Navigating Freshman Orientation: Your Guide to a Successful Start in College

Starting college is an exciting milestone, but it can also feel overwhelming. Freshman orientation is designed to help you adjust to your new environment, meet fellow students, and get the tools you need for a successful college experience. College is truly a self-reflecting time, and it goes by much more quickly than we expect it to. When you come to orientation as a freshman, you might be in denial that you will all too soon be a senior, or that you should even listen to all those boring informational sessions.

What to Expect During Orientation

Freshman orientation typically includes campus tours, information sessions and opportunities to meet academic advisors. Orientation is your chance to get answers to all your burning questions about college life. Whether it’s about financial aid, campus dining, or extracurricular activities, don’t hesitate to ask. Take advantage of guided tours to familiarize yourself with key locations, like academic buildings, the library, and student support services. Meet with your academic advisor during orientation to discuss your major, degree requirements, and class registration.

Making the Most of Orientation

College orientation covers a lot of information, and you may end up forgetting to ask some important questions during the session. Orientation speakers will likely cover many of these questions, but just in case you’ll have these checklists handy! Where are the details of the dining plans/dining dollars? Can freshmen have cars? What is your parental notification policy? What is covered in the meal plan? How do I create my schedule? As a first-year student, you’ve got questions. Don’t hesitate to ask them!

Here are ways that first-year students can use orientation to get more comfortable with college.

Connecting with Others

Making friends and getting involved early can help you feel more connected to your campus community. Participate in orientation activities: Join icebreakers, group games, and campus tours. Join clubs and organizations: During orientation, you’ll likely learn about student groups and extracurriculars. Attend social events: Many orientations include mixers, barbecues or themed parties. Connect with your roommate: If you’re living on campus, reach out to your roommate before move-in day.

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Orientation is a great time to meet new people. Everyone is split into a new group with people that they don’t know so making new friends comes naturally. Some of the people I made friends with are still my good friends three years later.

At night there is a lot going on too that you can do. There’s a hypnotist show that you can go to and you can go on stage and get hypnotized. There are games, bowling, food and more in Mendenhall Student Center until midnight. They may seem silly at first, but they’re a great way to get to know everyone. It’s a lot more fun to participate than it is to sit on the side watching.

Exploring Campus Resources

From academic advising to mental health services, freshman orientation often highlights the resources available to students. Orientation Assistants are students who are trained to help get you set up and feeling comfortable at school. They love to answer questions so ask them! No question is a stupid question at orientation. Use all of the resources that are available to you with your tuition. Counselors, Boynton, OneStop, etc. are all extremely helpful and they can make your life so much easier if you reach out to them.

Embracing New Experiences

College is all about new experiences, so embrace the opportunities orientation provides. Attend events, try new activities, and step outside your comfort zone.

Key Takeaways for a Smooth Transition

Prioritize Mental Health

As college students, we tend to romanticize the idea of being busy and overwhelmed and attribute it to simply being a college student. However, your mental health is not just important - it is a priority. You’re not a bad person for taking breaks from work and your social life to take care of yourself. If you ignore the warning signals your body is sending you now, it will turn into a habit later in life. Put yourself first. You're going to have to make self-care time, your mental health is one of, if not the most, important priority while transitioning and participating in college.

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Time Management and Avoiding Procrastination

Try not to fall for the seduction of procrastination. Though an assignment may not be due for another week, when you have other commitments as well you’ll realize how important it is to be ahead of the curve. While you may have the ability to finish assignments the night before, it doesn’t necessarily mean you should. At the very least, you should be brainstorming by the time it is assigned, as this can give you the necessary time to change ideas and get advice from classmates and professors.

Utilize Office Hours

Most people reserve office hours for the times when they need to argue against a grade, but office hours should be used prevent this situation in the first place. Not all professors seem approachable, but if office hours are listed and are not “by appointment only,” I encourage you to attend. Whether it’s one question or one hundred questions, they are yielding themselves as a resource to you. It can also come in handy later if you’re interested in being a TA or need a recommendation letter. Office hours not only help in class, but it demonstrates the type of student you are. Go to office hours and talk to your professors. Seriously. They are here to help you along with tutors. There are so many opportunities for research/job experience as an undergrad and you need letters of recommendation. Even if you don't plan on doing those it always helps to make connections in your field of study or just get your grades up.

Connect with Resident Advisors (RAs)

They are, in fact, students who decided to volunteer their time and energy to helping other college students have a memorable experience. They are trained in everything they do, so they are a great source of help - especially for issues that run deep with emotion. Sometimes you just need to talk to someone without judgment, which is one of the many things RA’s can provide. Establish a relationship with your RA and be sure to attend some of the events they host.

