<p>When does the Brown term/ Brown’s freshmen orientation start?</p>
<p>This year First-Year Orientation began on Labor Day Sunday, and classes began on the following Wednesday. You can look on Brown's website and the academic calendar for next year can be found. I think the schedule is the same for next year.</p>
<p>I think I remember hearing that it was particularly short this past year...</p>
<p>It was shorter than in the past; a new system was put in place for the latest orientation. According to my D, though, she felt that it was fine. From the anecdotal experience of some of her friends, the shorter schedule made sense. At some schools there is almost a week of orientation which seems to amount to a bunch of enormous amounts of partying, and all that entails. Summer camp at college. At Brown there were mandatory meetings, registration, and classes began while orientation events were still taking place. That seemed to have mitigated some of the partying. From a parent's point of view, that was more productive! Not that socializing isn't important, I'm just saying...</p>
<p>My daughter, OTOH, felt orientation was much too short. I went to Brown, and the weeklong orientation week was wonderful. I agree (as a parent) that the out-of-control partying needs to be curtailed; I just wonder if there is a different way. Most of the colleges my daughter's friends went to had a weeklong orientation plus a weeklong preorientation.</p>
<p>What my daughter particularly didn't like about the new schedule was that some orientation programming -- like Activities Night -- happened after classes started. Once classes started, she wanted to focus on that, and felt really torn by having to change mindsets. Once orientation stuff ended, she felt much more settled.</p>
<p>franglish, I agree with you. I think that a week long of orientation is unnecessary. I do not know what else I could have gotten from a couple of extra days at orientation. I was more eager to get things started, if anything else! I felt classess did not really interfere with the mandatory activities either. Every one was so laid back!</p>
<p>I went to ADCOH and the two days were also enough. The whole experience was very structured for both parents and students. From Brown, we went to Dartmouth and I was actually getting bored (theirs was an xtra day). We left a day early ( then again...i had fallen in love with Brown already!!) :)</p>
<p>I have to say, I enjoyed having a week long orientation and felt the move was a bad decision. It crams together too much important stuff, emphasizes different aspects of orientation (often the more mundane ones as well), and gives you less time to settle, get used to the campus, explore Providence, etc before the chaos that is shopping period.</p>
<p>The policy is changed, it's not going back, so it's moot now anyway.</p>
<p>sorry i'm an international student..what date is that?</p>
<p>Can I ask why this is important? And the answer is the date changes every year... </p>
<p>If I had to guess, looking at the calendar, next year is as early as it can be, probably move in day would be August 28 or 29, though I think there are programs for international students that may start earlier if you're interested.</p>
<p>The transfer orientation was pretty bad. After making some comments about it in the BDH one of the Deans decided to interview me and ask what they could change. I guess we're having a big meeting about it sometime.</p>
<p>The2008-2009 Brown academic calendar, which is found on the brown.edu web site, says that the academic year begins on Wednesday, September 3, 2008. Labor Day is Monday, September 1, which means that move-in will be Saturday and Sunday, August 30 and 31, 2008.</p>
<p>I see what you mean about jamming a lot of things in for orientation even after classes have begun and students want to focus on class work or shopping for classes. It does make things hectic. It probably also can be overwhelming for some folks. But it works for others. There's no pleasing everyone all the time with every situation. That is why they have menus in restaurants!</p>
<p>"The policy is changed, it's not going back, so it's moot now anyway."</p>
<p>In general, modestmelody, I enjoy what you write and think you are a fabulous representative on CC for Brown. But this comment -- not so much in the Brown spirit. I'm not saying that this particular policy needs changing, but given Brown students' propensity for protesting -- and oftentimes successfully changing policy as a result -- no policy is ever written in stone.</p>
<p>I was very unhappy about the policy change, however, it was an FEC voted and strongly supported initiative and the attitude is that students are disenfranchised because they have no rights until they get here and once they get here they've already gone through the Orientation process. The faculty wants this, and as at most universities, they hold the power in policy making here, and not enough people are going to literally storm UHall to get orientation policies changed.</p>
<p>From my understanding, it will remain this many days for financial and safety reasons, though it will be highly adaptable for the first few years where they'll be seeking tremendous feedback to get the 3 days to work as well as possible, which this year, the first year it was done this way, clearly was not ideal.</p>
<p>No policy is written in stone, but in its infancy with strong faculty support, the foreseeable future will not see change her.</p>
<p>Well, we are seriously off topic here, but it's nice to see that someone else views this change the way I did. I was surprised that there was little obvious protest or disagreement when the faculty voted (at least, as reported on in the BDH, which is my only lens on campus activities). I certainly understand that students aren't going to take over UHall for this policy -- and I don't think they should. And, BTW, this appears to me to be not the only change made that affects "disenfranchised" students. The new unmovable safes in freshman rooms and the discontinuation of the freshman pigbook (the hardcopy facebook) are two other examples.</p>
<p>While we are totally off-topic anyway, the freshman safes are a pain in the ****. Thanks for mentioning them! They take up whatever limited closet shelf safe there was. And, they cost $140 to activate! Grumble, grumble. :)</p>
<p>It should also be noted that orientation, though the actual "days" were shortened to only 3, is extended even further for the first weekend, dubbed the First Year First Weekend. A lot of activities that were done during the week-long orientation are now put in the weekend - this curtails a lot of alcohol use (which is highest among freshman in their first 5 days of college, especially over the weekends) and creates a good social atmosphere. Plus, classes have begun, and that "stress" of deciding/going to first classes is relieved as First Years can enjoy their first weekend at Brown with their friends (sponsored acitivites of the welcoming committee).</p>