<p>Hi. I was admitted ED1 to AU and was wondering about Welcome Week. Is it required? Do people go to it? Do freshman go to it? Do they go for all of it? Is it important to go? Advice? Thanks! </p>
<p>My D found it to be a good way to ease into life on campus, get oriented and make friends. I do not think it is required but it is recommended. If you have a conflict, then don’t sweat it. But if you can attend, why not?</p>
<p>My daughter went to Welcome Week and enjoyed it very much. Lots of groups had events going on, such as BBQs, etc. and there are programs you can sign up for such as Discover DC and a community service project. You can skip it but like pushydad said above, if you can attend, why not? </p>
<p>it is a lot of fun! You generally don’t HAVE to go (although certain programs require you to be on campus then) but you would miss a lot by not being there. It’s a great way to sample a lot of the campus cornucopia that is available to you, when you don’t have competing obligations for classes/study/projects etc. It’s also a good way to become a bit comfortable on campus and in getting around DC before classes hit.</p>
<p>Almost all freshmen attend. A lot of returning students are on campus because they are involved either in orientation itself or with the groups that are offering activities, or because they just love being there.</p>
<p>Realize, also, that no one is going to miss you if you are not there. Odds are that your roomie will be on campus for Welcome Week, and she is not going to want to wait a week to unpack/move in. There is a good chance that she will already have integrated into some groups on campus and made some new friends–not that she might not also be looking forward to meeting you, but she is not going to be sitting in the room waiting for you.</p>
<p>Just wanted to clarify that Welcome Week is not the same as orientation (the “Eagle Summit”), which occurs in multiple sessions over the course of the summer. Welcome Week is the way to ease into campus life before classes begin.</p>
<p>My D moved into her dorm at the start of Welcome Week and attended the first day’s activities, but then had to return home to complete her summer job obligations, so she ended up missing part of Welcome Week. She regretted it. Lots of personal connections were made in those first few days. But she couldn’t bail on her camp counselor position–the timing was unfortunate. I say get yourself there for the whole thing, absolutely. And of course, be sure to attend orientation as well. You want to give yourself every opportunity to meet people and explore the campus and DC.</p>