UW-Madison mascot Bucky Badger rides in a big red cart inside of a residence hall. He is being pushed by a student wearing a red Wisconsin Badgers t-shirt.

Follow that cart!

Move-in day at UW–Madison packs a lot of excitement, a little nervousness and limitless dreams

Photos by Bryce Richter

“I’m excited!”

As we tagged along with one of the big red moving carts on UW–Madison’s move-in day, this was the refrain we heard most from incoming Badgers. With wide smiles on their faces, they piled bags and boxes and blankets into our cart, rolled it through hallways and elevators, and unpacked it into the residence hall rooms they now call home.

Welcome to the whirlwind few hours when the newest class of freshmen meet their new roommates, bid farewell to their families, and begin their college experience.

Our first cart trip of the day began with Kate Schulte of Brooklyn Park, Minnesota, who was feeling ready for the new friends, routine and independence that go hand in hand with this new chapter in life.

Her mom, Kim, joined in her enthusiasm: “My friends keep asking if I’m going to cry, but I don’t think so. I’m just so excited for her to have this experience of living in the residence halls and making new friends.”

“She’s independent and has been ready to be on her own since she was 12, so I’m not nervous. She’s ready for this,” added her dad, Dave.

A man leans over a full red cart filled with items that will stay in his daughters residence hall room as his daughter and son look on from behind. — Kate Schulte (center), an incoming freshman from Brooklyn Park, Minnesota, moves into Sellery Hall with her family at the University of Wisconsin–Madison. Schulte and her family arrived at the designated loading location early on Tuesday, Aug. 27 before the day's heat set in. As she packed her belongings into our red cart, she told us that she plans on majoring in neurobiology, focusing on a pre-med track.

A woman pushes a red cart full of her belongings. Two men follow behind with a second red cart, also filled with everyday items. — Kate Schulte (center) leads her father Dave (right) and brother Eric (left) into Sellery Hall to unload the carts that are filled with items she will need over the next nine months.

A woman walks along a hallway next to a man who is pushing a cart filled with belongings. The woman has a smile on her face as she walks to what will be her residence hall room. — Wearing (Badger) red shoes that match our cart, Kate Schulte makes her way down the hallway to her assigned room. This is the first walk of many she will make each day between the elevator and her room until move out in May.

Our cart was then handed off to Hemanth “Hemi” Indukuri, who grew up just a few miles west of campus in Middleton, Wisconsin. Despite the lifelong proximity, he was ready for the unique experiences that come with being a UW–Madison student, like meeting fellow freshmen on the floor of his residence hall, joining student organizations and experiencing “Jump Around” in the student section of Camp Randall Stadium.

“It’s one of the greatest traditions in sports, and I’ve never been to a game before,” he said. In addition to majoring in computer sciences, Indukuri hopes to join the Wisconsin Surma Bollywood fusion dance team and play intramural soccer.

A family of four walk down a window-less but brightly-lit hallway. Each person carries or pushes a cart full of items they are transporting to a room. — Hemanth "Hemi" Indukuri (far right), an incoming freshman from Middleton, Wisconsin, leads his family down a hallway in Sellery Hall, where he will live during his first year on campus. His mother, Veni, pushes our cart filled with his first load of clothes and furniture.

Up next on cart duty was Megan Reedy of Muskego, Wisconsin. As a member of Ogg Hall’s Business Connect Learning Community, she was happy to be paired with roommates who share the same educational interests. The learning community aims to foster a deeper connection among first-year direct admits to the business school. Together with her floormates, Reedy will be able to access additional educational and professional resources offered by the Wisconsin School of Business, and she’ll even have a built-in homework buddy (or two).

A woman pushes a red cart down a sidewalk. — After a relatively short drive from her hometown of Muskego, Wisconsin, Megan Reedy moves into Ogg Hall with help from her family. Reedy and her roommate, Anna Wilson from Kenosha, Wisconsin, moved in on the same day. Both are actuarial science majors and a part of the Business Connect Learning Community.

Move-in, by the numbers

8,915 total University Housing residents this fall

390 residents move in per hour during UW–Madison’s main move-in days across all halls

600 red carts are available for University Housing residents during move in

4,420 resident rooms were prepared (including some expanded housing dens) ahead of move in

209 House Fellows (79 new, 130 returning) will help residents transition and create community

*Note these are approximate numbers for the 2024-25 academic year.

Some students and parents were feeling ambivalent about the big change. Ruchika Sethi was emotional as she helped her son, Soham, unpack the cart in his room in Ogg Hall.

“I’m delighted that he got into UW–Madison, but he is my only child, so I’m feeling mixed emotions,” she said.

Soham, who grew up in California, picked UW–Madison because of the school’s journalism program and the ability to double major within the College of Letters & Science.

Two men lean over a red cart and begin to remove belongings. — Incoming freshman Soham Sethi (right) arrived in Madison from his home state of California two days before moving in on Tuesday, Aug. 27. He and his family spent their extra time in Madison shopping for necessities he'll need this upcoming year.

Three people, a son with his two parents, pose for a photo inside his residence hall room. — Soham (left), poses for a family photo with his mom Ruchika (center) and dad Yoginder (right) after unloading our cart.

Kayla Cichy from Arlington Heights, Illinois, also claimed our cart. She admitted that she was both excited and a little nervous about the journey ahead of her.

But Cichy, who plans to major in operations and technology management, lit up as she discussed her plans to join the intramural lacrosse team and Fraternity & Sorority Life. She even has ambitions to organize a flag football league among the sorority houses.

When asked why she chose UW–Madison, Cichy confessed that she had always planned to attend a different Big Ten school (that shall remain nameless). So what changed her mind?

“I fell in love with this campus while touring it,” she said. After that, the other school didn’t stand a chance.

Two women push red carts filled with items. — There was no looking back for Kayla Cichy (center), an incoming freshman from Arlington Heights, Illinois, after she visited campus for the first time. Months later she found herself moving into Sellery Hall with help from her mom, brother and stepdad. Here, Amy Quijano (right), a UW–Madison sophomore and Badger Buddy, helps Kayla transport a cart from the parking lot to her room.