<p>How soon should I sign up for Freshman Orientation? And does anybody have any suggestions for finding a roommate?</p>
<p>Sign up for orientation as soon as it is available for sign up. I don’t know when it becomes available, however. But they have always been held during the 4 weeks of June.</p>
<p>There are several ways for finding a roommate, outside of rooming with someone you already know. Roommate pages on Facebook will start appearing shortly after the April 1 college notification deadline, and get more active after the May 1 student choice deadline. There is (or at least always was) another program Tulane supported called Roommate Click I think. Not sure if that will still be around or has ceded its ground to Facebook. Many people use Orientation in June to find someone they seem to get along with and they choose to room together. That works because your first and second choices for dorms don’t have to be in until July, or at least that is when housing starts considering them. So if you and a potential roommate both agree to room together and put the same dorm choices, housing will virtually always go with that.</p>
<p>Finally, of course, you can just go with the randomness of the housing department assigning you to a roommate. Obviously by your question you are trying to avoid that.</p>
<p>One other thing: If you have been invited to the Honors Program there are two Honors Weekends held in March and/or April. While it is not like Orientation where only matriculated students attend, a fairly high percentage that go to these do end up attending. People have found roommates there as well, but the risk, so to speak, is that your person will choose another school. However, that really isn’t a risk since you would know that by May 1 (likely sooner) and would have plenty of time to avail yourself of the other options.</p>
<p>when do you find out about the honors program, is that in the packet received after acceptance?</p>
<p>Yes, the snail mail letter of acceptance would have confirmation of your acceptance, any merit scholarship offer you might have received, and an invitation to the Honors Program if one was to be offered. The HP is usually offered to the top 10-12% of incoming students. All Presidential Merit award winners ($27,000 this year) and many Distinguished Scholar award winners ($25,000) are invited.</p>
<p>However, if you were not asked, don’t despair. One can earn their way in by achieving at least a 3.6 their freshman year, and classes designated as Honors are actually open to all, if there is room. Naturally students already in the Honors Program get preference, but usually there is room for all.</p>
<p>There are always new things being added to the HP, but the main function of it as I see it is to give students on track to graduate *magna cum laude<a href=“3.6-3.79%20GPA”>/i</a> and *summa cum laude<a href=“3.8+”>/i</a> the guidance and resources to stay on track for these honors, since they require a certain number of honors level courses and a senior thesis. They also help to insure these students have every opportunity for prestigious post-graduate opportunities such as Rhodes Scholarships, Fulbrights, Goldwaters, Trumans, etc. So not being in the program your freshman year is not a big detriment at all.</p>
<p>I would recommend trying to find a roommate ahead of time. I did pot luck first semester and it was a disaster. Plus, if you find a roommate ahead of time you have a better shot at getting your first or second choice dorm.</p>
<p>Most people I know found roommates at Orientation and/or online. Good luck to you :)</p>