Tag Archives: Move In Day

Author: Stephanie Y., C08

I left home for Penn when my youngest brother was starting 6^th grade. During Labor Day Weekend this year, I drove up to Boston to help him move in to college. Kids – they grow up so fast! Just like Penn, my brother’s school is located in the heart of a large urban area. Unlike Penn, his school only offers on-campus housing for 25% of the student population. Even worse, not all freshmen are guaranteed housing. When my brother received the housing brochure in the mail, there was a note attached that said on-campus housing was full. Fortunately, his school set up online forums for students to find off-campus roommates and apartments. Two weeks before my brother moved in, we realized off-campus housing meant unfurnished bedrooms. IKEA, here we come!

My brother lives on the 5^th floor of his building. Luckily, there is an elevator, but we still had to carry everything from the car up to his apartment. After only a few trips back and forth, I started to wish we had move-in volunteers and PHINS to help us. Thank you, Penn, for providing those services for new and returning students. As I was building IKEA furniture in my brother’s unfurnished bedroom, I felt grateful that I didn’t have to buy any furniture until I graduated from Penn. At the time, a twin bed, a desk, a desk organizer, and a dresser did not seem like much, but you don’t realize how much easier it is to have all those items until you walk into an empty bedroom. I spent the whole weekend feeling grateful that Penn has enough on-campus housing for freshmen and a great move-in process. Even though my brother’s apartment is awesome and is in an amazing location (his building is literally next to Fenway!), I can’t imagine finding my own apartment before moving to Penn, spending NSO buying and building furniture, and then living off-campus during freshman year. I give my brother a lot of credit.

While most of the weekend consisted of driving on I-95 and going to every major store for back-to-school shopping, I did get to go to a Boston Red Sox game (they lost miserably to the Texas Rangers), try a few new restaurants, and enjoy some family time. Boston is a great city, and I am looking forward to visiting more often now that my brother lives there. You will definitely see me at the Penn vs. Harvard basketball game on Saturday, February 25, 2012. Go Quakers!