Event, News by admin Feb 22, 2024

Why is the orientation important to Indian students?

The move to an unfamiliar place and the cultural difference can be a shock to the student on arrival. Through orientation universities plan to assuage the students and provide them with the general information that they need to know for a successful start to educational journey. Orientation organized by the university can be the most important source of information during the student’s early days at university.

What happens at the Orientation:

Usually, the students are asked to register for the orientation. Depending on the university the schedule of the orientation can be from a whole day to as long as a week.

Once the student arrives at the venue of the orientation, the students are asked to check in and are provided with booklets with the schedule of the orientation program and other essentials like a map of the campus. Then there will be guest lectures where heads of the university will give speeches and introduce the university to the students. During this period the students will be introduced to various departments and services that support you during your stay at the university. After this the students can visit the kiosks organized by different departments to get access to registration procedures and get course listings for the upcoming semester or be part of tour of the campus usually organized during the orientation.

Below are things that the student can expect to gather by taking advantage of the orientation.

Get an understanding of campus:

The student needs to have a general idea of the layout of the campus. Most universities organize a tour of campus during orientation. If not, the maps from kiosks will provide the student with a basic understanding. Most universities have a transit system, gathering information regarding this can help the student in traversing the campus.

Get to meet the people from various services:

During the orientation the student will have a chance to meet with people from most departments of the campus including services with the most importance such as campus security and the primary medical center. Their kiosks or presentations will provide the student with:

1. Students will be notified by the campus police regarding the dos and don’ts on the campus and any additional requirements like cyclists must wear high visibility jackets.
2. Information regarding the fire drills and any other security drills that will be carried out.
3. The administrative department may provide information like the process to pay the tuition and fees in installments and the process to apply for state ids like driver’s license and SSN (Social Security Number).
4. The International student’s office will provide information on the number of credits the student has to enroll to maintain their visa status and the GPA required to maintain visa status.

Meeting your Academic advisor and the academic department:

1. Your assigned academic advisor will be your mentor during your stay at the university. They help students in multiple ways.
2. Help with the registration process.
3. Help with course selection and provide information regarding prerequisites for certain courses and on availability of certain courses only during certain semesters.
4. Information on requirements to fulfill to earn your degree.
5. Information on chances and the requirements to get assistantship opportunities or other opportunities on campus and where to find them.

Make new friends and join local Indian Community:

Orientation is the event where people from different countries and cultures gather. One can expand one’s knowledge and connections by interacting with staff and fellow students. It can help the student further in their campus life like finding on campus part time opportunities. Students can gather information about the local Indian community and be part of it.

Understand the city your campus is based in:

Students can gather information regarding the city or town where the university is located.

1. Information on points of interest, best stores, seasonal events in the city etc.
2. Particularly important will be information on grey areas in the city and sections of the city to avoid.
3. Information on seasonal climate, allergies  and recommendations on special clothing requirements or vaccinations like flu shots.
4. Information on the best mode of travel for example in certain small university towns the university Id doubles as transit pass and can be used to travel certain sections of city for free.

Freebies:

As a student in a new location, freebies can be mighty helpful. During orientation students can gather stuff like coupons for on and off campus stores, free books, bags, bottles, pens, tags, and university merchandise. Some banks will have their own kiosks that give incentives for opening bank accounts. Some universities provide the students with coupons for free meals for a set number of days and some may provide transit services to nearby box stores to let them shop for the necessities. There are also some universities that provide necessities weekly, information regarding this can be gathered.

Conclusion:

Overall, we suggest the student take advantage of the orientation to understand the campus facilities and the services thoroughly. The contacts made during the orientation might make your educational journey pleasant and enjoyable.

About the author:

Eshwar Chukkapalli is currently working as a USA counselor at Hyderabad Overseas Consultants.  He has a good knowledge of studies in the USA. His interests include reading books and baking. You can reach him at usacounselor@hyderabadoverseascounselor.com.

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