All right, I have a fair amount of tips to make sure you have a successful Orientation Week. I'll give a few today and some tomorrow and round off the week talking about how to have a great first year!
TIP ONE: Think of Orientation Week as the finale of your summer.
Orientation Week is a fantastic week. You get to do a ton of cool things, meet so many neat and interesting people, and have just a great time. But the fun you have during this week is more like summer fun. On one of the first days I was at Coe, I went bowling with my friends. We all had a blast and said to each other multiple times, "Let's do this EVERY Monday." Everyone agreed. Then school actually started and my Monday nights were full of band practices, Writing Center Staff Meetings, Coe Review meetings, and homework. There was no time for bowling. College is super fun, don't get me wrong. I love it. But the fun I have is different fun than I had during Orientation Week. There's nothing wrong with that. So enjoy Orientation Week but just remember things will be different once your classes start.
TIP TWO: Participate in as many Orientation Week activities as you can.
Because Orientation Week is fun! And you get to do a lot of neat things that you can't just normally do. It's all planned out for you so why not take advantage of it. These activities are also the place to meet your peers. So go ahead and introduce yourself to others, talk about your summers, discuss what you're interested in majoring in, and compare notes on Persepolis. You'll be glad you participated and you'll have memories that will last you quite some time.
TIP THREE: A follow up to Tip 2...Not only go to Orientation Week but get into the activities there. Because they might be silly but it's all in good fun.
I remember during my Orientation Week each FYS group had to do a skit in front of all the freshman. My FYS were not into it and our skit was average. I did take pictures of the other skits and looking back on them sends me into a fit of giggles. The skits were silly but you could tell by the photos everyone in the skits were enjoying themselves. Sure, some of them did some ridiculous things or talked in an outrageous accent. But they got some great laughs and entertained most of the freshman class. Some people might think they are "too cool" but don't let them stop you from having fun.
TIP FOUR: Don't expect a ton of sleep during Orientation Week!
They keep the freshman pretty busy during your first week. It's an earlier morning then some summer sleepers are use to and you're doing stuff all day and well into the night. I know that once I started making some friends we would often stay up even later, after the official Orientation activities were over, watching a movie or just hanging around and talking. It was a really nice way to get to know my friends. For me, Orientation Week was a crucial base in terms of friends and overall comfortableness of being a college student. Once the week was over, I knew I was ready to start classes and being an official college student!