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NDSU Move-In-Day Marks New Chapter in Students Lives

John Corley

Saturday was Move-In-Day at North Dakota State University. For many of the incoming students, the day marks a new chapter in their lives.

As an incoming student to NDSU from Texas, Mason Mielke’s new chapter will have to handle the reality of North Dakota winters. “I’m expecting to be very cold as I step out of my dorm,” he said.

According to NDSU enrollment, Mielke is one of several thousand new students at the university for this academic year. Their first year is a time of adjusting to things like new classes, new friends, a new place to live, and yes for some, new weather. Rian Nostrum is the Director of Residence Life at NDSU, and he says that the school provides resources for incoming students to get acclimated to their new home.

“We have welcome week leaders, every floor and every residence have multiple leaders that will actually come to them and say let’s go to the first dinner, let’s go the hypnotist, let’s go over to the presidents welcome,” he said. “I think that really helps because when you’re sitting in the room, you’re wondering is anybody else going? And so even though you know about it, maybe they wouldn’t come except when someone knocks on the door and says I’m gonna go do you wanna go with me?”

Adjusting to a new life is part of a greater reason why new students are at NDSU. For Mason Mielke, he has hopes and dreams that he wants to accomplish through higher education.

“I’m gonna be studying geology,” he said. “I wanted to go into the geology field because it’s like probably the least saturated field right now, and I’ve also been really interested in geo-sciences from a really young age so I’m really excited about that.”

Receiving a degree, making new friends, and creating lifelong memories are what are in store for new students like Mielke. Becoming acclimated is just the first step in that process. All should be worth the cold winters.