College orientation is something we all should do. It gives us a chance to meet our new classmates, connect with our roommates, and chat with our future professors. Orientation is also a time of first impressions. It will give the professors and college/university staff a taste of what your class will be like as people, as residents, and as students. That being said, there are a few things you should not do at your college orientation. Keep reading for the top 10 things to NOT do at your college orientation!
Orientation can involve some paperwork, so make sure you know what you have to bring before you show up. You may need to provide your social security number, some finical information, your car information (if you are having your car on campus), etc. In order to avoid showing up unprepared, email your school’s orientation staff or student life advisor and ask what you will need to bring. This also shows them that you are interested in being prepared and interested in your future.
We all think that placement testing sounds dumb. Why can’t they just base our classes off our high school transcript? For some reason, most colleges do not do that. Usually at orientation, they have you do placement testing for English and Math. You should take this seriously because they do determine what math and English class you will be in. I decided I was not going to take the math test seriously and I ended up in a much lower-level math class. Put thought into these tests and actually try hard because you may end up in a class that is way too easy for you.
This is your college orientation…not your wedding or the gym. I saw so many girls either dressed way too fancy or dress like they were about to run 10 miles. You want to dress nicely but not like you are at prom. In my opinion, some nice shorts and a blouse with simple flats will be just fine. Leave the Lily dresses and Nike shorts at home.
If your orientation is overnight, there will most likely be parties on campus thrown by your fellow incoming freshmen classmates. If you decide to go, be careful – what would be worse than getting caught and kicked out of the college before actually attending? So just be smart about it. Also, if partying isn’t your thing, don’t feel obligated to go by any means. There are plenty of other options, like heading to the student center and chatting it up with orientation leaders. Ask them questions you don’t want to ask professors and get the inside scoop on the best study spots around campus.
Going off of my “do not party at orientation” rule, you should not ask about the party scene at the college, either. Orientation should be a time to focus on the real reasons for college…to get your degree and make lifelong friends. If you plan on rushing, you can obviously ask about sorority information, but leave the party questions for once you are actually in the sorority, if you must ask about it.
The last thing you want to do is show up late to college before you even begin classes. If your orientation is overnight, make sure you set your alarm for the next morning, especially if there is an early event that is mandatory to attend, (like placement testing or whatnot).
This is the perfect day to notice something wrong with your schedule. If you see an error, speak up. Go to the department head, tell the registrars, jump up and down waving your schedule in the air while screaming, “ THERE IS AN ERROR ON HERE HELP ME PLEASE”. Okay…maybe that is a little over the top, BUT please speak up about it. You do not want to wait until the first day of classes to spot something wrong with your classes. Having math until three in the morning and English and science at the same time is not the best of ideas. Computers make these scheduling errors so speaking up is a great idea.
You will most likely be eating in your college cafeteria for the first time at orientation. I am the first to say that college food can really suck, but the cafeteria staff works hard for students to eat at least three meals a day. Orientation is just an added day they have to be working, so at the very least, be nice to them. They are human and are not the ones to make any weird cafeteria rule your college may or may not have.
If you meet your college life long best friends at orientation, that is great! But if you do not, that is okay too! You have plenty of time (at least four years to be exact) to find your lifelong friends. Do not give up hope if it does not work out at orientation. Most colleges have more than one orientation, so perhaps you did not go to the one that your future friends were at. You’ll find them, do not worry.
You do not have to fit in…ever. Please remember this, my friends. Being yourself is the best thing you can be. Do not try to fit in and forget who YOU are just to make others happy. You will find people you like you for who you are.
This is a sponsored post. All opinions are my own!
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