What to Expect From a College Orientation Session

Most colleges require incoming freshmen to spend a weekend at the school with their families for an orientation program. If you are the first person in your family to go to college, you may not know what to expect out of an orientation such as this. Even if you are not, the college orientation process may have changed since your parents or siblings attended college. In this article, I am going to describe a typical college orientation weekend so that you know what to expect.

Each college holds its orientation sessions in a slightly different manner. The order of events in this might vary slightly, but there are several main events that you should expect.

College Orientation - Bill Payment Session
One of the first things that many colleges address during orientation sessions is how parents can pay tuition. This part of orientation also covers how you can direct scholarships and other forms of financial aid to your college. There will typically be several handouts, but you or your parents may wish to take notes as well.

College Orientation - Technology Session
Another portion of college orientation will probably be an informational session about campus computing. Here, your school may recommend particular computers or operating systems, and may talk about discounts on certain computers or free software that is available from the school. This is definitely worth paying attention to, because you might be able to save hundreds of dollars on computer software and hardware while doing shopping for college.

College Orientation - Dinner and Meet and Greet
On at least one of the days of college orientation, you will probably have a lunch or dinner with other accepted students and their families. The food will probably be catered, and this is as good an opportunity as any to meet new people. There may be current college students in their junior or senior years there, and they may be able to answer any questions that you have about the school. Take the time to ask questions and get to know a few other students. Depending on the size of your school, you may or may not see them again, but those may be people that you can hang out with for the rest of the orientation session.

College Orientation - Activity Night
Many college orientations have an activity night for students while the parents have an alternative program. Again, this is a good chance to socialize, and there may be free food. If you are tired or interested in doing something else, you probably won't miss a whole lot. Often, the activity will be karaoke or something similar.

College Orientation - Advising Session and Course Scheduling
This is probably the most important part of college orientation sessions. This is the first time that you meet your advisor and will probably be when you schedule your classes for your first semester. If you have questions about courses or majors, this is a good time to ask them. You may want to bring some more formal clothing for this portion of the orientation session, because you will probably be dealing with this advisor for at least your first year and you should try to make a good impression.

What College Orientation Is Not
College orientation sessions are not a sales pitch. They are not meant to convince you that you should go to a particular college. They are typically not a tour, though you may find that you spend a good bit of time walking around the campus. College orientation is usually not a time when you will be able to make close friends, however, you may be able to make some friends for the time that you're at orientation.

College orientation can range from being enjoyable to being rather boring. Bring questions and don't be afraid to ask them. Regardless of how your orientation session is, you should be excited to go to college. Don't be put off if you're bored from time to time. If you have any other thoughts or anecdotes about college orientation, feel free to share them in the form of a comment. Thank you for reading!