The new school year made its first major milestone in Riverdale on Thursday as freshmen move-in day took place at The College of Mount Saint Vincent.

While it's a big day for staff and students, the president of CMSV, Dr. Susan Burns, acknowledges it's also "a stressful day for everyone, because there's a lot of new things happening.  There's excitement, there's nerves."  

Incoming freshmen like Starling Martinez agreed, saying her family cried and told her they already missed her. Fellow freshman Annabelle Gerez said it still hadn't hit her yet.

To try to help the 415 freshmen adjust to their new life, the school says they have a team of staff and returning students around campus, including resident assistants, who go through a two-week training program on mentorship. 

Kiana Bonner, assistant dean of students, says the goal is "to make sure we fill that gap and we provide that home feeling that they won't have right now, so they won't their parents here, but we're here as a support system."

The rest of the students get to campus on Sunday and classes start on Monday, so to make CMSV feel as much like home as possible, it hosts a welcome orientation meeting over these first few days for the freshmen, including group activities like barbecues and a silent disco, along with field trips around Riverdale and into Manhattan. 

Martinez says that'll definitely help the transition, telling  News 12 "that is nice that we're able to adjust for a couple days and not just jump right into it, it gives us time to develop our thoughts and just gather our feelings."