<p>Just wanted to give a heads up- we just got back from Orientation … it is literally 2 full days, both starting at 7:30 AM -like they say and the general consensus -and we totally agree, is that 2 days is WAY too long! </p>
<p>Granted, this is my 2nd rodeo with my first being last year so that could be part of it for me, but even my ‘orientee’ felt it was too long. They kept the students at the Strom until 11 PM last night after being at orientation since 7:30 AM- and still had to meet at 7:30 AM the next day too. </p>
<p>My S’s orientation last year was 1 full day and that was perfect. Also, no campus tours or dorm tours are included (they had both of those last year which was nice). A newby might find both days very helpful- will be interesting to learn others opinions. On a positive note, the orientation staff were all very helpful and nice. My D pointed out that everyone was very nice, including the other students. The new business school is nearly complete and looks great too. </p>
<p>@coleman4 did your D get to discuss her classes at all? My S had a skype meeting with a counselor and he is not sure he likes how is schedule is set up. He wants to wait until orientation in July to discuss them again. also do you have to register for the foreign language test? </p>
<p>@vinmic2 - Like your S, my D had a call with her honors counselor a couple weeks ago so she was already registered for her classes. She is happy with her schedule so she didn’t attend the registration portion - they had a separate event for the honors students while the others were registering for classes. It was essentially a power point info session on the honors college. If your S wants to make a schedule change, he could wait til orientation but I would suggest contacting his honors counselor in advance of that b/c classes get filled up. In fact, I noticed that 3 of my D’s honors classes were already full before this first orientation session. </p>
<p>Regarding the foreign language test, yes, typically you need to register for that in advance so they have the scores at the time of registration. My D took hers on Admitted Students Day in April. It seems that since honors students register early, you have to make some assumptions of where you think you are with foreign language (like AP scores) since you haven’t taken the placement test yet (or got your scores back with AP exams). That said, you should try to register to take the foreign language exam a day before orientation (if possible) so if you need to make changes based on that, you can do so at orientation. You leave the test knowing your score. </p>
<p>Here’s a link with FAQs for the foreign language placement and to register:
<a href=“Department of Languages, Literatures, and Cultures - Department of Languages, Literatures and Cultures | University of South Carolina”>Department of Languages, Literatures, and Cultures - Department of Languages, Literatures and Cultures | University of South Carolina;
<p>Vinmic with regards to class schedule, if your S has good classes at bad times he may just have to accept it as life. It was a shock to me to see lab sections that don’t start until 8pm. My D has loved all her classes, but this past semester as junior was first one where she was out at a consistent time and didn’t have an off-beat schedule with either weird long breaks or no breaks at all around mid-day (hard to get lunch). As a senior, in the fall she will have a TR class in the morning and one at 4:20 and a MWF 8:30 class and then a 3 hour break…but she has the classes she wants! Some of this is because of classes with only one section (honors and upper level stuff) and some just because of teacher.</p>
<p>If the actual classes are an issue, then just keep checking the schedule throughout the summer - openings do come up and you can change schedule up to last day. But get a schedule set and don’t worry about it being perfect at this point - very few freshman schedules are. And keep checking the schedule for class openings. If S is honors then he might not be able to change schedule himself for honors classes, (D had to do it freshman year and it was just a phone call to get her schedule changed),but he should be able to for regular classes.</p>
<p>@coleman4 thanks… @scmom12 I think the issue is that he is registered for Organic Chem-non honors first semester. S took APchem his junior year of high school and the counselor suggested he take honors general chem in the fall but it conflicted with his schedule. He is worried about starting off w/organic chem and he is also registered for evening classes which I was surprised about. </p>
<p>Yea, when D did honors orientation they really advised to avoid using AP science and math to jump into harder stuff. D did use AP math to go straight to vector after she saw it was the same book she used in HS and having just had it as a senior. I thought honors had a “bridge” general chemistry - 141 instead of 111. Looking at the master schedule, it is taught by great professor - I might pick to change schedule to be in honors 141 principles over going straight to orgo… Again, keep checking schedule - sometimes classes add seats that might mean he can move conflicted class around. Good luck - this first semester is a little bit a shot in the dark. They tell you not to worry, that it’s only 5 classes, but some things are more lock stepped than others and we all want our kids to start out with good first semester schedule.</p>
