Freshman experience; breaking the ice

Parents Forum
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<p>I’m not dissing any of these programs at all! Just that if College A offers whitewater rafting and College B offers mountain climbing – well, it’s the same concept, bonding through outdoor adventure. If College C partners with Habitat for Humanity to build a house for a poor family and College D has its own program to build houses in an outlying rural area, again, it’s still the same concept – bonding through service towards those less fortunate. If College E takes the kids to Six Flags and College F sends them to the professional baseball game, again, it’s the same concept – bonding through light-hearted fun. </p>

<p>It seems that a lot of people upthread are saying - my school has a really good program, it offers a leadership program / an outdoor adventure program / a service program prior to new student week, and then during new student week, the freshmen are broken into small groups and do activities by dorm and / or by interest area, and for those whose colleges are near a city, there are options to explore that city (for example, the JHU / Baltimore activities listed above). I think these things are GREAT. But they are all generally the same concept as far as I can tell. I’m asking, who does something DIFFERENT?</p>

<p>D’s college offered peach-picking as an activity (though she chose hiking instead). What other things are being offered that are different from the usual?</p>

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<p>Neither one of the schools that my D’s attend offered anything unique, but I would like to pass along some advice from D1 to D2. (D2 was looking at the activities offered during orientation week, and pronouncing some of them “lame”).</p>

<p>D1: “Even if you would never do some of these things under normal circumstances, it’s important that you do them during orientation week. It’s not about the activity, it’s about meeting people and becoming involved. So go play bingo, go to the midnight ice-cream social, go on the scavenger hunt. Nobody thinks that you usually spend your free time at these activities – your are all just doing goofy things to break the ice”</p>

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<p>Great point! I thanked the skies that my often cynical D figured this out and had fun meeting people. She might even go to a few sporting events this year…</p>

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<p>There are probably some unique and innovative orientation programs out there and it would be interesting to hear about them. From the posts so far, I think it’s safe to generalize that smaller private LAC’s and universities have more nurturing and lengthy orientation programs. UC Berkeley offers a one day orientation for new students and parents. Hand holding? Sink or swim? Depends on who you are and what you want. I’m glad there are choices.</p>

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<p>Ah, now I get it. How about what UC Berkeley has offered? Last year, they asked incoming freshmen for cheek swabs for DNA testing, to look at a few metabolic enzymes. I think they hoped to get some discussion going about genetic variability, privacy/ethics, that sort of stuff, but it ended up being VERY controversial. This year they’re asking the incoming class to record themselves saying something. Again, as a discussion starter.</p>

<p>Good point, mrsref–it’s more about doing something, than what the something is.</p>

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<p>Just crossed posts with the last couple…The UC Berkeley stuff seems more like a twist on the “Common Book” than an ice-breaker per se.</p>

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<p>Is their common book The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks? That is Northwestern’s common book this year.</p>

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<p>For the actual move-in date, my D’s (Wellesley) is a one-day, in-and-out, get your key and kiss the 'rents good-bye at 4 pm, whereas my S’s (Northwestern) is a full two days and appears to have a lot more bells and whistles (of course, they are also handling 4x the students at NU compared to Wellesley). NU also offers the weeklong pre-orientation trips of the kind we’ve been discussing here (wilderness, leadership, service, plus overnights sponsored by various religious groups) that Wellesley doesn’t. The actual orientation weeks of the two, however, seems to be generally the same – trips to explore the nearby cities and get-to-know-the-campus-your-dorm-and-your-advisor stuff. We shall see!</p>

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<p>Pizzagirl, I’m not sure what you’re expecting to see here. Other than running orientation programs with games and bonding exercises, familiarizing kids with the campus and services, what else is it that you think colleges could to to break the ice?</p>

<p>I did list one new/unusual idea in my post on page 1:</p>

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<p>Her college is expanding this program, and is actually building housing based around the concept - freshmen will live in groups, and the group will have a core class academic together. Not a “getting to know you” class, but an actual academic class that all freshmen are required to take - either English, or her college requires a multi-disciplinary seminar called “The Global Experience.” </p>

<p>Also, look at what Union College in Schenectady NY does with their “Minerva Houses.” All freshmen are assigned to a Minerva House, which functions somewhat like a frat or sorority except that everyone is randomly assigned to one, and is a member of that house for their entire college career. Minerva Houses have elected upperclassmen officers and are given a budget from the college for socials. The freshmen in a Minerva House take a seminar together. Not everyone in the Minerva House actually LIVES in a HOUSE together, they live in the regular dorms. But each Minerva House does have space on campus with a social/gathering area, a kitchen and housing for its officers. Kids can choose how much they want to do with their house, or they can do nothing with their house at all (outside the seminar) if they choose. But it gives them a built-in sense of “belonging” and a social network from day one.<br>
[The</a> Minerva Program - Campus Life - Union College - Union College](<a href=“http://www.union.edu/campus/minerva/index.php]The”>http://www.union.edu/campus/minerva/index.php)</p>

