Excitement and traffic: Over 4,000 first-years transition into UWaterloo

As first-year students begin making their way into residences across campuses throughout the region the increased traffic is set to cause some delays this long weekend.

The weekend move-ins began on Thursday as the University of Waterloo welcomed first-year students onto campus to transition into their accommodations for the upcoming year. Wilfrid Laurier University and Conestoga College are also hosting move-in weekends.

“At the University of Waterloo, we’re expecting over 4,000 first-year students to be moving in this weekend over four days,” Pam Hurvid, Manager for Marketing and Communications of Campus Housing with the University of Waterloo, said. “It is actually pretty steady, rather than really chaotic, at one particular time as the students have move-in time slots that stagger them throughout the four days.”

As students drive into the city to unload their belongings, it is expected to cause some additional traffic. Representatives with the university are recommending people keep an eye on the roads while planning their drive in town.

“We’re using primarily University Avenue and Columbia Street, so while those areas won’t be closed, they might be a little bit busier than usual,” said Hurvid. “The main road affected is Seagram Drive. That will be closed and only open for students who are moving in and need access to that road.”

The busy weekend will also cause some additional delays and slowdowns across the area.

Hurvid says that move-in is a large undertaking every year, but also an exciting one for both students, as well as, staff and faculty. She says it requires a lot of support to keep it running smoothly throughout the move-in process.

“With move-ins, we have over 400 volunteers. That’s alumni, staff, faculty, current students, and even some high school students volunteering to help wayfinding, even to assist with unloading belongings from vehicles,” said Hurvid. “It’s been a group effort and that’s the reason it’s been going so smoothly. We have so many dedicated volunteers helping us in our parking lot, on the roads, and in front of our residences this weekend.”

Some words of wisdom for incoming students:

“My advice for students who are nervous about making the jump is just to put themselves out there, to get out of your comfort zone,” said Hurvid. “This is a once in a lifetime opportunity for many of you. You’ll be living with students with diverse backgrounds, diverse interests, and you’ve probably never had this type of experience, but everybody’s in the same boat as you wanting to make friends and start a community. Just put yourself all into the experience and it will really be what you make of it.”

Incoming students with the University of Waterloo can find the full list of details for residence and move-ins throughout the course of the weekend on its website.