<hr>
<p>Day 1</p>
<p>Alright, so you've been accepted to UCSB and now, it's time for you to join the rest of the freshman in the orientation process. First off, their are approximately 300 freshman attending every session. You get there to a bright and sunny campus (at least for me) and check in at the Manzanita Village patio area. There's usually a line, so try to get there earlier then the nine o'clock check-in time. After checking in, they load you with paper after paper, along with the most expensive keys you'll ever receive: $60. Make sure not to lose these AND to return them on time, which means before 6 P.M. the next day. </p>
<p>So now you've checked in and you rush to your dorm to meet your roommate. Thing is, he/she may not be there yet. Mine didn't appear until midnight, haha. A suggested tip is that if you don't want to freak out your roommate who hasn't arrived yet, leave some kind of note or something with your name and other info. That would have helped me a lot. Especially going back to my dorm at 11 P.M. and finding the door unlocked. Creepy. </p>
<p>Another suggested tip: Finish unpacking fast and head to GOLD and do some research <a href="https://my.sa.ucsb.edu/gold/login.aspx%5B/url%5D">https://my.sa.ucsb.edu/gold/login.aspx</a>
Look at the classes that they offer and get an idea of what you want. Just a light review; nothing to make you tense for the rest of the day.
Also, make it a point to get your student I.D. if you finish early because it gets hotter later in the day.</p>
<p>At 9:20 A.M, the Welcome Walk begins and you head to Campbell Hall. Surprisingly, the walk takes 25 minutes and the assembly starts at 9:45 A.M. I don't see why people can't just run there. It tends to be more of a friendship walk than anything. The Assembly begins and you hear speeches from different school officials. You are also introduced to the several advisors who are there to guide you EVERY step of the way. </p>
<p>Academic Advising I begins at 10:45 A.M. and lasts until lunchtime, which is around 12:15 P.M. You pretty much get an overview of what's required to graduate at UCSB.
This is what you pretty much go over for the whole session, if anyone wants to get a headstart:
<a href="http://www.sa.ucsb.edu/orientation/Mission/AA%20I%202011.pdf%5B/url%5D">http://www.sa.ucsb.edu/orientation/Mission/AA%20I%202011.pdf</a></p>
<p>**Note: Icebreakers are common during this orientation. One of the main one happens during the walk to the Advising session in which you are split up into groups, by major and you are paired up and learn about each other. Try to get to know a few people in your Advising group before lunchtime so that you won't have to sit alone...in the shade..(not that this happened to me..completely absurd :P)</p>
<p>Lunch is okay. You get about an hour and a half to eat and the tables get taken quickly. First thing to do is leave your stuff at a table or drop a friend there to hold it, then walk around to the different stations to see the food variety. I was surprised, but overjoyed at the same time that they had cereal there..Cocoa Puffs and Cinnamon Toast Crunch. Yum. Soda fountains. Rice. Burgers. Hot Dogs. You name it. Lunch time is now over.</p>
<p>From here, everyone branches out to do their own thing (1:45 P.M.). Special meetings are given. For example, there is an Engineering Tour, an EOP meeting, a General Campus Tour, a Financial Aid Office Visit, an Honors Program Meeting, a Pre-Health Profession meeting..and that's about the half of it. This takes up until 3:15 P.M.</p>
<p>Now, you head to the second part of the Advising session stuff. Look over it on your free time :P
<a href="http://www.sa.ucsb.edu/orientation/Mission/AA%20II%202011.pdf%5B/url%5D">http://www.sa.ucsb.edu/orientation/Mission/AA%20II%202011.pdf</a></p>
<p>At 6 P.M., dinner begins. Same old deal as lunch. Nom nom nom.</p>
<p>At 7:30, you get what is called a "Student Services Information Session," which is actually really funny, but it's common sense. The guy who hosts the session is pretty cool and he works for the Health department, so you'll hear the word "orgasm" more than once and about how he can give you free condoms. Nice deal.</p>
<p>At 8:30 P.M., you get a performance which is supposed to imitate several situations that could possibly occur at UCSB, from getting drunk to rape to what not. Enjoy it. Live and Learn.</p>
<p>AND NOW, at 9:45 P.M., Student Night Out begins. You're free to do WHATEVER you want. I decided to go for a walk to Isla Vista and I bought a soda a Greenfields lol. But really, they let you go during this time. Just be responsible. They were offering the movie Rango for free, if anyone likes to watch lizards dressed like cowboys and with the voice of Johnny Depp. </p>
<h2>END OF DAY 1</h2>
<p>Day 2</p>
<p>Rise and shine. The beach is beautiful in the morning. I woke up at 6 and went to the labyrinth just to get a glimpse and I was not disappointed.