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<p>Beats me – I certainly don’t have the answers! I was trying to get the discussion going in the direction of UNIQUE things that certain colleges do, that AREN’T variants of what fifty other colleges do. The Minerva Houses you referenced are a great example, as is the UC Berkeley swabbing.</p>

<p>I’m just thinking through how people “mix it up” in business settings and how that’s facilitated. You could do something like a bingo where you get points for finding / identifying the fellow freshman who was born in Luxembourg, or went bungee jumping in Australia, or is one of a set of quadruplets, for example. You could do creative endeavors for the non-creative, like pottery painting. You could do a beach party or swim party at the fitness center. Certainly those colleges that are near big cities take advantage of sending the students to pro baseball games – but is there some other creative idea that’s different from sending the kids to Wrigley Field or Camden Yards? I don’t know - I’m just thinking out loud here. I guess I was wondering what other colleges did that was unique and different beyond the usual pre-orientation week events (outdoors, leadership, service) and the usual orientation week events (meet your dormmates, RA, advisors and form a bond with a smaller group). That’s all, honest!</p>

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<p>All 4 of my kids attended Freshmen Orientation and met alot of people .All enjoyed the programs . Your child should wear a t-shirt from something he did that was an amazing experience for him /her . People will ask them about the shirt ,either because they did a similiar program ,or just curious . The shirt will provide some topic of conversation .</p>

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<p>That’s a perfect example if you turned it into an activity and prepped them upfront that on Day X, come prepared to wear a t-shirt that has meaning to you. That becomes the ice breaker because everyone knows to look for / ask questions about the shirts.</p>

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<p>UT Austin has a first year program where students who live together take an English class.</p>

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<p>Wow, austinareadad, I am surprised you would make such a sweeping accusation of UT-Austin since your experience with the school is so irrelevant now. Your statement, “At UT, they throw you in the deep end, without a life preserver, and you sink or swim on your own,” is just not true. Let me fill in your knowledge gap for you.</p>

<p>All freshmen are encouraged to attend orientation the summer before school starts. It is a longer, more organized event than when I attended the school in the early 80s. Each student is advised and given the opportunity to sign up for classes on the computer. If he or she does not get the ideal schedule, more classes open up each week, and it is not difficult to sign up for them.</p>

<p>In August before school starts, freshmen are invited to attend Camp Texas, a three-day event held at Camp Balcones Springs. If you click on this link, you’ll see what a great experience it is.: [What</a> to expect - Camp Texas 2011](<a href=“http://www.texasexes.org/camptexas/expect.asp]What”>http://www.texasexes.org/camptexas/expect.asp) Several professors volunteer every year to speak to the students. The students go through lots of team-building exercises, and just have fun together. Lots of students make friends they remain in contact with the rest of the school year.</p>

<p>The day before classes start, Freshman Reading Round-Up is held. About 60 professors who have been inducted into UT’s Academy of Distinguished Teachers pick a book that is put on a list ([Admission</a> - Freshmen | Be a Longhorn | UT Austin](<a href=“http://utdirect.utexas.edu/bal/roundup_search.WBX?s_event_type=BOOK&s_event_signup_url=read_reg.WBX&s_generic_event_name=Reading_Roundup]Admission”>http://utdirect.utexas.edu/bal/roundup_search.WBX?s_event_type=BOOK&s_event_signup_url=read_reg.WBX&s_generic_event_name=Reading_Roundup)). Students sign up for a small discussion group on the book of their choice. Note that these groups are held by the BEST teachers at UT.</p>

<p>New students are all invited to be part of the FIG (Freshman Interest Group) program. One branch of this program is the one hkem123 mentioned, but it covers all areas, not just English. Students live in the same dorm, participate in activities together, and take some of the same classes. Students not in the residential program can still participate in a FIG. When they sign up for it at the beginning of the year, they are assigned several classes together, and also take a no-credit FIG “class” every year. This class is specific to their major. Some weeks they hear a lecture by an expert. Other weeks, tutors come in to help them with a particular class. One week, they took my son’s engineering FIG class to the art museum for a tour. Another time, they ordered in pizza.</p>