<p>Not sure who he skyped with, but call back and talk to someone again. Be sure it is actually his eventual advisor - on honors page somewhere they are listed by majors they cover. When D was freshman, someone else did hers first time and got some stuff wrong that we fixed when we talked with actual advisor later on.</p>
<p>That’s not to say he can’t go straight to Organ chem, but if he is worried…</p>
<p>Been wondering if anyone here has attended orientation yet! My D is an orientation leader this year and believe me, the days are way longer for them! Please keep in mind that the orientation leaders are also students and they have spent MANY hours training for these sessions. D mentioned last night that parents who already had a child in college were some of the most difficult to engage. Even if you have a child (or children) in college, each experience is different, so embrace the opportunity to learn more about Carolina and encourage your child to do the same!</p>
<p>@scmom12 I think chem 141 was the class she recommended but it conflicted with Honors English and comp. I I am trying to find the honors requirements on the website because I am sure he would rather have non honors English. I am assuming she put him in honors English to fulfill an honors requirement. I wish I had listened when he sat with the counselor. He seems so overwhelmed. </p>
<p>@ luvmiballerina - You must have read my previous post as I’m sure your comments are directed at me 
… Re: the orientation being way too long- please know that it’s not just a repeat parent thing as I heard that from multiple parents AND orientation leaders both. I am very aware they are students … My feedback on the event is not meant to take away from the hard work and time put into it by the orientation leaders… They were all great!! Everyone was very helpful and friendly. In fact, we actually ate lunch with 2 of orientation leaders on the 2nd day- and for what it’s worth, they heard the same feedback as well from many others. </p>
<p>Again, I was surprised they didn’t include a campus tour and the dorm tour- both of which they had at last year’s orientation. Even my D, who has been there a few times already wanted the campus tour to figure out the distance b/t her classes (so she could make changes if needed while she was there)- We’re out of state so it’s difficult to fit everything in and D was concerned about a couple of her classes back to back but not very close together distance-wise (from BT Wash. Aud to the new DM Business bldg for example), so we did that on our own in lieu of 2 of the breakout sessions b/c she didn’t need all 3 of those (she attended similar sessions at Admitted Students Day). </p>
<p>Please tell your D not to be discouraged over un-engaged parents b/c it’s more for the students anyway. My D participated in everything except those 2 breakout sessions. Her favorite parts of the orientation were the Honors lunch and the Honors session afterwards b/c she got to meet other Honors students who would be in the same dorm, and she liked the college-specific session (Engineering) and the resource fair. </p>
<p>Vin - I don’t know your S major but if talking about orgo then assuming STEM. Could he delay English - offered every semester (if to honorize AP credit or fulfill honors credit.)? If English is one-off requirement then, IMHO, not as important to do first semester as chem course that other courses are built on. However, there may be a reason I don’t know about for advising that way. D took English lit class for honors requirement as a sophomore. I guess it’s possible they want kids without AP English credit to take that class straight away to be sure their writing is up to par.</p>
<p>And yea, they don’t let parents sit in on advisement, but when we had to fix something I went with her (outside orientation) so if you don’t feel like he’s thinking of right questions to ask (like do I have to take English this semester?) then maybe you could call.</p>
<p>This advance advisement/registration for honors is new this year so there might be glitches.</p>
<p>Vin - my daughter just finished her 1st year at USC. She is a Pre-Pharm major so O-Chem is a requirement. She took AP Chem her senior year and got a 5 on the test (she loves chemistry) and her honors advisor highly suggested she take regular chemistry first. So she actually couldn’t fit Honors Chem into her schedule first semester so she just took regular chem (it was awful for her because it moved very slowly) and then she got the Honors the second semester. I will say - it was kind of nice for her to have a very easy class first semester when she was getting used to college life. All of her other classes were honors. And…for Pharmacy school GPA really matter so an easy A was good. She had one friend that went straight into O-Chem and dropped it.</p>
<p>@ahsmuoh @scmom12 I think he should not take O-Chem the first semester. He is a pre-med bio major and waiting to take English the 2nd semester isnt a bad idea. I do not know why the advisor insisted he could handle it. I may try to call tomorrow. GPA really matters for premed and adjusting to college life the first semester is stressful enough. @ahsmuoh which Chem course did your D take the second semester? Was it honors chemistry or O chem?</p>
