By the end of App State’s fall 2024 move-in week, Aug. 13–18, more than 6,000 Mountaineer students will have settled into their residence halls at App State’s Boone campus. Families are pictured moving their students into Dogwood Residence Hall. Photo by Kyla Willoughby
Mario High, a first-year student in App State’s Scholars with Diverse Abilities Program from Lowell, packs a cart full of items for his room in Summit Residence Hall during App State’s fall 2024 move-in week, Aug. 13–18 at the Boone campus. Photo by Chase Reynolds
First-year App State students and roommates Kylee Nichols, of Charlotte, who is planning to major in sociology, and Nari Stanley, of Durham, who intends to major in psychology, are among the more than 6,000 Mountaineer students moving into Boone campus residence halls during App State's fall 2024 move-in week, Aug. 13–18. Photo by Chase Reynolds
Mountaineer families and students put their building and decorating skills to use during App State’s fall 2024 move-in week, Aug. 13–18. More than 6,000 incoming, transfer and returning students will have settled into their residence halls at App State’s Boone campus by the end of the week. Photo by Kyla Willoughby
App State families — such as the one pictured — are all smiles during the university’s fall 2024 move-in week, Aug. 13–18 at the Boone campus. Shown at far left is Declan Sullins, a first-year App State student from Waxhaw who is planning to major in finance and banking, with his family and move-in helpers. Pictured with Sullins, from left to right, are Gavin Sullins, Nate Sullins and Harper Sullins. Photo by Kyla Willoughby
App State residence assistants and University Housing staff were on hand to assist Mountaineer students and families during App State’s fall 2024 move-in week, Aug. 13–18. Pictured, from left to right, are New River Residence Hall Director Grace Taylor, a student affairs administration graduate student from Richmond, Virginia; University Housing Coordinator for Residence Life Shaine Middleton; Resident Assistant Dakota Miller, a history/social studies education major from Kenosha, Wisconsin; Resident Assistant Francisca Campos, a junior marketing major from Selma; and Resident Assistant Lorelei Harr, a senior apparel design and merchandising major from Fayetteville. Photo by Kyla Willoughby
Incoming Mountaineer students and families were greeted by helpful volunteers during App State’s fall 2024 move-in week, Aug. 13–18. Many volunteers, such as the App State ROTC member shown at far right, assisted first-year, transfer and returning students by helping them find their rooms and/or carrying items. Photo by Chase Reynolds
Aidan James, a first-year App State student from Durham who plans to major in building sciences, left, is pictured his parents James and Marni Holder, who helped Aidan prepare his residence hall room during App State’s fall 2024 move-in week, Aug. 13–18. Photo by Chase Reynolds
App State Army ROTC members give thumbs-up while volunteering during fall 2024 move-in week at App State’s Boone campus, Aug. 13–18. Volunteers from areas across the university were on hand to help Mountaineer students and their families navigate the move-in process. Photo by Kyla Willoughby
Packing skills were a requirement during App State’s fall 2024 move-in week, Aug. 13–18. Here, Mikyla Tamayo, a first-year student planning to major in graphic design with a minor in digital marketing, from High Point, left, packs items into one of the rolling carts offered by App State University Housing. Photo by Kyla Willoughby
During App State’s fall 2024 move-in week, Aug. 13–18, Mountaineer families helped their students decorate their new residence hall rooms to make the spaces feel like home. Pictured, a family member helps hang an App State flag. Photo by Kyla Willoughby
Dave Burch takes a short break from helping his daughter, first-year App State student Katie Burch, move into her Boone residence hall. The Burches are from Durham. Photo by Chase Reynolds
App State junior Sierra Focazio, a resident assistant in App State’s Summit Hall, was one of many students and volunteers who were on hand during fall 2024 move-in week to assist first-year, transfer and returning students in finding their new homes and getting settled in for the academic year ahead. Focazio, of Holly Springs, is an Honors College student majoring in physics with a concentration in astronomy. Photo by Chase Reynolds
BOONE, N.C. — What started as a quiet Tuesday morning on Aug. 13 turned into a day of bustling excitement as first-year and returning Mountaineer students moved into their residence halls on Appalachian State University’s Boone campus, in preparation for the first day of fall 2024 classes on Monday, Aug. 19.
Among the 6,100 students moving into App State’s 19 residence halls:
- approximately 3,900 first-year students;
- 500 transfer students; and
- 1,700 returning students.
“Move-in is a huge lift, and our volunteers and campus partners are tremendous at showing up to support our students and their families,” said Dr. Brandon Nelson, director of University Housing at App State.
A Mountaineer family captures a few photos of their student during fall 2024 move-in week, Aug. 13–18, at App State’s Boone campus. Photo by Chase Reynolds
In 2019, the university implemented a weeklong, phased move-in process, which has created a smoother home-to-campus transition for students and their families and helped to ensure the number of people arriving to campus and Boone is more metered and manageable. In previous years, move-in took place over one weekend prior to classes.
