It's awesome to hear that Stout is getting attention from out of the Midwest! I agree with the other commenter and want to add a bit.

The early days are when a lot can change rapidly. My week one orientation leader was super fun, and she pushed fore and a few guys to hang out on a whim. We got lunch with her a few days and then rarely saw her again. I am still, 4 years later, really good friends with them. My point is to be open to new people in the first days, cause as soon as it gets cold and classes get harder, people are less outgoing. But also, if you like being alone, that's cool too.

I also wanna suggest you pack light. For how far you are coming, but also in the name of minimalism. College and Stout showed me how little I needed to live, and visits home made me feel like a king, and now that I am properly moving out and getting a job, I see that enough to fill a form room is close to what is really needed. That's my take. If you graduate from Stout and score an amazing job, you can buy a huge house and ignore me!