Freshman Orientation

As someone who has taken part in new student orientation every summer for almost two decades, I know that some people can leave these events feeling more disoriented than oriented.  If you have this experience don’t worry. You and your child don’t have to remember everything you learned and there won’t be a quiz.  The main focus of orientation besides your child’s enrollment, is to let you both know that there are numerous services on campus to help you with problems or question that arise over the summer and throughout your child’s college career.

Almost every college offers some kind of orientation for students and parents. Depending on the size of the school, these can range from two or three day events complete with tours, receptions, and overnight programs, to an hour long program that simply covers the basics and enrolls the student in his first semester of classes. 

Whatever kind of orientation your child’s college holds I encourage you to attend the parent sessions and leave your child to attend the sessions meant especially for him. I know that this may very well be the first time you have ever been separated at such an event but there are a few things to remember before you insist on attending the student session with your child.

·               Trust that your child can and will manage on his own. If you are sincerely convinced that he cannot attend the residence hall session or enroll in his classes without your help, he will pick up on your hesitation and will assume that you don’t trust him to make good choices or think that he’s not bright enough to do it.

·               If, in fact, you don’t trust his judgment or don’t think he is ready to handle college, you need to have a serious discussion with him about why you feel that way as soon as possible. Before you have this discussion, ask yourself, “If I can’t let go of him now, how will I do it in 2 months?”

·               Parent sessions are developed specifically to meet the needs of parents of college students and to answer college specific question that will likely arise in the future. Missing these important sessions can put you behind the curve when it comes to helping your child in the future.  If you cannot attend, plan to at least collect the handouts or resources you would have received had you attended.

·               The students’ enrollment sessions often have limited seating space and are usually run on a tight schedule. Having one or two parents with each student in these sessions can overwhelm the rooms in which they are held and will slow down the enrollment process.

Orientation programs can be overwhelming to participants simply because there are a lot of topics to cover. Colleges try to touch briefly on a large number of subjects that may arise for you and your student. We know you can’t possibly retain all this information, so rest assured that any information can also be found in a handbook, online or by calling the college’s orientation office or parent and family affairs office.