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After traveling more than 1,100 miles to Boston from her home state of Wisconsin in a car packed with some of her most cherished belongings, Lindsey Hladio is more than ready to start her Northeastern University journey.
The political science and international affairs major has big aspirations for her college career and plans to get involved with a range of student clubs and organizations, including Northeastern’s climbing team and Symphony Orchestra.
“I’m hyped,” the first-year student said in front of East Village, her residence hall for the upcoming school year.
Hladio is one of thousands of first-year students arriving on campus this week, and the university is welcoming them — and their parents — with open arms and a helpful hand as they make the transition.
The staggered move-in process will continue through Sept. 2. Northeastern Global News has answers to FAQs for students moving onto all three of the university’s residential campuses — Boston, London and Oakland campuses.
“I already know what clubs I want to join, and I already have friends from orientation, so I’m not all that nervous,” Hladio explained.
“She’s ready,” her parents, Matt and Jayne, expressed proudly, noting that Northeastern will be a great place for their only child to pursue her eclectic range of interests.
One of the major reasons Hladio said she chose to attend Northeastern was because she has the ability to combine majors and take a more multidisciplinary approach to her learning. Hladio doesn’t just plan to study political science and international affairs. She’s minoring in French and plans to also minor in piano.
“She’s really worked hard to get here,” her father said. “We’re happy because she’s happy.”
Jane Alexander, who was dropping off her son Chase, said the move-in process went off without a hitch this weekend.
“The school has done a really good job of preparing us,” she said. “We moved in this morning, and we had everything set to go because it had already been set up for us.”
Her son, who is majoring in business administration and communication studies, concurred.
“It’s been very easy to navigate, and we’ve gotten a lot of support so far,” he said, noting that he was excited to get to know his roommate and for the upcoming school year.
The Connecticut native added he is looking forward to becoming more involved on campus and exploring the city.
“I think one of the biggest draws to [Northeastern] is really the environment,” he said. “I think that was the main component that drew me here — outstanding access to the city but there is also a really nice sense of a tight-knit community.”
The university’s co-op program was also a big plus, he said.
Matthew Bedell, a first-year chemistry student, said the move-in process was “surprisingly smoother than I thought it would be.”
Bedell and his family flew from Iowa and he had three and a half suitcases worth of belongings, but it didn’t end up being too much of a challenge.
In addition to bringing stuff from home, first-year student Lily Plechner went shopping to help furnish her dorm.
“Have you ever been to Target?” Greg Plechner, her dad, asked jokingly. “I think half of its inventory is now in her dorm room.”
Jokes aside, Lily Plechner said she’s excited to get started this year. She decided to come to the university for its Explore Program, which is designed to help undeclared students get a better understanding of their career goals and decide on a major.
“I thought the program was really well structured and there are a variety of potential majors for me to go into,” the New Jersey native said.
Her father is “thrilled” she chose Northeastern, highlighting the university’s large choice of majors, strong co-op program and location in the city of Boston.
“She had a lot of choices in school and every box checked off, so here we are,” he said.