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Nearly 1,600 new students arrived at �������޹�����Ʒ on Friday, Aug. 21, as the university welcomed the Class of 2030.

Despite a mix of rain and sunshine, staff members in Student Life and Residence Life worked to make the Move-In Day process as seamless as possible for students and their families. Student organizations and Elon Athletics teams also lent a hand, helping unload vehicles and carry students’ belongings into their new homes.

Familiar items in a new home

For many members of the Class of 2030, those belongings include more than the essentials for college life. As they begin a new chapter at Elon, students brought photographs, books, keepsakes and other reminders of the people and places they call home.

Ale Furano ’30 arrived at Elon from Greenwich, Connecticut, with three Polaroid photos of his family and friends. A Communications Fellow who plans to study sport management, Furano said he is looking forward to the opportunities ahead.

“I’m excited to meet new people and have a great opportunity and a new way of life,” Furano said. “I think the opportunities at Elon are really great, especially in the sport management field.”

Avery McTigue ’30, who plans to study nursing, is looking forward to joining clubs and organizations and exploring study abroad opportunities. Among the items making her new room feel more like home is an Elon-themed Jellycat plush toy with a special connection to her friends.

“The special item I brought from home is my Elon ‘Jellycat,’” said McTigue, who is from Bergen County, New Jersey. “My friends threw a ‘bed party’ for me, and it reminds me of them. Basically, they decorate your whole room, and it’s all Elon stuff.”

For George Schneider ’30, from Seattle, Washington, the move to Elon meant finding room for his vinyl collection. Schneider chose Elon because of its acting program. The Princeton Review recently ranked Elon No. 1 for Best College Theater, while The Hollywood Reporter included Elon on its list of the “25 Best Drama Schools in the World.”

“I’m very excited to be independent and expand on my training,” Schneider said. “I brought my record player and about 20 of my records. I knew I wasn’t going to bring a lot for my room, but I wanted to bring something to remember home by.”

An avid reader, Ryan Parker ’30, who plans to study journalism, made sure one of her books made the trip from Dallas, Texas. For Parker, attending Elon also means experiencing a new part of the country.

“I chose Elon because I felt it was the best for me, and I felt it would be a good transition as well,” Parker said. “I’m most excited to meet new people, especially being from Texas and being in a different part of the country.”

A class from around the world

The students arriving on campus bring a wide range of backgrounds, experiences and academic interests. Members of the incoming class come from 40 states and Washington, D.C., as well as 19 countries, including Singapore, Spain, Norway, Canada, Serbia, South Korea, China and New Zealand.

The most represented states are North Carolina, Massachusetts, New Jersey, New York, Virginia, Maryland, Connecticut, Pennsylvania, Georgia and Illinois.

Fourteen percent of incoming students are the first in their families to attend college. The class also enters Elon with a strong academic record, with an average high school GPA of 4.09.

Students are bringing a broad range of academic interests to campus. The 10 most popular intended majors among incoming students are psychology, finance, biology, business analytics & AI, marketing, nursing, exercise science, elementary education, sport management and political science.

Several programs are seeing notable increases in interest compared with last year’s incoming class. The number of new students intending to major in elementary education increased 41%, while finance increased 39% and biology increased 16%.

The community classroom experience

Those statistics are reflected in the individual journeys bringing students to Elon.

Alexis Jacobs ’30 of Westport, Connecticut, was drawn to the university because of its size and sense of community. To personalize her new space, Jacobs brought handmade frames filled with reminders of the people, places and experiences important to her.

“I made these frames with different prints, photos, places I’ve been and family members,” Jacobs said.

Peter Matijevic ’30, who plans to study business analytics and applied mathematics, brought a reminder of his Massachusetts roots: a Drake Maye NFL jersey.

“It reminds me of Massachusetts and my favorite NFL player,” Matijevic said. “I chose Elon because it’s a beautiful campus and has small classes, so I could get to know my teachers.”

Elon’s teacher-scholar-mentor model among its faculty is a touchstone of the university’s academic experience. For five years in a row, Elon has been ranked best in the nation for undergraduate teaching, and The Princeton Review recently ranked the university as No. 4 Best Classroom Experience.

Following Move-In Day, students attend New Student Orientation, including New Student Convocation on Saturday, Aug. 22.