“University Housing is excited about another successful move-in week at App State,” said Dr. Amanda Cutchens, associate director of student and administrative services in University Housing. “We have enjoyed welcoming new and returning students to our campus residence halls.”
University Housing provided 100 additional move-in carts this year to help students and families expedite the move-in process. Also new for this year are move-in appointments for incoming students, allowing students to choose when they move in and contributing to a more efficient and flexible move-in experience.
Lana Benson, a first-year App State student from Fuquay-Varina, center, shares a smile with her parents, Melissa and Christopher Benson, during fall 2024 move-in week at App State's Boone campus. Lana plans to major in elementary education. Photo by Chase Reynolds
A smooth transition to campus
Students are excited about the year ahead, with many sharing that the new appointment process has created a more accommodating environment for their move to campus.
“While moving in has been a little stressful, everyone has been so helpful — showing up with carts and offering to carry things for us,” said Lana Benson, a first-year student from Fuquay-Varina who is planning to major in elementary education. “I also got to choose when I wanted to move in by setting an early appointment time, so I can spend the afternoon unpacking with my parents.”
Alan Voth, a first-year student from Asheville planning to major in anthropology, chose to attend App State due to its “friendly and close-knit” community, he said — which was on display during move-in week: “They were very flexible. We got parked and moved in quickly,” he shared.
Alan Voth, an Asheville native and first-year App State student, right, and his mother, Yolanda Rose, pause for a quick photo before finishing the process of unpacking their car during fall 2024 move-in week at App State's Boone campus. Voth intends to major in anthropology. Photo by Chase Reynolds
Parents and resident assistants have also enjoyed the move-in process.
“I am moving in our fourth child to attend college and the first Mountaineer,” said Tabitha High, of Lowell, whose son, Mario High, is a first-year student in App State’s Scholars with Diverse Abilities Program. “We are excited to be here and this process has gone so smoothly. The university gave us a block of time to move in and we arrived early, were guided to parking and have gotten help getting Mario settled in.”
“The move-in process has been so smooth compared to when I moved in as a freshman,” said Sierra Focazio, a Summit Residence Hall resident assistant, an Honors College student and a junior physics-astronomy major from Holly Springs. “I remember moving in as a freshman and so many people were here moving in at the same time. Now, things are more spread out, making it easier for students to move in and get any assistance they need.”
Dave Burch, from Durham, who helped move his daughter, first-year student Katie Burch, into her residence hall, offered this summary of move-in: “This is a very big deal — moving a child off to college — and App State has done all it can to make that transition as smooth as possible.”
During fall 2024 move-in week at App State, Tabitha High and her son, Mario High, of Lowell, unpack their car outside Mario’s residence hall — Summit Hall — as he makes the transition from home to App State’s Boone campus. Mario, shown at right, is a first-year student in the university’s Scholars with Diverse Abilities Program. Photo by Chase Reynolds
Welcome to App
In conjunction with the weeklong move-in, App State’s Division of Student Affairs has organized Welcome to App events and programming that allow students to participate in multiple activities that are designed to help acquaint them with the campus, meet new friends and settle into campus life. Events through the first week of classes include:
- App Ready: The Pathway to Student Success — tips and resources to be academically successful at App State.
- Welcome to App Field Day — nostalgic yard games and crafts.
- Boonearoo — live music on Sanford Mall.
- Self-Guided Gallery Tour at the Turchin Center — featuring guides and QR codes with more information about Turchin Center artworks.
- AppSpectacular — music, games and giveaways on Sanford Mall and in Varsity Gym.
- Ring the Bell at Founders Plaza — a tradition signifying the beginning of students' App State Experience.
“We want to thank our Administrative Services, Facilities and Residence Life teams for helping make this move-in week as smooth as possible for students and families,” Cutchens said. “We’d also like to thank all of those who have volunteered to help us with fall move-in. We could not do what we do without them!”
Nelson thanked App State Parking and Transportation, App State ROTC, App State Athletics and the Appalachian Police Department for their support during move-in, which included the use of the new Holmes Drive Parking Deck, and also thanked the Campus Store for hosting a daily social event for App State families during move-in week.
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About Appalachian State University
As a premier public institution, Appalachian State University prepares students to lead purposeful lives. App State is one of 17 campuses in the University of North Carolina System, with a national reputation for innovative teaching and opening access to a high-quality, affordable education for all. The university enrolls more than 21,000 students, has a low student-to-faculty ratio and offers more than 150 undergraduate and 80 graduate majors at its Boone and Hickory campuses and through App State Online. Learn more at https://www.appstate.edu.
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