Day One.
Summer is in full swing and I miss my Vanderbilt so much that I’m not sure what to do with myself. Luckily, I have all of you amazing Inside ‘Dores readers, who have been sending me awesome emails that give me permission to ramble about my school, even when I’m on break (keep them coming pleeeease!). One of you guys just emailed me such a great question that I couldn’t help but answer it on the blog.
What was you first day at Vanderbilt like?
I know that there are about 1600 incoming first-years who are willing the next two months to move a little faster so that they can experience the glory that is MOVE-IN DAY 2015. Class of 2019, here are some things to expect on your first day.
1) A lot of excitement
Even before you make it to your room, there a lot, and I mean a lot, of energy in the air. You’ll drive up to your designated area (your housing packet will have more information about this), where some very enthusiastic upperclassmen will be encouraging your parents to make a racket by honking their horns. Parents get very into this activity. Even when you have a 7 AM move in time.
Someone from Move Crew, aka the group of upperclassmen who wake up super early because they are sooooo excited to meet you, will come directly to your car to welcome you to Vanderbilt and hand you your very own DORM KEY! Eventually, it’ll be your turn to move in, and yet another group of Move Crew students will unload your car and literally take all of your possessions up to your room. I’m pretty sure I didn’t carry a single thing.
The Commodore mascot also made an appearance and gave me a high five. It was pretty cool.
2) A last minute shopping trip
I was one of those crazy kids who started making a packing list in June for what I was going to bring to college. But I promise you that no matter how well you pack, there are always going to be a few things that you won’t realize that you need until you actually move in and start unpacking (pro tip: for me, it was an extension cord). Pretty much everyone runs off to Target or The Container Store at some point during move in day to grab something, so just be prepared to make a trip.
3) A visit from your RA and VUceptor
When you first move in, your RA will probably be there to greet you (and give you some snazzy stickers representing your house). At some point, your student VUceptor will also stop by to say hi! This isn’t something you need to prepare for, of course, but those will be two new faces you won’t want to forget.
4) A TON of new people
Speaking of forgetting people, you will meet an absurd number of people on Move-In Day. I remember my roommate and I went to every door and met all of our floormates, and by the time I got to the end of the hall, I had forgotten over half of the names I had just learned. Then, when the whole house gathers for the barbeque picnic at the end of the day, you’ll meet even more people. It can be exciting, overwhelming, or a little of both, depending on what kind of person you are.
A few tips on this subject: first, don’t be afraid to ask for people’s names again. Trust me when I say that every single person you meet will also be meeting about a million new people, so no one will be offended if you don’t remember their name. Second, be prepared to repeat your name, hometown, and major. A lot. And third…well, I’m not a very good example of this because I met many of my best friends on the very first day. But if you don’t make an instant best friend on the first day, don’t freak out! There will be SO MANY opportunities to meet people in the coming days.
5) A couple of important errands
In all of the craziness of move-in, don’t forget that there are a couple of tasks that you need to take care of. First, and probably most importantly, pick up your Commodore Card from Commons Center. This card will be your key to buildings, food, on-campus events, and much more in the next four years. Especially if you have an early move-in time, my advice would be to pick up your card as soon as you drop off all of your things in your room. That way, you’ll avoid a massive line when everyone else remembers that they have to get their card.
Some other important things to remember:
- While picking up your Commodore Card, don’t forget to grab a copy of VUpoint, aka your orientation guide that contains an all-important campus map
- Retrieve any packages you had shipped to the school. There will be a tent on one of the lawns on Commons, so no need to trek all the way over to Rand (where you would usually pick up packages).
- Don’t forget to eat! There is no formal lunch served, so this is a great time to check out a nearby restaurant.
Don't forget to pick up your packages! Photo courtesy Vanderbilt Flickr
6) FREE ICE CREAM!
Okay, I’m not actually in charge of move in, so don’t kill me if they change it this year. But when I was moving in, there were huge freezers all over Commons, loaded with seemingly endless amounts of ice cream. If you see some sketchy-looking upperclassman sneaking onto Commons to swipe some ice cream, it’s probably me. Come say hi.
As always, feel free to email me at samantha.c.chiang@vanderbilt.edu if you have any questions about Move-In Day!