Move-in day is right around the corner and that might make some of us more nervous than others. If the thought of orientation and moving into a “new home,” meeting your roommate, and making new friends is a little unnerving to you, here’s a brief overview of what to expect during orientation!
1. Move-in Crew – Expect to be greeted by the staff of Residential Life, Orientation Leaders, and athletes on campus ready to help move all your belongings into your new room! Although there are a lot of people moving in at once, it’s a pretty painless process and we work very hard to make everything go as quickly and smoothly as possible. When you arrive, you will check in with your RA and receive your room key. After your room is unlocked, you will have plenty of help from Orientation Leaders and athletes unloading the car so you can begin the fun part- unpacking and decorating your room! It’s usually pretty hot, so don’t forget to pack an extra t-shirt for dad- he’ll thank you later!
2. FREE Stuff! – Once you’ve unpacked, you’ll make your way to the Arts Center to check in for orientation. You’ll receive all the materials you need for orientation and to start your collection of free Nazareth swag. This will be the first of many opportunities to pick up free Nazareth swag throughout the school year. I actually challenge you to go the full year without getting at least one free Nazareth shirt- it’s pretty impossible! After you have checked in, you can eat lunch in the dining hall with your family.
3. Class Photo – Once you connect with your orientation group, we will head down to the stadium to take a class photo. During this time, your family will sit in on a “survival guide for parents” workshop before we regroup for convocation. After convocation, there’s family send off. Whether you are overly excited to take flight and begin your college journey living on your own or anxious about leaving home, make sure you give mom and dad a nice big hug (they really will miss you when you’re gone). If you’re excited, great! Get ready to make lots of new friends. If you’re anxious, try not to think about it. We have a weekend full of fun activities planned and winter break will be here before you know it!
4. New Friends – Introduce yourself; you never know what a simple “Hi, my name’s ____” will turn into down the road. We’re all new here which means everyone’s in the same boat. Get to know the people in your orientation group, you’ll be spending the next four days with them. These are usually some of the first people you meet on campus and for most people turn out being some of your closest friends. Your first night on campus, you’ll have a floor meeting where you’ll get to meet everyone living near you as well.
5. “Family” Dinners – During orientation weekend, we usually eat dinner as a group. “Family” dinners and meeting up with friends in the dining hall for meals is not a rarity at Naz. You’ll get to eat your first dinner on campus with the rest of the students in your orientation group and orientation leaders, so don’t worry about having to sit alone!
6. Information Overload – Throughout the weekend, you will attend a ton of information sessions on campus. This may seem overwhelming, and even boring at first, but I promise you it will be for your own benefit. It’s very easy to skip out on the info sessions and hide in your room, but please attend. You’ll be provided with a lot of important information and you’ll thank us down the road. Included in this will be your first meeting with your adviser and first ACS class of the semester; you won’t want to miss this because it is likely that they will remember. Who wants to start the year with a bad rep with their adviser and professors?
7. Community Service – Community service is really important to us here at Nazareth. During orientation, we will participate in a Day of Service and each orientation group will be assigned a community service activity at one of many locations in the Rochester community. Be ready to work, but be ready to have a good time bonding with your new friends as well!
8. Job Fair – Sunday afternoon there will be a job fair right on campus for anyone interested in a work study or non-work study job! Be prepared for on-the-spot interviews and hiring! To see a list of all the job openings on campus, create an account and log in to Hire a Flyer.
9. Get Ready for the First Day of Class! – Are you nervous you won’t know where you’re going on the first day of class? Print out your schedule and meet up with your orientation group to find exactly where each of your classes are going to be. Take this time to ask your orientation leader any questions that may have you worrying about your first college classes!
10. Late Nights, Early Mornings – Orientation is a busy weekend and can be pretty exhausting. It’s likely that you will have so much going on you won’t have time to miss home. We will start each day early and have a ton of stuff going on all day, but don’t worry, we have plenty of fun activities planned to wind down with each night! Here are just a few examples:
Thursday- Comedian Adam Grabowski, a fan favorite at Naz!
Friday- Karaoke and Casino Night! This year’s theme is “Vegas Night” so take advantage of a chance to dress up and win college essentials and other fun prizes!
Saturday- Illusionist Leon Etienne from America’s Got Talent!
For a full schedule of orientation, check out this link. If you haven’t already, you should be receiving information and a letter from your orientation leader in the mail. Friend us on Facebook, send us an email, and ask us any questions you may have!