What should I expect at Ohio State University's orientation?
Freshman orientation at Ohio State is a big deal! You will spend a very active two days with representatives from offices all over campus who will highlight the services that are available to you at Ohio State. You will discuss the transition from high school to college, what being a student is actually like and the 'business' side of being a student on Day One. You will also attend an academic overview session that will prepare you for creating your first semester schedule.
Day One concludes with students participating in a variety of fun experiences sponsored by Campus Recreation and Student Life. Families and guests will end their day with an optional reception and an opportunity to explore our beautiful city on their own.
On Day Two students and guests reunite to attend information sessions for special populations and then proceed to an overview of college life and how to succeed Ohio State. Guests and students then split up to attend discussion groups on a variety of important subjects. After the discussion groups close, students will then proceed to a pre-determined location to meet with their academic advising staff to create schedules while guests are invited to relax in the Thompson Library reception room or attend optional sessions for guests.
Your Day Two will close no earlier than 2:30 p.m. so it is important if you are traveling from outside the city to plan accordingly for your departure. Students are expected to remain on campus until their closing events have completed.
What should I expect from University Exploration's academic overview and Day Two scheduling session?
Day One:
Every year we get asked "how can I possibly make a schedule if I don't know what major I'm going to be in??" Our day one session is designed to answer this very question.
We start our overview by introducing you and your guests together to what our program is like and how we will work with you as a student. We go over our expectations for your participation and what you can expect from your academic advisor. We then provide you with a brief overview of how we 'group' the 200+ majors at Ohio State into 6 general fields of study or "meta majors" and help you eliminate fields that you know you are not considering. We also establish a common language and understanding of all the components of an Ohio State degree and what the University requires you to complete before you graduate. Following this description students will be divided into groups and taken to separate rooms for an in depth group advising appointment that covers extensive scheduling suggestions based on the individual student's interest in specific meta majors and career goals. Students will leave the group advising appointment prepared to make tentative decisions on courses for autumn semester and will be able to discuss their options with an advisor on day two.
While students are participating in the group advising session their guests will remain in the larger lecture hall to participate in an informational overview of the scheduling process, how to help their student transition to Ohio State as an undeclared student and critical information on some of University Exploration's supplemental success programs like Support From The Start.
Throughout our overview students and guests will be filling in a workbook so that when they leave our session they should have a guide to help them form a tentative schedule to discuss with an advisor on day two. Our overview is not divided by interest area.
Students will not receive a prescribed list of courses that they HAVE to take during the day one overview. They will receive information and suggestions about the options they can choose from based on their areas of academic interest. The courses one student in our program takes during Autumn Semester will vary greatly from another student's if their interests and strengths differ. No matter what courses a student selects during the Day One session, an academic advisor will go over their selection and approve or make changes to it during the day two session. No student will leave orientation with courses that have not been approved by an academic advisor.
Day Two:
Students will be pre-assigned an appointment time that is communicated to them on Day One. At their appointment time they will arrive in 352 Denney Hall and check in with our reception staff. Students will have a 30 minute individual appointment with an academic advisor. During this appointment the advisor will clarify any questions remaining from the day one session, will go over the student's ideas for what classes they may want to take and will discuss the student's interests and goals for their first year at Ohio State. Using this information the advisor and the student will work together to build and create an Autumn Semester Schedule in Buckeyelink.
While we understand that many guests are very interested in the scheduling process, this appointment is the student's unique opportunity to start to build academic decision making skills and a relationship with our advising staff, and as such it is requested that the student attend the appointment on their own. Families and guests are invited to help their students finish their University related business by checking out banking options, talking to financial aid representatives, visiting the Dennis Learning Center or finding out Study Abroad information.
How Can I Prepare for Orientation?
Basic, but very important, first steps to prepare
Bachelor's Degree 1101– Know what you're coming to Ohio State for even if you don't know what major you want
Know yourself- What are your goals, interests, strengths and abilities?
