather."
As of Thursday night, meteorologists called for sunny skies today with highs in the mid 80s.
The big decisions
If it was tough to decide between bringing the life-size Sarah Michelle Gellar cut-out or the foosball table, the tough choices have only just begun. Many incoming students are forced to find a balance between their old and new friends, their old and new homes, their old and new lifestyles.
The issue of old friends is particularly acute for incoming first-year Megan Ross, who is one of over 100 students starting at the University this fall from the Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology in Alexandria.
"A lot of my close friends are coming to U.Va. as well," Ross said. "I'm going to try and seek a balance."
Ross said she is further aided in her adjustment by several older friends.
"I have three or four close friends who will be upperclassmen," she said.
For the annual phalanx of students from Northern Virginia (about aquarter of in-state students come from Fairfax County alone), the frequency of visits home is another important choice.
Ross said she knew she'd make the 100-some mile trek up Route 29 at least a few times her first semester.
"I know I'll come home at least three times," she said.
And for those who live farther from home, a few well-placed stuffed animals are always a quick remedy for homesickness.
"One of the girls [coming to the University this fall] has a neon-orange sea serpent that I think she should bring," Ross said.
From far and wide
For many international students, the move to college is an exponentially larger transition. While the majority of domestic incoming students attend a summer orientation, most international students arrive on Grounds a week before classes begin, during which time they register for classes and adjust to the new environment.
In order to help alleviate this added stress of a foreign culture on international students, the International Student Host Program, an optional service sponsored by the International Society, pairs incoming students with older international students who help their hostees learn the ropes. Information about the service is provided in the acceptance packet for incoming students, and the program lasts through the student's first year on Grounds.
"We try and help acclimatize them to the country," said third-year Engineering student Sankalp Malhotra, a host in the program. Malhotra cited getting a bank account or a cell phone and finding the best flights into the United States as processes which a host can help his or her hostee complete.
Third-year Commerce student Sarina Bolla, a co-director of the program, said her hostee expressed particular concern about getting into classes. Because most incoming students register during one of the earlier orientation sessions, incoming international students often have difficulty finding courses their first semester.
Bolla said she reassures incoming students that they will find courses to take.
"It might not be at a time they like," she said. "But there are usually spots open."
As part of the orientation process, the program organized a forum yesterday called "Life as an International Student," designed to address the salient questions that both students and their parents have during the first week.
Malhotra emphasized how different the move-in experience can be for students coming from abroad.
"Some of these people have never left their continent before," he said.
Outside the college bubble
If the decline in shared rooms and space is a long term development, other changes don't take decades to manifest in the college crowd.
University President John T. Casteen, III said the economy is one barometer of how the college experience is different for students now than it was several years ago.
"The class that entered four years ago came during an economic boom," Casteen said. "Many fourth-year students that year had a half-dozen jobs offered when they finished, and many accepted offers early in the fall semester. That is rare now."
On a larger scale, the world has changed dramatically in the past several years.
"Students four or five years ago had no reason to think much about the security and safety issues that now interest many students and their families," he said. "Since 9/11 and warfare in the Middle East, virtually everyone does."
Looking back
Not everything has shifted as dramatically as the economy and domestic policy. If there is any one common vein running through move-ins across the country, it's that moving tries everyone's nerves.
"It's an emotional time, both for students and their parents," Lampkin said, adding that Resident Advisors are warned that students may react more dramatically on move-in day than they normally would.
Rue said she "remembers [moving in] so vividly," adding that she revisits her own memories each August as a new class of students arrives.
And still others aspects of University life remain static.
"Trends in course demand and in major preferences suggest that today's students are like their predecessors in their fundamental academic interests," Casteen said. "And that they like hard work. Some things change less than others."
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