<p>I don’t know if all departments are set up this way, but all engineering students are entitled to FREE tutoring. The kids DO NOT just sink or swim.</p>

<p>My son just finished his freshman year at UT. I don’t want to go into detail, but he has gone through significant physical and mental illness this year. Since we live 2,000 miles away from Austin now, I was very concerned with how he would do. I have been VERY impressed with the school, from its student health center to its advising program to its level of instruction. Due to his extenuating circumstances, I decided to contact our son’s advisor directly (believe me, something I would NEVER do normally!). My son told me her name, and when I looked her up, I was pleasantly surprised to discover that she wasn’t a professor assigned a bunch of kids, but rather a staff member with the title of “Undergraduate Advisor.” I was still curious whether she would remember my son well and if she would be sympathetic to his situation. Oh, my, was she ever! She said, “Oh, I like your son so much! He told me all about his high school running and his injuries. He hadn’t told me about the other issues, though. Please tell him that ANY time he has difficulty in a class for any reason, he can come see me and I will talk to the professor for him.” We must have talked 20 minutes. She said she will be glad to help him with an “extended” schedule since it appears that he will need more than four years to graduate. She even contacted a tutor who will be helping my son this fall. I came away from that conversation very pleased that my son is not “just a number” at the University.</p>

<p>I could go on, but hopefully you get the picture. </p>

<p>I believe austinareadad’s mischaracterization of UT is why students and parents have to be so very cautious about using the internet as an authoritative resource. Do your homework and talk to people who actually know about the subject.</p>

<p>Oh, as far as selectivity goes, just try getting into the engineering or business school, or any of the honors programs. My son was accepted into Amherst and Wash U in St. Louis, but chose UT after seeing its outstanding resources. He started doing research in the biomedical engineering lab his first semester. Even with all of his difficulties this year, he is happy to be at UT. Of course, we told him we would be happy to help him transfer to a school closer to home if he wanted to, but he insisted he wants to stay in Austin.</p>

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<p>Cal Poly San Luis Obispo has something called WOW. (Week of Welcome.) It’s an awesome student-run orientation program that is very successful in “breaking the ice” and helping new freshmen acclimate to college. My daughter enjoyed it so much that she hopes to become a WOW leader during her junior year. We parents had a chance to meet this dedicated group during Admitted Students Day at Open House.</p>

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<p>I’m the OP, and the Minerva Houses are an example of what I hoped to see. Maybe I didn’t phrase it well enough. I’m looking for things that carry through the year and make a social structure a student can rely on through the ups and downs. Could be as simple as an upper class buddy a student meets with regularly, or a particularly good RA system. Though this is all interesting, and I will definitely pass on the idea of the t-shirt at orientation!</p>

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<p>My daughter starts Aug 7 at Bard, where all freshman do the Language and Thinking program for 3 weeks before classes start that brings them together over challeinging readings, arts activities, lectures and social events. Bard and visiting faculty particpate. By all reports it is a very special and memorable way to start college. [The</a> Language & Thinking Program at Bard College](<a href=“http://languageandthinking.bard.edu/]The”>http://languageandthinking.bard.edu/)</p>

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<p>momwonders post reminded me that freshmen at Eckerd College start before everyone else with a special course for first years:</p>

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<p>That also reminds me of a 1-credit course at Adelphi called “Freshman Orientation Experience.” It is a lot like the one at Eckerd, and it lasts some portion of first semester. I’m sure there is social bonding in that group along with the educational benefit.</p>

<p>D is in the Honors College and doesn’t have to take that course, but her HC Hum class is 4 credits and she’s under the impression that they’ll do the “Orientation Experience” material in that extra credit hour. In general being in a freestanding Honors College will be a special learning/social community in itself. I do think these are great, in the same way that I like “house” living.</p>

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<p>It’s fascinating to find out what all these institutions do. I failed to mention Whitman’s year long required class for all freshman, called Encounters. Freshman are divided into small classes of about 15 students and cover the same material over 2 semesters. They delve into the major historical religions and philosophies that have created today’s worldwide ideologies. All the freshman read and discuss “The Bhagavad Gita, “The Qur’an,” Gandhi’s “Selected Political Writings” as well as Martin Luther King Jr.’s “Letter from Birmingham Jail” and Charlie Chaplin’s “City Lights. The Bible (both testaments) and the Greeks are also represented, as well as western existentialism, Darwinism and other isms. All first years share the same intellectual exploration, which has to create some sort of bond.</p>

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<p>Lawrence University has a similar class. They also develop a special relationship with the professor assigned to their freshman group.</p>