First-years brave the heat on move-in day

The University of Virginia was abuzz with activity Saturday as roughly 3,246 students and their families descended upon Grounds for move-in weekend.

Lining the streets outside residence halls were hundreds of minivans and SUVs piled high with such dorm room necessities as TVs, furniture, microwaves, fans, plants and Tupperware bins stuffed with clothes.

Syra Jang, an 18-year-old first-year student from Maryland, took a break in the shade away from the 92-degree heat after hauling her possessions into her new home at Dabney House.

“It’s actually better than I expected,” Jang said of her un-air-conditioned dorm room. “It’s bigger than I thought and has lots of closet and drawer space. It’s kind of hot, though.”

Jang, who hopes to major in computer science or economics, said she is looking forward to finding new friends and joining extracurricular activities, such as swimming.

“I want to be more social, meet new people,” she said.

As a first-year, Jang is among UVa’s most diverse and academically accomplished class in the institution’s history.

More than 90 percent of UVa’s incoming class was ranked in the Top 10 percent of their high school graduating class. On the SATs, this year’s class notched an average score of 1,993 on the test’s three sections — up slightly from 1,984 in the previous year’s class.

According to UVa’s unofficial tally, 29.9 percent of this year’s incoming class of students are minorities. That’s up from 27.5 percent last year. While the number of black and Hispanic students stayed roughly the same, this year saw a 25 percent jump in the number of Asian students.

The new class is also more economically diverse. The number of low-income students in this year’s class increased by 31 percent, from 204 last year to 268 this fall.

Helping the thousands of new students move into their new dorms Saturday was an army of UVa students who signed up to be “greeters.” Wearing neon green T-shirts, the greeters answered questions and offered to lend a hand carrying items.

Katie Reilly, a second-year UVa student from McLean, said she volunteered to be a greeter so she could re-live the excitement of her move-in day last year.

“I wanted to see all the new students,” she said. “And it was so exciting when I moved in last year, I wanted to experience it again.”

Nearby, fourth-year student Lauren Kimmel and her mother, Jill, unpacked boxes in her room on the Lawn, UVa’s most coveted and prestigious student housing location.

As she took a break from the unpacking, she said her goal for the coming year is to “really enjoy the present moment.”

“I want to bask in the excitement of [my] fourth year,” she said. “Prepare for the future, but not to lose sight of the present.”