<p>what should we wear on the first day of orientation?
Should we wear comfortable clothes because we will be walking around or should we dress up and look nice because we are going to meeting-type things?</p>
<p>Sorry, this seems superficial. I just didn't want to show up in sneakers and shorts and see everyone else in formal wear.</p>
<p>The packet of info I got in the mail today says to be pretty informal that day since it’s move in day as well.</p>
<p>Yeah, they don’t expect you to wear formal attire while lugging crates into your dorm.</p>
<p>dressy or casual, I’d go with messy so casual,</p>
<p>but bring dressy, cuz there’s days when you can’t be messy.</p>
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<p>Was there really? I dont recall taking my good clothes out until mid September and even that was only for an internship interview.</p>
<p>NY chic summery</p>
<p>expect the guys to be wearing shorts and a tshirt - if you’re lucky.</p>
<p>haha what do you mean “if you’re lucky?”</p>
<p>also, what is the general feeling of orientation? do you meet a lot of people?</p>
<p>easiest thing is to just wear polos, they’re dressy enough for just about anything, but also casual enough that you can wear them anywhere. I beleive there’s a dance or something towards the end of orientation week, so bring dressy for that and for going out in the city and interviews in general, but for just about everything during O-Week, polos are where it’s at.</p>
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Orientation week was so hectic and jam-packed with events that I was lucky I had time to wear a barrel.</p>
<p>First impressions are everything. Exercise common sense.</p>
<p>dressy clothes are needed at random points during the year, not necessarily during orientation.</p>
<p>don’t worry about first impressions, this isn’t high school, you’ll only begin to make close friends weeks into college. Once in a blue moon you’ll meet someone during orientation who’ll stay a friend through college because of orientation but for such a person your clothes won’t matter. If you are friends with people years into college, who you happened to meet at orientation, trust me, it’s not because you guys met at orientation, or because you were wearing that trusty polo.</p>
<p>this is one time, when I’d say first impressions are not everything. A new student moving into a high school where s/he were new and everyone already knew each other, needs to be paranoid about first impressions. In college, after a few months, you have have no fcking clue who you met during orientation and who you met after.</p>
<p>I have heard at orientations at other colleges that this is the time when all of the couples form. Is this true at Columbia?</p>
<p>Heh, not even a little. </p>
<p>And for the “dressed to impress” folks. Don’t. Dress normal. It really doesn’t matter; those who stand out are those that overdress…the Kansas girl thinking she’s heading to a freakin Gossip Girl shooting or bowtie guy. </p>
<p>I do like the polo suggestion. My go-to is the rolled sleeved button shirt with a cool t-shirt underneath but go crazy.</p>
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<p>yes, a lot of them you won’t speak to again, a bunch you’ll acknowledge on campus but never hang out with and a handful (usually the ones on your floor) you will spend tons of time with</p>
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<p>this was the case for me…ended up dating her through freshman year. i recommend you focus on making friends rather than coupling up…i felt like i missed out a bit on social events because i was preoccupied</p>
<p>^agreed, have sex during orientation all you want. dating someone is like roulette, if you succeed it’s only because you’re lucky, and if you win you might be mugged of your freshman year experiences. Soo many kids go head over heels for this chick or this dude, and realize mid-late frosh year that they “loved” their bf/gf only because they were insecure in a new environment.</p>
<p>On the other hand perhaps you should date someone to get that kick in the a$$ mid-year. But break up with your gf/bf the moment you feel it’s no longer great. For your own good, cuz you dated him/her on a whim in the first place, and so that you or dumped low self-esteem girls, will date me mid year :p.</p>
<p>lol</p>
<p>Sex during orientation? is this common?</p>
<p>^casual sex in high school is common, in college, there’s new flesh, you don’t know people and you will not really have to see the person much again. You’ll never know if its common, but I’m sure it happens a lot.</p>
<p>Look, orientation is aptly named. You come in not knowing which direction you’re going, not knowing a thing about how college actually works in practice or how Columbia is to be navigated. Some of the sessions will help explain that, but mostly, you get some time to figure things out on your own.</p>
<p>The single most important, best piece of advice I can give you is: be willing to throw yourself into new experiences, take risks, and do stuff your parents wouldn’t approve of. When people say “hey, a bunch of us are going to go to ___, want to come?” your answer should be “hell yes”. When you’re not sure if you should introduce yourself to that person on your floor or that person in your class or that person you think is cute, DO IT ANYWAY. At worst you get practice at it, at best you make a friend, and you’ll start to learn the little secret that confidentialcoll alluded to: everyone ELSE is just as disoriented as you are, and lacking a comfortable social circle themselves. They WANT to meet you. They know you’re just as smart and interesting as everyone else because you got into Columbia too - you have a presumption of being cool.</p>
<p>The first two weeks are crucial, because that’s the time period that everyone is open to meeting literally anyone else, and cliques and snobbery are by-and-large nonexistent. After about two weeks, people have made their initial circle of friends and are much less needy about meeting new people (so it’ll become a little less easy - still not hard, but not the trivially-easy that it was during orientation). Use that time, and be bold. You’ll never face this much ambiguity and confusion again, or be in a situation where it’s so easy to make friends.</p>
<p>My best Columbia friend to this day is someone I met at days on campus. BS to the person who said you said people you meet at orientation etc. aren’t likely to be your friends.</p>