<p>First semester she took chem 111 (the non honors) and second semester she was in chem 142 ( the honors section). I don’t think she could take o chem second semester. </p>
<p>Here’s hoping Day 2 doesn’t run later than what was originally publicized… we have to catch a 6:30 PM flight home! </p>
<p>We had no problem catching our 6:30 flight to Philly on day 2 of orientation! My daughter was done registering by 3:00 and we skipped some of the optional sessions that last until 5. </p>
<p>Thank you @WisdomSeeker821 That makes me feel better! One more question. We are staying at the Inn at USC. Is there a shuttle from the Columbia airport, or should we just plan to grab a cab?</p>
<p>We stayed at the Inn at USC as well (very lovely). There is no shuttle. We grabbed a cab at the airport (there were several waiting) and then called Capital City Cab for a ride to the airport. It’s a $25-30 ride with tip. <a href=“http://www.capitolcitycab.com/”>http://www.capitolcitycab.com/</a> Enjoy your orientation–we had a blast!</p>
<p>DS just finished his “O” session on 6/24 and came in from the airport a happy boy! 16 credit hours w/ 2 of his classes are 1 credit. With his AP’s and other transfering classes he was able to stick with the min. for engineering. He likes the fact that he does not have to worry about too many classes and that study time can be maxed. His older brother has passed along some great advise in regard to class load and study time. Everything went better than he hoped and can’t wait to get back. He will return quicker than he thinks!! </p>
<p>For those of you who may not have attended orientation, here’s a couple of things I would have liked to know before attending. First, the student orientation leaders work unbelievably long days and it’s clear they’ve put hours of training and rehearsal time into the programs. Any criticism I heard over the past few days was NOT aimed at them. They were incredibly energetic and upbeat, clearly love their school and enjoy being OLs. </p>
<p>Plan on two LONG days. I understand there is a LOT of information the school wants/needs to convey, but I and most other parents I talked to all felt that much of it was extraneous and/or repetitive if you’d already attended a tour or Accepted Student Day or even perused the website. More than one parent commented that after a 12 hour day on day 1, they didn’t learn any useful NEW information. We were hungry for nuts and bolts logistics about moving in, how the Carolina Card works, how students get football tickets, transportation tips (is it REALLY more cost effective to fly into Charlotte if the shuttle is an extra $110 round trip), etc. More practical information all came out on Day 2, but we were all so exhausted it was hard to focus on some of it and remember the questions we wanted to ask. I will say that the Parents as Partners program at the end of Day 1 was excellent. I have already sent a child off to college, but this was a terrific program that made me think a little differently about the transition and how to help my child. The Academic College Visit was valuable too–kind of like “back to school night” in high school where the professors or deans give you an idea of what your child can expect and just how rigorous the programs are.</p>
<p>The Resource Fair was very good, and that was the place to get specific questions answered. I found most of the breakout sessions I attended involved a presenter reading powerpoint slides… not really engaging and again, nothing you couldn’t read on the website or in a handout. </p>
<p>I did come away feeling very confident that should my student need help, academically, socially, emotionally, etc. that there are MANY resources available to her and despite the large size of the university, there are good checks and balances in place if a student starts to spiral. </p>
<p>It is HOT in Columbia outdoors, so dress accordingly, but bring a sweater for the indoor lectures as the buildings are all very cool. And wear comfy/supportive shoes as there is lots of walking. </p>
<p>If you have to catch a plane home, remind your student lets their advisor know. They were great about making sure those kids got advised and registered first. </p>
<p>I totally agree with @mizkittysplace, well said. Regarding the resources, that is also something I really like about USC … they do have a ton of resources to set the students up for success as well as many, many clubs (I can’t recall how many but I think it’s in the hundreds). </p>
<p>Those were all good points you gave about what kind of information you were looking for at orientation (Carolina card, football tickets, etc.). I don’t recall hearing how they handle the football tickets- they may have said it and I missed it b/c I learned that last year from my son, but it is useful information to know. </p>
<p>And I’m actually still confused over the Carolina card (yes, even after a year!) … the “bonus bucks” that come with the meal plans- Can anyone explain, is that like a ‘credit’ the school gives you? And can you use it towards whatever you use your card on or meals only? For example, freshman get $20 bonus bucks and sophomores get $100 bonus bucks, so does that mean my sophomore gets $100- essentially ‘free money’ that he can use either towards meals or other expenses? </p>