<p>Which is better, blowing 800 bucks for a plane/hotel and going early, or taking what you get in August?</p>
<p>Also do parents have to come to orientation cause that would probably double the money...</p>
<p>Parents do not have to attend. See the info on the VIP account. USC charges $80 for the student to attend and if a parent attends it is $40 each. It appears they would rather have the student attend on their own. VIP also has info about staying in a dorm room when you attend orientation.</p>
<p>Not sure about the implications of attending orientation in August. Most freshman classes are fairly generic, so you may not get your preferred class time, but you will likely still get the classes you want.</p>
<p>As far as August orientation, the biggest downside is getting classes since many things fill up. You will get 5 classes and if your major isn’t one that’s extremely lockstepped you will prob be okay since everyone has some general ed requirements to get out of way. Sometimes USC will add sections or spots to existing classes at last minute but just don’t count on it. For instance, if you need to take more spanish and place into 121, there are currently spaces open (and all have registered except new freshmen) but I can almost guarantee there won’t be by August based on last year. </p>
<p>Make things as easy on self as possible if do wait until August. For instance, you can upload picture for ID ahead of time and then just has to pick it up.</p>
<p>I went to orientation without my parents.</p>
<p>You’ll be able to get some classes, but not what you necessarily want.</p>
<p>Looks like orientation is held in May, June, and July, not August. The students and parents are separated at orientation. The parents attend a separate program where they hang out with other parents while the students do the real work. It doesn’t look like the parents really need to attend unless you want to have lunch with them.</p>
<p>No there is always an august orientation for people who can’t get down until right before classes. It’s really unnecessary for parents to attend. </p>
<p>If you do go to August orientation, you will have a very hard time getting any of the classes that you want/need. Or, if you do get those classes, they will be at the worst possible time slot.</p>
<p>what do you exactly do at orientation? is there social stuff or mainly just picking classes?</p>
<p>The day before orientation, you take your language placement test. This is important.
This is roughly how your actual day goes:
First they do a nice (boring) lecture by some people (I can’t remember who, but I think it had to do with housing because they separated the people that were living off campus). Then they split you up from your parents and put you in groups. For the rest of the day you listen to some cheesy stuff, learn a bit about some campus services/resources, and most importantly meet with an advisor and register for classes. Oh, you also pick up your Carolina Card.</p>
<p>Do you tour the University at all?</p>
<p>^Not at orientation. They tell you at the beginning if you need a tour then you can contact the visitor’s center.</p>
<p>Personally, at that point, I would just go ahead and take a campus map the day before (when I took my placement test) and walk around campus and give myself my own little tour. You don’t need the extra historical info and such unless you just want it. Plus the official tour may not take you by where all of your classes are or where you might even be living.</p>
<p>BTW with new football ticket distribution, looks like you can’t apply for season tickets after July 16 and you have to register for classes to be able to be in season ticket lottery. Just in case it really matters…but you can still get individual tickets week of game.</p>
<p>Speaking of football game tickets - does anyone know where I can get a pair to an away game? I went to UF and we live in Orlando, my son will be in the SC marching band and we really would like to see him march in the swamp - who to cheer for that day should be interesting! In any case, I am trying to find tickets at reasonable prices.</p>
<p>^Check Stubhub. They usually have pretty good deals on tickets.</p>
<p>But I believe that you’ll have to buy tickets through UF if you want to go see the game at UF.</p>
<p>EDIT: I see you already found out that tickets are sold out.</p>
<p><a href=“http://www.stubhub.com/florida-gators-football-tickets/[/url]”>http://www.stubhub.com/florida-gators-football-tickets/</a></p>
<p>There are 600 tickets left for the UF/USC game.</p>