CAL POLY - Though the start of classes at Cal Poly is a week away, new students began to arrive over the weekend, transforming the campus into a flurry of activity.

The Recreation Center field was alive with eager conversation Sunday as thousands of freshmen and their families gathered for the annual Week of Welcome family barbecue.

Parents and students gabbed about hometowns, talked about dorms and discussed majors.

But no matter the topic of conversation, one thing was clear: Most everyone expressed excitement for the upcoming school year.

Stuart Marshall said his son "has been looking forward to coming here for a long time."

The Los Gatos resident was waiting for his son, Ed, to finish registering for the WOW orientation program.

Ed Marshall, a 17-year-old art and design student, will start WOW today. The orientation program seeks to help new students meet people, learn their way around campus and adjust to college life.

"One of Ed's high school teachers recommended Cal Poly because Ed is interested in graphic design," Stuart Marshall said of his son's decision to attend the school.

Stuart Marshall, his wife and Ed's younger brother drove three hours on Saturday to help Ed move into his dorm. They planned to return to Los Gatos after the barbecue.

"My son's pretty laid back -- he didn't have much prepared for the move," Stuart Marshall said, laughing. "I think boys don't know what they need until they get there."

As Ed Marshall caught up with his father outside the barbecue, the blond, wavy-haired teenager said he felt a little overwhelmed.

"There's a lot of paperwork," Ed Marshall said of the registration forms he had just completed. "And when I first moved into the dorm, it was plain and dull, but I've put some posters up so it's not so bad anymore."

As of Sunday, nearly 2,400 freshmen had signed up for WOW, according to 26-year-old Eric James, one of the executive board members for the program. Students will be able to register for WOW until Tuesday.

James, who has worked at three WOW programs, said he hasn't noticed anything different about this year's group of incoming students compared to those of previous years.

"We're getting a lot of the usual questions," James said. "You know, 'Where do I check into the dorms?' or 'Where is this place or that place on campus?' or 'How do I get a meal plan?' -- nothing out of the ordinary."

Performer Jim Wilson, a 1981 Cal Poly physics graduate who spent Sunday entertaining the "WOWies" and their parents with a juggling act, said he hopes the new students will make the most of their college experience.

"This is a good school and a good area," said Wilson, who owns San Luis Obispo-based A-1 Talent Company. "I'd tell them that if you're living in the dorms, try to branch out in the community and get involved."

Classes at Cal Poly begin Sept. 22.