Aubrey King feels overwhelmed. It’s her first time living on her own and her parents just made her dorm bed and left.

“I’m the last kid (to leave the house) so I’m thinking they’re excited,” said King, an 18-year-old Nutrition and Dietetics major from Gardnerville, Nev.

King is excited to learn things she actually wants to learn and to grow as an individual, which are two things that can happen at any college. Her main reasons for choosing the University of Nevada, Reno, however, could only happen here.

“I wanted to not have debt and to be close to Tahoe because I love it there,” King said.

She’s not the only one who moved into the dorms on Wednesday and came to the university to save money. Alex Peckham chose Nevada over the University of Oregon because it costs significantly less. And even though the dorms subtracted from what he was saving, his reasons to do so weren’t unheard of.

“I just wanted to focus on school and if I was in the dorms, I wouldn’t have to worry about maintaining an apartment or buying my own food,” said Peckham, an 18-year-old psychology major from Carson City, Nev. “The dorms just suited me well.”

Lauren Bick chose the dorms for a different reason.

“Everyone seems to have school spirit when they stay in the dorms,” said Bick, an 18-year-old journalism major from Rocklin, Calif. “You’re on campus so you can see everything while it’s going on. It’s just like being part of your school.”

Most of Bick’s friends went to Southern California for school and she only knows one other person who has come here from her hometown. The journalism program is the main reason she chose the university but it’s not the only reason.

“It’s not too far from home,” Bick said. ”And it’s close to Tahoe so we can go snowboarding.”

Brad Wuest is also not far from home, being a Lodi, Calif., native. Like other students who have moved away for college, he’s aware of the responsibility that comes with moving out.

“You’re more independent,” said Wuest, an 18-year-old engineering major. “You have to make sure that you get all your homework done. No one is there to tell you what to do, you just have to do it.”

More than anything though, Wuest is excited for this new chapter in his life and for the dorms. He chose Lincoln Hall because it’s supposed to secure students quiet time when they need it. Though that’s a bonus for when a paper is due, he looks forward to the social aspect as well.

“You get a good friend base over just trying to move in with one of your friends,” Wuest said. “You kind of separate yourself (that way).”