Today is move-in day for incoming students at Washington University in St. Louis.

Chancellor Mark S. Wrighton will lead university staff members and upperclass student volunteers in an early-morning pep rally (cheers, dancing) as they prepare to welcome the new students and assist with move in.

The pep rally begins at 7:30 a.m. New students and their families begin arriving at 8:30 a.m. The heaviest move-in volume is mid-morning, around 10 a.m. By 3 p.m., most students will be settled into their new home.

Some 1,700 new students (freshmen, transfer and exchange) are arriving for the 2012-13 academic year that begins Aug. 28. A large number of them will move into the South 40 residence halls on Thursday, Aug. 23, the main move-in day for first-year students.

With help from family, friends and upperclassmen, the freshmen will haul everything from refrigerators and microwaves to carpets, bicycles and stereo systems. Trucks, vans, minivans and U-Hauls will line the South 40 driveways.

Be prepared for heavy traffic and delays around campus as vehicles enter and exit.