<p>Last year, I and most of my friends came back the Saturday or Sunday before classes started. I don’t think many people come back much earlier than that.</p>
<p>I’m pretty sure dining halls open (at least on a limited basis) when dorms open. FYI, apartment style dorms and Maxcy are open during all breaks. Though this isn’t really helpful for transfer students, it’s nice to note if you’re an out of state student planning on living on campus in the future. I had friends last year who lived too far away to go home for Thanksgiving, but had to scramble to find somewhere to go because their dorms weren’t open.</p>