<p>Title speaks for itself…what can I expect at orientation?</p>
<p>you spend most of your time from early morning to night with your orientation group. you do a lot of games and activities like ice breakers to get to know each other. sometimes you mix with other groups. you’ll hear different presentations throughout the day about life at bc and then you usually meet with your group afterwards to discuss the topic. the orientation leaders put on some funny skits about bc life. there is a dodgeball tournament and a dance competition and ice cream bar thing after that. on the last day you register for classes.
you get put in an 8 man suite in vandy, so you’ll have a direct roommate but others in the suite too. the room gets very cold and they only give you a very thin blanket. At night a lot of people roamed the halls and hung out with people they knew or people in their suite until late at night. the night before registration you’ll be panicing to make a schedule, but the orientation leaders are around and help you out with picking classes/profs</p>
<p>How big are the orientation groups?? Are they organized alphabetically or by school?</p>
<p>each group has about 12 kids. they are completely random, not alphabetical, not by school. It’s a mix of all different people</p>
<p>Thanks guys! Sounds like a lot of fun, looking forward to it!</p>
<p>Don’t forget to take your parents. No, they won’t be in your group; indeed, you’ll barely see them over three days. Instead, BC has numerous programs for the 'rents to attend, and it is well worth the trip (speaking as a parent).</p>
<p>Do the parents get room too or do they need to find a hotel? And we should arrive at Boston the night before orientation right?</p>
<p>the parents need to find a room in a hotel. Whether you need to arrive the night before depends on how far you have to travel.</p>
<p>Go to the BC website and look up “hotels”. You will find a list of hotels (Word 2012). When you make your reservation ask about the BC discount. It is a good thing to make a reservation soon as rooms fill up since Boston has so many colleges in the area.</p>
<p>Have fun at orientation, it is a wonderful event for students and parents alike.</p>
<p>Dear All : Weighing in on the backs of bluebayou and collegecarla, parents are HIGHLY recommended to be in attendance at the BC Orientation Sessions. </p>
<p>There will be presentations on separation, exploration, and the college campus life that are not to be missed. Presentations from Fr. Michael Himes (great conversation partners and great universities), Fr. Joe Marchese (First Year Experience), Biz Bracher, and a host of guest speakers will change your view of the college and Jesuit experience. You will find that your entire family is now part of the Boston College family.</p>
<p>Meals will be as elegant as possible and the quality for parents will be outstanding. You will get the chance to meet other parents and exchange stories; you will be amazed by the quality of the students (and their families) that ultimately commit to being an Eagle.</p>
<p>Of course, you will see your students transformed from High School seniors to College Freshman at the “closing ceremonies”. Having experienced it twice at Boston College, I can say hand over heart that you can literally watch your students “grow-up” and get college ready in those 48 hours!</p>
<p>If you walk away as a parent from the three days of orientation with questions still pending, you just did not try hard enough. Wait, I take that back. The first bill is due on August 10th - most people forget to ask that question :-)</p>
<p>Attend. You will never regret the cost or the decision.</p>
<p>Something I recommend for students is to look at course offerings before arriving at orientation. You’ll be busy all day and will be socializing at night after you’re finished, so you won’t really have time to look through course selection materials then. You will have some time to talk to your orientation advisor to talk about course selection, but you’ll be better prepared if you do some work before hand.</p>
<p>Is the church service mandatory and do we have to be dressed nicely for it? How many bags do people usually bring?</p>
<p>Attending mass is never mandatory, as BC is mindful of the many different religions (and also non-religion views) observed by a significant percentage of the students. When my family attended orientation a few years ago, there was also an interfaith service held at the same time as the Catholic mass. You can attend either one – or skip both, if that’s your preference.</p>
<p>If you do attend the mass, formal “Sunday best” attire is not required, but please be respectful and don’t wear ratty T-shirts or plastic flip-flops. Most of the males wore polo shirts and nice chinos or shorts; most of the females wore sundresses or nice casual tops and capris or shorts.</p>
<p>Many kids may attend mass only twice: convocation going in (as a Frosh) and going out (as a senior). :D</p>
<p>I only got my son to do it once – as a freshman. As a senior, he had “other things” to do that weekend!</p>
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<p>It was different when I went last year. There was just the Catholic mass, but all were welcome. Anyways, nothing actually stops you from skipping the mass, but it is the beginning of orientation and, as I said, everyone’s welcome. They also provide Missals for anyone who wants to participate.</p>
<p>You don’t have to dress up for it. Most people won’t have the time to change clothing depending on what time they arrive.</p>