The residence halls of the University of Mary Washington were bustling with excitement Wednesday as parents and peer mentors assisted first-year students with moving into their dorms. Peer mentors lined up to help load the students’ items from their vehicles onto rolling carts to bring to the dorms, making for an efficient and streamlined process.
Between 8 a.m. and 2 p.m., UMW welcomed more than 1,000 new students for the 2024 fall semester with approximately 634 first-year students moving into their new homes. While Aug. 21 was the biggest move-in day for UMW, many students have already arrived early for programs, such as NEST or Soft Landings, athletics and student employment.
One first-year student, Alexandra, emphasized how excited she was to be able to get a taste of independence by moving into the dorms on campus.
“I’ve decided to major in political science so I can get a law degree later down the road,” she said. “Being able to meet people and learn how to be more independent is so exciting to me.”
While the first-year students are understandably excited to start their new journey, this is also an emotional and important moment for the parents, many of whom watched their children leave home for the first time.
“It is definitely always sad to watch your kid leave,” poli-sci major Alexandra’s mother Helanie said. “But I just remember that they are on to bigger and better things in life, and I’m so excited to see how far they go.”
Along with the peer mentors helping the students unload their belongings to their dorms, there was also a table for the “First Letter Campaign” for parents to write a letter to the first-year students to receive in their mailbox.
“The way the First Letter Campaign works is a way for the students to get their first piece of mail to their dorms as a letter from their parents,” peer mentor Brooke Cunningham explained. “It’s a sweet gesture we do, and the USPS office on campus delivers to the students directly. I love that we do this because it can be a hard transition at first going from living at home with family to living on-campus.”
The First Letter Campaign had three tables throughout UMW’s campus — one at Randolph Hall, the fountain in front of Monroe Hall, and one at the Cedric Rucker University Center. After parents write a letter to their student, the post office delivers it to the students a few days later.
Several returning students have already also moved back into dorms on campus to work as either resident assistants and peer mentors. Students will continue to move in through the weekend, with classes starting on Monday.
