Confessions of a recovering orientation leader
My alarm blared, jarring me from an exhausted slumber. The sky outside was a dark denim blue that lent itself more to sleep than getting dressed at 4:30 in the morning. But it wasn’t just any day—it was the first day of orientation at Occidental College and as one of the eight students who’d just spent the past two weeks planning it, it was showtime.
Did I mention it was also my 21st birthday? I spent it with a headset glued to my head, coordinating the check-in of 450+ new students and their families and keeping track of a team of 10 small-group orientation leaders who, in turn, had their own groups of new students to manage. And I wouldn’t have had it any other way.
Working on Oxy’s Orientation Team (i.e. O-Team) for three years was an excellent experience: I learned to work well under pressure and with minimal sleep, bonded with other team leaders, and felt lucky to help new students explore their new college. I’ve also learned a few things about the college orientation experience, including…. …the perceived “cool kid” probably isn’t all that cool. Actually, he’s probably crying himself to sleep each night.
Okay, maybe not crying, but there’s always gonna be that guy (or gal) who’s putting on airs, pretending to not be nervous at all, and maybe dissing orientation events and activities. I once had a guy in my group of first-years who literally refused to sit with the rest of the group, bragged about having already gotten written up for underage alcohol possession, and skipped the small-group meet-and-greet with the college president.
Then he called me one afternoon during their free time and asked if I could help him sort through the course catalog and admitted that he was totally intimidated by his advisor and had no idea how to plan out his classes. He acted like a jerk, but in reality he was just as overwhelmed as anybody else starting college.
…going to orientation events is a good—nay, great—idea.
Traditional Oxy orientation staples include a squaredancing event/ice cream social, carnival, and themed semi-formal dance. Like most colleges, we also included plenty of “chill space” for students who were not up to dancing or just feel like chatting with new classmates. Orientation planners work hard to make events fun and interesting, so even if retro decade-themed dance seems out of the question, go anyway. If it’s really that bad after an hour, you can leave—but most of the students I heard say that this was their plan were eventually the last ones to leave!
…new students should feel free to contact professors other than assigned advisors.
Most colleges assign incoming students to an advisor either randomly or based on some piece of paper where students checked off numerous potential majors. This doesn’t mean that you’re limited to that one person’s advice, a common mistake made by college freshmen (myself included). Yes, professors will be busy with the start of the new year, but if you’re interested in a certain class or department that your assigned advisor doesn’t know much about, there is nothing lost and much to gain by at least e-mailing the appropriate professor(s). This can also be a time to call on your orientation leader and/or Resident Advisor—he or she can probably give insider advice about which professors are more likely than others to respond in a timely manner or maybe even help grease the wheels of the initial introduction. Score!
…take a deep breath, hydrate, and just have fun with it!
Starting college is totally overwhelming. I get that. But after three rounds of watching it from my bird’s eye vantage point, I can attest that one of the most helpful things is to know that, one way or another, it’s hard for everyone. Also, college orientations typically take place in the dog days of summer, so staying hydrated is crucial. It’s also a good reason to check out the bookstore early and buy a college water bottle! Also, please don’t be intimidated by the zeal and joy characteristic of those nerdilicious students who work on their respective colleges’ orientation teams/staffs/programs—they’re just excited to see you after all their hard work preparing for your imminent arrival. And possibly sleep-deprived, which may explain my outrageous Oxy pride at left. Happy new (academic) year!
PS: And when your freshman year has sped by in a blur, I recommend applying for your college’s orientation team—it was one of the best, most valuable experiences I had during at Oxy.