Focus on Personal Goals

On a prestigious campus like USC, it’s basically a battlefield of competition for internships and jobs. It’s important to not be discouraged by everyone else’s success. Instead, focus on the things you want to do, and how you are going to achieve those goals. There is no foolproof path to success, but mimicking others surely isn’t the way. The only person in charge of your life is you even if it feels like employers are holding the reigns. Don’t compare yourself to other students. Everyone is on their own journey, and will grow and change at a different pace. College is an amazing opportunity for self-development, but avoid coming in with an idealized vision of what you think it will be. Making real friends takes time. Finding your niche takes time. We’re all on different paths, so make sure you’re not using someone else’s status on that path as a gauge of your own success or shortcomings.

Embrace Change and Seek Support

It's okay to be worried, it's a huge change. Learning to adapt to change and having an open mind is the best thing to learn to come in. It's going to be very tough, especially emotionally, at first. Find the people you feel most comfortable talking to. Call them up or meet for coffee because they have to power to get you through some rough patches. Every week will be better than the last during your first semester and never hesitate to reach out to a trusted individual or a campus resource when you need some encouragement, some counseling, or some stress relief.

Stay Healthy

Stay healthy. A good night's sleep will get you a better grade in the long run than pulling an overnighter for a single exam. Make sure you take care of yourself first. It's difficult to succeed in classes (or life) if your mental and physical health is not doing well.

Take Initiative

Breathe. Meditate. It's all about that first step. Whether it's joining a new club, speaking to your professor, or starting a homework assignment, the hardest part is to start. After that first step, it'll become easier next time. Also, know what your boundaries are but also don't be afraid to step over them if that's what you really want to do. Make friends. Become engaged in the community that the University is offering to you because it is one that will only lift you to new heights.

Make an effort to be yourself! You are not obligated to hang out with people that you don't see yourself aligning with. Find others that you feel comfortable speaking your mind around, and that will help you grow as a person positively. Don't worry if you feel alone, that is normal and will improve over time. Talk to the people in your class. Be the first to reach out. Use the resources available and ask for help when you need it. You are important and wanted on the U of M campus, make your time count.

Get Involved

Get involved with a club or two and be sure to talk to the people around you in your classes. This is how I have met some of my closest friends this year. Find your people! Whatever your age, don't ignore those who are older or younger. Reach out and make connections, especially when someone is in more than one of your classes. Get to know your professors - they will be your best allies and help you with new opportunities. There is no right way to do college, only your own way. Take a chance, be smart with your choices, and make memories.

Ask Questions

Ask questions. Don't feel silly for asking questions. Although it may seem like everyone else knows what they're doing, they are most likely in the same position as you. It is a much better feeling to reach out and ask for help to understand what is going on than to feel confused and alone in a situation.

Additional Tips for Success

Take notes, pay attention in class, complete the assigned readings.
Your major may change because you’ll realize some classes/subjects aren’t really for you and that’s ok. It might take some time for you to find what you want to pursue so take that time to explore different courses. When taking your general courses, take classes you might never take, and take advantage of the first year seminar courses offered.
Take advantage of campus resources like CAPE.
Read your book even if you think you’ll be fine just going to lectures. Read your book.
Study and do homework with friends in the same class.
Read study materials before and after class.
Thrive to learn something new every day.
Prepare your mind to put the effort to be a successful student.
Organize yourself. Get a planner, make a schedule. They're not always fun, but it beats forgetting to get things done until they are a harder problem later.
Give yourself time to learn about yourself and what you need to be successful. It can be difficult to manage these things especially the first semester, but try to plan out everything beforehand and most importantly learn from your mistakes and change what needs changing!
At some point, you have to choose, good grades, good time with friends, or good sleep. Often, you can choose two of the three but rarely can you do it all.
Use your resources and advocate for yourself (help your advisors help you).
Develop good study/work habits right away. Getting into a routine and being diligent in your academic work first will allow for stress-free time you can spend on your social life. Don't panic. Life can be crazy in college but things will work out fine.
If you're feeling overworked or overwhelmed, take a break and refocus your mind on your goals and why you're doing college in the first place. Working with a clear mind is a lot more productive than working with a messy mind.

A Parent's Perspective

Talk through orientation/ registration decisions ahead of time. Empower your student to make their own decisions given the information they have at the time. Encourage them to consult an advisor if needed. This is all about expectations. Don’t let little things like traffic throw you off your game. Take the opportunity to make connections; this is true for you and your teen. Be mindful of simple pleasures that lighten the mood and indulge, like great photo opportunities, a student-led lesson on singing the college fight song, or a fun photo with the school mascot. Don’t expect day one of college to look like your last day of high school. It will look much more like your first day of high school when you were lucky to find all of your classrooms on time and hoped to get through the day. You weren’t involved in clubs yet or playing sports. You didn’t know everyone or have a hundred friends. Let college grow on you just like you did high school.

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