<p>Are all of the orientation events markers "Required" really mandatory? Do they make you sign in? I know Cornell fairly well already from summer pre-college programs and I've already been in college for a year, I'd like to skip out on a lot of them and spend my time unpacking and getting settled, and meeting up with my friends who already go to Cornell. Thanks for the info.</p>
<p>Just a parental suggestion – from a parent of a transfer.</p>
<p>GO.</p>
<p>You may think you know how to “do college” and that you should be a lofty sophomore, even though you’ve transferred in – but there’s a lot of good information to be gleaned at these orientation sessions. I would strongly suggest you not skip them. </p>
<p>Without knowing where you’ve transferred from, I won’t tell you that Cornell will be a big step up in expectations, but I will tell you that some students find Cornell to be much more demanding than their previous school – even a high ranking previous school. Attending the orientation sessions will put you on a par with the other transfers and even continuing students that have had these sessions. Why would you want to start behind them?</p>
<p>It depends on what the event is, although I came in as a freshman last year so since you’re a transfer I’m not 100% sure on all of this. </p>
<p>Orientation Group Meetings: You probably don’t actually have to go to them, but you should hit up the first one. It’s a good place to meet new people and your Orientation leader can continue to give you tips and help you with things into the school year. If nothing else, do it for networking purposes. The second and third OL meetings you can skip out on if you feel like. </p>
<p>“Tapestry”: A series of skits about diversity and acceptance. They’re actually pretty interesting. They will swipe your ID card to make sure you have seen it, so this is definitely required. </p>
<p>Swim Test: If you’re not exempt from it for being a transfer student, then you should get it out of the way because it’s required for graduation. They swipe your ID card for this one. </p>
<p>Reading Meeting: I am not sure about transfers but all incoming freshman needed to read a book, write an essay on it and then meet with a teacher and talk about the book with some other students. They won’t actually check that you’ve done the essay or came to the meeting. (You can even go to the meeting and slip out without turning in the essay). </p>
<p>Skorton’s Welcome Speech: You go to the stadium and President Skorton welcomes you and all that jazz. Nobody’ll check that you’ve gone. Kinda boring but it’s nice to know the faces of the people who are running the school. </p>
<p>That’s all the required stuff I remember at the moment. 
Hope it helps. cnp55 has a point though, orientation events teach you about the school and can be pretty useful.</p>
<p>Just be sure to go to the Tapestry, and the other events… well, they’re not that important in my opinion.
It’s more of an opportunity to meet other people, and orientation is the best time to meet new people before “groups” start forming.</p>
<p>You can take the swim test during any orientation period, as long as you take it BEFORE you graduate. I’d suggest you go do it as soon as possible though.</p>
<p>As for the Reading Meeting… hahaha. I read the book for last year, and my god, it was one of the worst books I ever read, so I didn’t even go to the meeting because all I would have contributed to the discussion was my disdain for the book.</p>