Technically speaking, breakfast begins at 7:30 A.M. and you have until 9 to finish eating. Same old deal. I only ended up eating cereal the whole time. </p>
<p>At 9:00 A.M., you get more of those Student Life Workshops, so explore them. On the gloomy side, you only get to choose one because they take a while. There's Education Abroad, Greek Life, UCSB Radio, UCSB Newspaper (a.k.a. Daily Nexus), and Sports.</p>
<p>At 10:30 A.M., you get a sample lecture on the effects of divorce on children. Really interesting. Get involved. Ask questions. The professor is really eager to hear your input. </p>
<p>At 11:45 A.M., oh joy, there are more workshops. This lasts until lunch time, which is at 12:30 P.M. </p>
<p>This lunch WILL be your last meal at UCSB for the orientation, so feel free to pig out ^_^</p>
<p>At 1:45 P.M., the real heat begins! It's now time for the real deal. You get a final presentation from your Advisor, which is here <a href="http://www.sa.ucsb.edu/orientation/Mission/AA%20III%202011.pdf%5B/url%5D">http://www.sa.ucsb.edu/orientation/Mission/AA%20III%202011.pdf</a></p>
<p>Read it over before you go there and during that half hour before registration begins, look up classes and make MULTIPLE schedules. Even though the session begins at 1:45, you aren't open to register for classes until 2:15 P.M. Yay? No, not really. At 2:14, you feel the pressure hit you as hundreds of other kids rush to sign in to Gold and get the classes they want. In the first few seconds, half of the classes are filled as everyone clicks on the 'Sign Up' button next to the class they want. Don't worry about times. Worry about the class. Make sure to get Major Specific classes. For example, we needed Chem 1A for Bio, so I went for that secondly. </p>
<p>For us Bio majors, this is how it goes:</p>
<p>Chem 1A
Chem 1AL (LAB)
Math (34A/3A/3B)
G.E. of your choice</p>
<p>After you get your advisor to check you off for your schedule, you join the HUGE line, which starts in the patio and goes into a building by the commons and up some stairs. It takes about an hour. This is Schedule Confirmation, but some of us can confuse it for the entrance to Hell. I had a bit of a dilemma getting the schedule I wanted. I got Chem 1A and the lab, as well as Chinese 1, but I couldn't fit Math 3B in. I talked to the director during Schedule Confirmation and she could feel my pain. She got me all the classes, including Math 3B :)</p>
<p>By the end of the day, this is something like what your schedule should look like (UGH, STUPID 6 P.M. CLASS -___-)</p>
<p>
<a href="http://i53.tinypic.com/2ii7ssh.png%5B/IMG%5D">http://i53.tinypic.com/2ii7ssh.png
</a></p>
<p>SOME TIPS THAT MAY OR MAY NOT HELP: </p>
<ol>
<li><p>Bring a mouse and a pad. The track pad is the definition of what torment is. It is slow and I figure it was made about 20 years ago..</p></li>
<li><p>Bring some nice and comfy shoes. Again, you're going to be walking for most of the day, so shoes would be nice.</p></li>
<li><p>Showers aren't really that big of a deal. It's a bathroom. You lock the door. You close the curtain and turn on the water. Privacy: Check. Do bring soap and all that other stuff though.</p></li>
<li><p>Make use of your time and make as many schedules as you can because you won't get the one you want. Settle for what you get.</p></li>
<li><p>If you're not satisfied at the end of the day, try to negotiate with one of the directors to get the classes you want. They're there to help. </p></li>
<li><p>IF IT IS 5:59 P.M., YOU BETTER FLY TO THE FRONT DESK OR AT LEAST TRY TO THROW THE KEYS INTO THE BOX FROM THE TOP OF THE STAIRS. All joking aside, really do turn in those keys. You're paying $200 for an orientation and I'm sure you don't want to pay $60 for a key..</p></li>
<li><p>Once you have your schedule, take a look at the course info for your classes on GOLD. Look at the textbooks that you need. I found mine already on Amazon. Pretty cheap. EX: Math 3B <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Calculus-Early-Transcendentals-Stewarts/dp/0495011665/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&qid=1310334167&sr=8-4%5B/url%5D">http://www.amazon.com/Calculus-Early-Transcendentals-Stewarts/dp/0495011665/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&qid=1310334167&sr=8-4</a></p></li>
<li><p>Have fun. Make friends. Enjoy the campus.</p></li>
</ol>
<p>***If anyone else has anything to add to this post, feel free to add. I'm not the omnipotent UCSB Orientation sage or anything. Just someone who wants to help out.</p>