Chloe Lawson left right after church on the morning of move-in day and headed to WKU with her parents and her boyfriend. Upon arrival, she went through the process of figuring out where her room was, signing in and getting a Minton sticker for her ID. She took her mini refrigerator on the elevator, but everything else up the stairs to her room on the fourth floor.

Tears were shed by all parties when the time came for the 18-year-old Russell Springs freshman to part ways with her parents and boyfriend.

“My parents were hugging me and saying, ‘We’re right here if you need us. We can come back and get you any time,’” Lawson said. “They drove away, and I was just left standing there so I thought, ‘Guess I’ll go back to my room now.’”

Lawson’s roommate was a sophomore and wasn’t participating in MASTER Plan, so she had not arrived yet.

Lawson was excited for the activities of MASTER Plan, and her dad told her to leave her door open to help with the adjustment process.

“I had it open all week, and all sorts of people stopped by and said, ‘Hi,’” Lawson said.

Landon Case, a 19-year-old Owensboro freshman, said he was really excited to have a room that he could control half of by himself.

“I was also overwhelmed by the possibilities of how to set up our dorm,” Case said.

Josh Arend, a 19-year-old Owensboro freshman, said move-in day was pretty hectic, but that’s what he expected.

“I did end up meeting new people, and it was a great feeling to finally be on my own,” Arend said.

Not wanting to stay at home and commute, Lawson said she chose to live in a residence hall for her freshman year.

“Dorms are convenient and make it a lot easier to get to class,” Lawson said.

Lawson said she tried to get into Minton Hall because she had heard it was one of the nicer residence halls.

“The majority of kids there are in the Honors College, so I knew they would be studying, and I wanted people to study with,” Lawson said. “It’s nice to have that environment.”

Leading up to move-in day, Lawson said she was really nervous.

“I was afraid I wasn’t going to meet anybody, and I was afraid my roommate was going to be awful,” Lawson said. “But it all worked out.”

After the first week, Lawson said it was “pretty smooth sailing.”

“I got lost a couple times, not going to lie, but after I found all my classes, it all felt natural,” Lawson said. “I got into my routine, and I was good to go.”

Lawson said she applied really late for housing.

“I didn’t know about my roommate until a couple weeks before move-in, so I was stressing,” Lawson said. “I was afraid I’d end up with someone who liked to party. I don’t like to party. I like to go to bed early.”

Lawson’s roommate was the one who ended up calling her.

“She was super sweet and told me all about her major,” Lawson said.

“She moved in and we just connected. We’ve roomed together all year, and she’s going to an apartment next year. I’m sad about that, but I’ve decided to get a random roommate again next year since it worked out really well the first time.”

Having had such a good time at MASTER Plan, Lawson said she was not ready to go home, but she still ended up doing so that weekend before classes got underway.

“I go home every weekend, so I don’t really have a problem with homesickness,” Lawson said. “Cell phones and social media help me stay connected with everyone.”

Lawson said one of the highlights of living in Minton Hall is being right in the middle of campus.

“I can walk to all my classes and any of the restaurants on campus,” Lawson said. “I’ve also got to meet so many people in the halls. All the girls on my floor are so sweet, and we all got to hang out during MASTER Plan.”

To Lawson, living in a residence hall is a good choice.

“If you commute, you don’t have the same opportunities to meet as many people,” Lawson said. “You eat here and sleep here, so you’re going to meet so many people that you wouldn’t have met before.”