"I wasn't too nervous, just excited for something new and different," he said.
And after an entire summer of waiting, Pike saw his new home for the first time when he arrived on campus in August. "It's a nicer place because everything is new and there are a ton more people down here now," he said.
From the regal wood-paneled lobby to the indoor hallways, not much is similar about the four new South Campus halls -- which totaled $47 million -- and their neighboring high-rises.
So far unnamed, the residence halls -- Hinton James North, Morrison South, Craige North and Ehringhaus South -- are designated in relation to their sister halls.
Other differentiating characteristics of the new residence halls include bigger rooms with movable furniture and private bathrooms for each two-room suite.
The halls also accommodate three to four in-house classrooms and a faculty office on the first floor.
Rick Bradley, assistant director of the Department of Housing and Residential Education, said these features are key to establishing a "learning and living environment."
The four halls are the first new residence halls on campus since Carmichael Residence Hall opened 20 years ago. As part of the campus Master Plan outlining long-term campus growth, the halls are designed to create a new atmosphere on South Campus.
"We are trying to create that North Campus feeling," Bradley said.