My S17 has a summer job at a camp that will make it very difficult for him to attend Summer Orientation. The dates just don’t work and he’s going to be at a very inaccessible location. On the web-site FAQ it says the highly recommend summer orientation but it’s not required.
This is what concerns me… having last crack and choosing classes. Is this a big deal at UCSC? I know at other UC… getting priority for courses is huge help. He is in pre-CS and would basically need to take his college core course, second semester calculus and a beginning CS courses (12 or 13) his first quarter. I would assume getting into his college core course wouldn’t be a problem, but what about the math or CS classes? Anyone have a clue?
I’d like to tack another question on to this one. Given that the summer orientation is essentially an advising program, I am surprised at all the fees associated with it. It’s $145 to attend, plus $110 for an accompanying family member. Then there’s $30 for “web-based support” if you can’t attend, a $30 processing fee if you have to change or cancel your registration, and so on. Wow! My only impression here is that there sure are a lot of fees!
I’m new to this, so I’m literally sitting here with my eyebrows raised. I get that you might need to pay for meals, but advising…? Is this cascade of fees for a fairly basic student service typical of all colleges, or is this unique to UCSC?
My son is an admitted CS major student. The two of us went to the Orientation Day. It was an action- packed long day from 7:30 am to 4:30 pm but very well organized. We were split, parent and student from the start and attended our own programs. We met only at the end of the day. I didn’t know in detail my student’s activities. Except the highlight of the his day was to meet his academic adviser and enrolled successfully to his Fall classes. Some of these classes were otherwise full on the portal but at the Orientation, the freshmen were given special access to reserved slots.
My son is the first one to go to college and I have little knowledge on what to expect, so the Orientation was a very informative and interactive experience for me. There were themed booths (clubs, academic supports, library, career service, housing service etc) at the Campus Fair, College Tours and Breakout Sessions. I chose to join the sessions on “Campus Medical and Counseling Service” and the Cashier’s Office presentation on “Student Accounts and Billing”. I also took a serious look into my son’s affiliated Crown College this time and asked plenty questions. The biggest message I took away was that my student is a responsible adult now and because of the privacy law, the university wouldn’t be able to advise/discuss his issues (such as health or grades or even whereabouts) with me once he starts without his consent. We were also guided on up coming events such as Move-in Day specifics. I was also able to understand the different student insurance options, how they stack up to make decisions.
The event included a continental breakfast, a decent hot meal at lunch and unlimited supply of cookies and lemonade. There was a shuttle bus which took families to various event locations which were clearly and thoughtfully marked. Many student ambassadors helped out and readily shared their college experience. If a family member came but did not pay for the fee, they could still participate and use the facilities with the exception of the luncheon.
Personally after the Orientation I feel that the college has done a fantastic job in engaging propective students and families and I am very impressed by the professionalism of the college staff. I’m more confident that it’s the right fit for my son.
Thanks for the detailed message. I do wish he could have gone. I finally get him home on Monday after two months away. Anxious to know if he heard about roommates. I have access to her portal but not email.
I did get my son a good but no ideal schedule. (I normally wouldn’t do this myself but he had no way of doing it for himself.) I went to UCSC and am a computer programmer so I have a fairly good idea of what he needed. One of the required classes was almost fully booked & noticed that while a few kids were added the first & 2nd day of orientation none after that. But I’ve found a reasonable other option that I think will work fine.
I am glad it was really useful to you. I’ve been down this road before as I have an older kid. I’m sure it would have been useful but it just wasn’t possible for him to go. If the dates had been just a little bit different, so he might have been able to go.