What Exactly Happens At Freshman Orientation At The University Of Louisville

Freshman orientation at the University of Louisville is a unique experience. It’s scary, exciting, and exhausting all at the same time. Whether meeting new people is you forte or not, it’s something you’ll do a lot of.  You’ll also get your first taste of dorm life and your first feeling of college freedom. I’m here to tell you about exactly what happens at freshman orientation at the University of Louisville!

As I alluded to before, freshman orientation is your first taste of dorm life.

The first thing you do once you get there is check into your temporary room in Miller Hall. If you’re lucky, your actual dorm will be in somewhere like Kurz or Community Park, but for orientation, Miller will be your home. Miller is the epitome of traditional dorm life, complete with communal bathrooms and cramped dorm rooms. Oh, and don’t forget your Twin-XL sheets. Speaking of rooms, I wouldn’t really worry about who you’re rooming with; I didn’t even talk to my roommate enough to remember her name. Plus, there’s so much to do that you’ll barely be in your room.

After you’ve checked in, orientation really begins.

The students who lead orientation groups are called SOSers and they’re your lifeline during the crazy process that is orientation. Your SOSer is chosen based on which college you’re in i.e. Music, Business, Honors, etc.  So, hopefully, the people in your group have similar if not the same majors as you. Once you meet your SOSer and your group, the dreaded icebreakers start. For about an hour or so, you’ll fill out paperwork and talk about yourselves. Next up is the start of hours spent in auditoriums for lectures.

 

Throughout orientation, you have to sit through a multitude of lectures.

Some of these lectures will pertain to safety, some will have to do with financial aid, and some I honestly don’t even remember. During this time, my SOSer was sending us random pictures in our GroupMe to keep us from falling asleep. However, a lot of the information is pretty important, so I’d suggest paying attention.

After the lectures and meeting with advisors, we were let out to breakout sessions.

This was a time where you chose four different meetings to attend on various subjects. I went to sessions about intramural sports, financial aid, etc. These breakout sessions are when you get to hear about things that you actually want to, so I’d choose wisely.

For the remainder of the afternoon we did icebreakers with our orientation groups and even teamed up with other groups for double the icebreaker fun.

Some of these icebreakers got personal, but really helped open people up and taught me a little about myself. Once we were done with icebreakers, we went to the auditorium to see “The Real World”. It was a series of skits that taught us about the realities of college, from harsh to humorous. This was when orientation really started to turn up.

After “The Real World” we had free time to do pretty much whatever we wanted.

In the Interfaith Center there were free milkshakes made by the SOSers and there was a dance in the Red Barn. But, you have the freedom to do whatever you want—as long as it’s on campus. My friends and I sat outside the SAC playing Cards Against Humanity and another one of my friends swam in a fountain. But, don’t forget that you have to get up pretty early the next morning, so I wouldn’t stay out too late.

 

The next day consists of a few more lectures, but the biggest, and easily most stressful, part of the day is scheduling.

Before lunch, your SOSer will take you to the library where you will yet again meet with advisors and take on the daunting task of creating your first college schedule. It’s important to remember to validate your classes, but not enroll until after lunch unless you want to be the last to schedule. After lunch, which is actually and RSO fair, you will complete the extremely underwhelming task of enrolling in classes. Once you schedule, it’s time to leave.

The last part of orientation brings you right back to where you started: Miller Hall for check out.

This is the time where you say goodbye to your orientation group, who nine times out of ten, you’ll never talk to again, and head back home. I’m not really sure how I felt at this time, because I was relieved to go home as well as nervous and excited for college at the same time.

If I could sum up Louisville’s freshman orientation in one word it would be overwhelming. You’re taught so much and do so much that by the time you get home all you want to do is sleep. Oh, and if you get nothing else out of orientation, be grateful for the abundance of free food and stuff they give you.

Are you going to be at freshman orientation at the University of Louisville!? Share in the comments below!

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