For The Freshmen: Orientation 101

• Make the most of your orientation period. Your orientation leaders have great advice and are there to answer even your strangest of questions.

• Talk to your advisor about what you want from the university. Tell him or her your dream job, dream company to work for and anything else that can help them help you. Their job is to help you out academically, but if they know you on a personal level, they’ll definitely be able to help you out more.

• Get briefed on information about visiting your school counselor. It’s totally normal to be feeling weird when you’re first at college since everything’s new. Sometimes it’s just nice to be able to talk to someone who can keep your secrets.

• Don’t be afraid to ask an upperclassman for directions or advice. Yes, they may scream “freshman!” at you when you’re walking down the street at night, but they will definitely help you find your way to class!

• Scope out the best places on campus to eat! The only bad thing about college food, really, is that it gets very repetitive. Try to eat at a new place each day for the first few weeks. You’ll figure out what you really like, you’ll understand your meal plan better and you’ll know what your options are.

• Meet up with your roommate before you move into your dorm if you can. I met with my roommate the night before and got dinner with our parents. Not only was it nice to see a familiar face on such a crazy day, but you will also be eased into something that might have stressed you out.

• It’s best to get involved with as many things as possible. You can then narrow down which things you like best and commit yourself to them. But getting involved with things you’re passionate about are the best ways to make friends!

• Most of all, making friends may seem like the scariest part, but everyone is so friendly in the beginning. You’ll be friends with people in your hall, in you classes, etc. You’ll probably travel in massive groups, but that will stop after a few weeks. Just be yourself and everything will fall into place.

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