Robert Bradley escaped crowded residence halls at the University of Massachusetts Dartmouth by taking a breather in the outdoor courtyard. Bradley, a declared computer science major, just finished moving into his dorm room on September 4, the college’s freshmen move-in day. He joins an additional 1,100 freshmen who will now call the university home.

“[Move-in] was very efficient, much more efficient than any other move-in I’ve ever seen,” Bradley said, adding that he has family members who attend college in major cities, and city conditions add to the stress.

At Maple Ridge Hall, Danae Carridice waited in line to move a bin full of her belongings into her dorm room. The sociology student, joined by her father Donovan Carridice, said she was eager to start her first year of college.

“I can’t wait to meet new people and start my classes,” Carridice said.

Chestnut Hall Resident Director Scott Mason, who was manning a check-in station, said that move-in ran flawlessly. In order to get cars full of belongings unloaded in under five minutes, over 400 student volunteers and university staff were on hand to help.

“It’s been great so far,” Mason said. “It’s been nice out. The weather really cooperated.”

Mason added that getting ready for move-in day required an entire summer of planning. He said every department at the school worked together with the town, the Dartmouth Police Department and the Massachusetts State Police, and volunteers to ensure the process went off without a hitch.

Centered in the freshman quad, Assistant Director for Campus Sustainability and Residential Initiatives Jamie Jacquart helped run the “New2U” sale, where college student could browse recycled items—including microwaves, plastic storage bins, and coat hangers—collected at the end of the last academic year.

The sale benefits students looking for last-minute items, while also helping to recycle perfectly good items instead of throwing them away, said Jacquart.

Upperclassmen moved in on September 6, following staff monitoring of Tropical Storm Hermine. Classes began on September 7.