For the second time ever, 3,000 incoming first-year students and their parents are coming to the University in the next two months for Summer Orientation.
Class of 2004 Wahoos and their parents are arriving in Charlottesville for eight different two-day sessions occurring throughout July and August. The first session began yesterday and concludes late this afternoon.
The visitors will receive advising about course selection, majors, University computer services, activities and many facets of student life at the University.
Monica Nixon, assistant director of the Office of Orientation and New Student Programs, said the program added some new components this year based on feedback from last year.
"We added a panel in the evening for students to ask questions of the Orientation Leaders," Nixon said. "They can ask basic questions that might not come up" during the regular programs.
Each session's 250-400 students will stay overnight in the Hereford College residences with the 28 Orientation Leaders, she said.
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Sarah Brucker, an Orientation Leader and rising fourth-year College student, said that the summer orientation program is not required, but "strongly recommended" for all incoming first years.
"I think a lot of students found that it's a great opportunity. In the fall, when they get back, there are some familiar faces," Brucker said.
Rising first year Key Richardson, of Birmingham, Ala, who is attending the first session, said orientation was helping her become better accustomed to the University.
"It's useful to talk to the Orientation Leaders, and also to meet other students," Richardson said.
She said she is trying to sign up for a lot of different classes to see what she likes, but she is leaning toward a pre-Commerce curriculum.
Former Faculty Senate chair David T. Gies said he thought the summer program was a good idea because now "students arrive in the end of August ready to work."
"They don't spend a week or 10 days trying to find their classrooms or figuring out their schedules," Gies said.
Some of the highlights of the orientation include course advising, meeting with a faculty advisor, learning about financial aid and going on a tour, all with other students.
The students choose from eight different sessions, College first-years being able to attend whichever one they want. Students in other schools, transfer students and Rodman and Echols scholars attend specific sessions.
"We get those students all together so we can get together the specific advisors and deans" who will be relevant to those students' careers here, Richardson said.
Nixon said that last year, some students said there was some content overlap with the fall orientation program, and so this year the Orientation Task Force made a concerted effort to avoid repetition at the two orientations.
Brucker said there is also a separate program for parents, where they can learn about safety at the University and ways they can help their children adjust to college life.
Parents take care of their own housing, but they can eat with their children at Newcomb Hall.
Nixon said the University started a summer orientation for the incoming class of 2003 last summer after researching the success of similar programs at other colleges.
"We went on-site to other schools like the University of Wisconsin and University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill. We found that students were too stressed in the fall, there were too many people and it was too hectic," Nixon said. "We found that during the summer, the students are ready to meet other people in the smaller groups and talk to them."
In addition to formal question and answer sessions with the Orientation Leaders, the students can ask them questions at night and whenever they have time between the orientation activities.
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