More than 950 have moved onto campus, and volunteers from throughout the Seton Hall community came out to help them move in and start their first year away from home.
"I was nervous at first, but seeing the Seton Hall community gather around to help anyone in need, I was reassured and ready for the new year," freshmen Richie Ricciardelli said.
The large number of students living on campus this year made it challenging for students to find housing.
"Up until 10 days before I moved in, I didn't even know if I was living on campus. I know other people that didn't have housing until a week into classes," said Megan Maloney.
She was assigned an upperclassmen room.
"Regardless of where I am, if I'm with the freshmen or not, I'm just glad to be living on campus," she said.
Maloney noted that her dorm was more spacious than that of her friends living in freshmen buildings.
"My room is a lot different from my other freshmen friend's rooms," she said, "I love the fact that I have a suite with a big common room and our own bathroom. Boland, everything is really close together and has a bit of a 'squished' feeling to it."
Freshmen agree, though, that there is a feeling of missing out for those that live in upperclassmen dorms.
"By living with other freshmen, I'm getting to know a lot of other people in the class of 2016 and making friends in my own year, so I'm glad I was placed where I'm currently living," freshmen Melissa Roome, Aquinas Hall resident said.
"As much as I do love my room, I do believe I'm missing out. I don't live next to other freshmen, I live next to sophomore," Maloney said.
"It is totally different since they have already had the freshmen year experience" Maloney added.
She added that there is an element of inconvenience to living in Cabrini Hall, across campus from the other freshmen.
"I don't mind the walk at all, but when it's really late and you've been hanging out in the basement in Boland until 3:30 a.m. and you're exhausted, walking across campus is the last thing you want to do," she said.
Ethan Arnowitz can be contacted at ethan.arnowitz@student.shu.edu
