University of South Carolina welcomes record freshman class

COLUMBIA, S.C. (WSPA) – The University of South Carolina is bracing for a record-breaking number of first-year students ahead of move-in day.

Courtney Buzan, USC’s Associate Director for Campus Programs, said there will be close to 8,000 first year students. She said her staff is getting ready for the move.

“It takes a village to bring USC back to life every year,” Buzan said. “We will be … celebrating, just having even more Gamecocks on campus to really embark on the student experience here.”

Buzan added they made improvements while students were away.

“First and foremost, our different residence halls. Several of them are going under a lot of improvements and construction,” Buzan said. “Once the students left in May … we needed to just get them up to newer standards and to a better quality of living for our students.”

To handle the rush, she said one thing students can do is use reusable bags instead of cardboard boxes to limit trash.

“I mean, you think that those things sound minor, but when you’re doing them to the volume of nearly 8,000 incoming students, plus upperclassmen live on campus, it’s really just a lot of logistics,” Buzan said.

Ainsley McConnell moved in early for sorority recruitment and she said the biggest advice she has for people moving in is to trust the staff.

“They know the system and they have like if you just follow their guideline, like everything is going to go the smoothest it possibly can be,” McConnell said.

Buzan added after move in there is a lot to look forward to.

“Then we’ll be just gearing up for the start of classes on Tuesday, August 19 and the kickoff of our Carolina Welcome Celebration, which is just constant activity for students to get them reenergized at the start of the school year.”

Buzan said the Russell House, which is the school’s student union, will be open for students to get what they need for the first day of class.