It was move-in day, and – in spite of 90 degree temperatures – all seemed to be going smoothly outside a crowded Miller Hall. Tiffany Miller, an 18-year-old freshman from Highland Heights, Ky., was among those waiting patiently to move into her dormitory.
“I’m very frazzled,” she said. “I feel like I packed too much.”
Miller is attending UofL on a full academic scholarship and plans to study early elementary and special education. She said it’s difficult to leave home for the first time, but she’s looking forward to new experiences.
“I’m very nervous,” she said. “I’ve already cried a few times. But I’m more excited than nervous.”
WATCH video of move-in day: http://youtu.be/nN9wqe0GvfI
Miller is part of the largest and most academically well-prepared freshman class in UofL’s history. Of the 2,908 students enrolled, 55 percent are entering with some college credit, and, taken together, they scored an average of 25.3 on the ACT.
That shows that UofL is “a place of quality,” said President James Ramsey as he greeted students moving into their dorms. “Quality attracts more quality.”
Ramsey told reporters that move-in day kicks off “the most exciting time of the year for us.”
On the Belknap Campus, Welcome Week activities already are under way, and classes begin on Monday, Aug. 25.
A record number of new students will live on campus this fall, according to Shannon Staten, UofL’s housing and residence life director. Based on preliminary figures, 2,050 new students will live in university housing compared to 1,965 last fall, 1,817 in fall 2012 and 1,730 in fall 2011.
Mary Weiner, who was moving her son, Andrew Weiner, into Miller Hall from their hometown of Verona, N.J., said the family visited 11 different universities before selecting UofL. The location of the campus in what they consider a safe neighborhood was among the selling points.
“It’s a big university, but it’s not,” Mary Weiner said. “The campus is compact. I was really impressed.”
Jordan Hunter didn’t venture too far from his Crestwood, Ky., home when he made the decision to come to UofL. The South Oldham High School graduate is looking forward to being close to his classes, and he’ll know a number of his classmates here.
Still, move-in day was a bittersweet affair for his mother, Robin Hunter, who said she’ll be tempted to make the half-hour drive to visit her son. She also admitted – jokingly – that she has another reason for concern.
“I’m a UK fan, so this is going to be tough.”
