Moving into a dorm as a freshman in college is probably one of the most chaotic experiences someone can have. Between the countless RAs, Orientation Leaders willing to load your belongings out of the car at a speed unknown to man, and going to the Howe Center to check in while 400 other people are doing the same, moving in isn’t the most calming experience.
When I first walked up to the second floor of the Howe Center to check in, I was welcomed by an upperclassman with a drawstring bag and a smile on their face. Then, I was corralled over to the check-in table where I received other important documents by more smiling faces, who I’m sure that whole day saw people like me coming up to their table with the same look on their face: a mixture of nervousness and fear. But through it all, the overall sparkle of excitement in their eye at the new chapter that is just beginning.
After I was finished checking in, which included receiving my Stevens ID with my slightly embarrassing photo, I knew what came next: moving all of my belongings into my dorm.
It was mind-blowing to see how quickly the RAs can move belongings into the dorm rooms. By the time I had gotten to my room, they had finished unpacking my car, which was filled to the brim with “necessities,” like my 30 pairs of shoes (yes, I did say 30 pairs—what can I say, I love my heels!), 100-gallon container filled solely with food, and a refrigerator.
I walked, rather shimmied, around a stack of containers and a dresser into my new shoe box of a room for the year: it looked like a bomb had exploded seeing all of the things that both me and my roommate brought. At first I was wondering how we would fit everything inside the room since there were still containers that belonged to both me and my roommate in the hallway, but we somehow managed to do it.
Even though we were only given an hour to move in before pre-orientation activities began, we thankfully managed to get the room into a state where it didn’t look like a nuclear war had taken place. I had to shove my containers under my bed that was raised to the highest level possible and throw other miscellaneous things into random drawers to be organized at some point in the semester.
Then came the dreaded time where I had to endure the teary-eyed goodbye to my mother and father who were sad to see me leave for college. Just by looking at them, I could tell that they were secretly hoping that I would text or call them at least once before the end of the semester. When the time came to say goodbye, I knew that they were proud of me for all that I have accomplished so far and all that I will accomplish in my five years at Stevens. When I saw their car pull away I was sad to see them leave for a moment, but with that came the realization that I have a new life with a fresh start here in Hoboken, across the river from the city of opportunity, and I am ready to embrace it with open arms.
