New students descend on university Grounds

It only made sense for things to go wrong for the newest first-years at the University of Virginia — who moved onto Grounds on Saturday — said one mother, Maryann Burger.

Small things caused frustration, Burger said, from her daughter Grace’s refrigerator being too big, traffic being clogged for miles and families having to carry luggage through pouring rain.

Such was the story for many of the approximately 5,000 students who moved into university housing Saturday for the start of the fall term. Vehicle congestion, on top of wet weather, had vehicles pushing through traffic, parking on grass hills and sidewalks and folks carrying luggage through rain, all while students had mixed emotions about the excitement of starting school and concerns about what life would be like as UVa students.

Will and Matt Murray, 19-year-old twins from Arlington County who will be roommates, packed their dorm room wall to wall and were most proud of a 100-inch projection screen. Both said they were looking forward to the next four days of freedom but anxious to start classes.

Though the Murrays said they had the perfect roommate situation, incoming first-year Rosy Noguchi, 18, who had just met her roommate, said she was relieved to see that she was teamed with someone who seemed nice and easy to get along with. She said she’s also excited to claim “independence” and is looking forward to “meeting new people.”

The key to surviving move-in chaos is staying composed, Maryann Burger said, adding that it’s important for loved ones of incoming freshman to stay calm when small things go wrong.

She suspects most first-year students “pretend to be brave and strong” but are actually “really nervous.” So, loved ones must make the situation better by not showing stress.

“Patience … I think that’s what it’s all about,” Burger said, adding that move-in day can be “fun, as long as you stay calm.”

Greeters were also on scene to help make things easier for everyone, welcoming students as they arrived and helping them carry their stuff.

University police estimated that move-in day would bring more than 15,000 people and 6,000 cars to Grounds. Police and other university employees helped direct traffic.

As of mid-July, 3,308 students accepted admission offers, according to university admissions Dean Gregory Roberts, who predicted that about 60 students would drop out of school before the official census in October. In all, the university is expected to have about 21,000 students by the time classes begin Tuesday.

More than 88 percent of the incoming first-years ranked in the top 10 percent of their high school classes, up from 87.6 percent last year, and the new students outscored last year’s incoming students in SAT scores. About 67 percent of the incoming freshmen are Virginians.

University Transit System buses will run this evening and regular service will resume at 6 a.m. Monday. Students who bring vehicles to school will need to purchase parking permits.

The UVa Bookstore will be open from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. today and will have extended hours of 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. Monday through Thursday.

Important academic dates are listed at www.virginia.edu/registrar/calendar.html.