BY KATIE MOON
As the long wait for move-in day shortened, many incoming Drake University first-year students packed boxes, suitcases and mini fridges into the backseat of their vehicles. The next four to six years are a mystery. No one can be sure what to expect.
Jean and Cora Holt are a mother-daughter duo from Lincoln, Nebraska. Cora is a first-year student majoring in Environmental Science.
Although move-in day was mentioned during summer orientation, Jean Holt, mother of first-year student Cora, said that she was wrong when she doubted how smoothly moving in would go.
“We went over it at Summer Orientation and were told that move in would be a breeze due to the helpful students. I couldn’t believe it would possibly go as well as they claimed,” Jean Holt said.
Cora Holt didn’t know what to expect at all. She said that move-in day was friendlier than she was expecting.
“I didn’t know that there were going to be people like, moving up all of your stuff,” Cora Holt said.
Jean Holt said, “Move-in itself was wonderful. We happened to arrive when the other roommates did, so we met the families.” She also mentioned that meeting her daughter’s roommates and their families really calmed her nerves.
One person that has experienced first-year move-in before is Carla Moon. Moon moved in her daughter Samantha into Stalnaker. She has an older daughter that attends Drake University, so she knew what to expect on move-in day.
Many parents may dread the day when their first-born child moves off to college. Jean Holt worries that Cora might stretch herself too thin.
“She needs to prioritize her classes and then resist the temptation to join every club, volunteer everywhere and explore all of Des Moines,” Jean said.
However, she is excited for all of the new experiences Cora will have, saying, “Drake offers so many things that we never dreamed of, and I know she’s willing to try almost anything.”
While Cora Holt wasn’t expecting to have two roommates instead of just one, she looks forward to seeing the same girls every morning. She knows that they may not spend every second of every day together, but she likes that they will be a constant for each other.
Many college students that move away from home may miss something from home. For Cora, that is her little sister. “My sister is about to turn 12, so she’s at like a really formative age, and I was telling her that I really could have used an older sibling when I was 12,” she explains. She also said that she feels a little bad that she had to move away.
Moon, on the other hand, is excited that both of her daughters are out of the house. She said that she is excited for her daughter “to meet new people and to expand her horizons.” However, what she looks forward to the most is peace and quiet.
