Monmouth U. freshmen unpack, have high hopes

WEST LONG BRANCH – Kaelin Stoll stood outside of the building that would be her home for the next nine months, as a throng of students and staff lugged boxes and bags into Pinewood Hall.

The 18-year-old from Springfield joined hundreds of Monmouth University freshman who moved into the dorms Sunday. By the start of school on Tuesday, nearly 2,000 students will have moved into campus housing, according to college officials.

"I'm going to be a little bit homesick," Stoll said as her younger sister and parents moved plastic containers of belongings into her second-floor room.

"It's a big change, but we're excited," said her mother, Mary Beth Stoll, 48.

The 18-year-old said she planned to study psychology, which is one of the six most popular majors on campus. Other majors popular among the more than 6,000 students who attend the private university include business, education, criminal justice, communications and health studies, said Petra Ludwig Shaw, a spokeswoman for the university.

Health studies attracted Carley Parrott, 18, of Wantage Township to the school.

"I really want to do physical therapy" or something related, Parrott said before moving into her room in Pinewood Hall.

Her father, 58-year-old Jeff Parrott, said Carley is the last of his three children to move away from home. He hopes the change will bring new opportunity to him and his wife Lisa.

"It's amazing how fast time goes," he said. "Hopefully we'll get a chance to travel more now."

More than 20 million students attend colleges and universities in the U.S. each year, according to data from the National Center of Education Statistics. Of those, more than 5 million attend private institutions like Monmouth University.

Monmouth University's freshman enrollment has grown, from 906 first-year students last year to 1,070 this year. Annual tuition also grew from $30,390 last year to $31,682 this year, according to school officials.

Jackie Miller, 45, of Palmyra said her son Matthew — who moved into Elmwood Hall on Sunday to study biology at Monmouth University — will be among the first in her family to attend college. As a single mother with no college education herself, Jackie hopes her 19-year-old son will make the most of the experience.

"I want him to have a great time, but grow up and be responsible," Miller said. "I want him to have opportunity."

Amanda Oglesby: 732-557-5701; aoglesby@app.com

By the numbers: Freshman enrollment at Monmouth University has grown this year over last. More than 1,000 full-time freshmen enrolled this year, compared to 906 students last year, according to university officials.