On a rainy morning, sophomore film and television student Caroline Meyers and her family unloaded a mini van chock-full of various knickknacks and decor for Meyers’ new dorm in 30 E. Balbo Drive.
“I’m an overthinker, so I’ve thought as much as anyone possibly could about where my stuff will go and how it will fit in my room,” Meyers said. “I spent lots of sleepless nights this week thinking about it, so I think I’m ready. I feel ready.”
Across Columbia’s three residence halls on Monday, Aug. 31, students and their families arrived with boxes, bags and a mix of nerves and excitement as they settled into a new academic year. For first-year students, the day marked the beginning of college life, and for returning students, it meant finding their way back to campus and settling into a new routine.
“I feel a little unorganized,” said Lily Czach, a sophomore interior architecture major from Schaumburg. She was moving into the University Center after living in Dwight Lofts her first year.
“I just kind of threw everything in bags because I have so much stuff, but I’m excited to make it pretty and everything,” she said.
The college is expecting more than 1,000 new students this fall and projects to reach an enrollment of 4,500 by Fall 2027 after a historic decline this past spring.
Xander Simone, a first-year audio arts major, signed an independent lease with Dwight Lofts after being on a waitlist so close to the start of the semester.
“We didn’t know if we were gonna get a room or not,” Simone said. “At orientation, they told us, ‘Hey, you might not get in,’ so we decided to sign privately.”
The waitlist formed after Columbia decided not to renew its agreements with Dwight Lofts and The Arc at the Old Colony after the Spring 2026 semester. Within two days of general room selection opening in April, all 550 beds reserved for continuing students in the remaining housing options had been taken, the Chronicle previously reported.
Columbia announced a one-year agreement with the 16-story Dwight Lofts in May that added six floors of additional housing for the Fall 2026 semester.
Last week, the college said it expected to clear the waitlist in time for move-in day.
Ryan Sanhamel, a senior film and television major from suburban Woodridge, moved into the University Center with the help of his family. After living off campus previously, he opted to return to campus because it better accommodated his need for a 6-month lease before doing a Semester in LA in the spring.
“When it was my turn to sign up for housing, I was able to get this,” Sanhamel said. “I feel like it was pretty smooth, pretty simple.”
Faculty and staff were at the residences on Monday helping students move into their dorms and taking shifts to welcome, direct and unpack vehicles.
“It’s very energizing to see the energy of our students as they’re exploring this new phase of their life. It’s really fun,” said Greg Foster-Rice, associate provost for Student Retention Initiatives, who was helping students move in at the University Center.
“It’s a way to appreciate the transition that our students are going through, that they’re changing their lives in an entirely different way,” said Foster-Rice, associate professor in the School of Visual Arts.
Foster-Rice noted excitement and a “first-day, new-car smell,” seeing students express identity through wearing band T-shirts and carrying room decor.
Lisa Gonzales, an associate professor in the School of Theatre and Dance, was among the Columbia faculty and staff who helped students move into Dwight Lofts. For her, there were a lot of “positive feelings” surrounding families during the move in.
“As a faculty member, it’s nice to remember that these students, that I don’t know, have parents that are dropping them off for the first time,” Gonzales said. “You can feel the energy, both the nerves and excitement of the students and the parents.”
Not only did she help first-year students with their move in, but she also saw returning students from the summer break.
“At this time in their lives, every experience they have is formative,” she said. “So when I see them again in the classroom, they’re literally different than who I last saw in May.”
Meyers, who laughed and joked with her family in front of 30 E. Balbo Drive, said she was excited to start her second year at Columbia. From Indianapolis, she quickly fell in love with the city and her new friends.
“I really liked my classes last year. I love the teachers I had. I love the people I met here, and I just also love the city so much,” she said.
Additional reporting by William Blakley and Sofía Oyarzún
Copy edited by Katie Peters
