That Much Closer!

Orientation, finally! By this point we’ve all attended Freshman O, registered for classes, and significantly increased our number of facebook friends. Congratulations! We have survived our first steps of college life! From first walking into Shriver and being sent off to sign in and take our ID pictures, to registering for classes and trying to figure out the best schedule to avoid morning classes, the ball was in our court.

I just clicked “finish” on my freshman orientation survey which means our first complete college experience has been completed. Regardless of your small group or what classes you registered for, there was a common sense of initial social awkwardness, excitement, and anxiousness. Though I must admit that though I was a bit nervous to be on my own for registration, I was immediately put at ease upon running into a familiar face. This was not one of my fellow alum but Megan, whom I had met during the Bridges Program in October and had lost touch with. We instantly bonded and put our chance meeting down to fate. Honestly, seeing a familiar face was what made orientation so much more amazing than it already was.

Okay so to the parts that made me fall even more in love with Miami:

1. The Vignettes- My personal favorite was the final sketch on alcohol abuse and sexual assault. As a girl, I feel like there are certain risks that can't be afforded such as being under the influence of absolutely anything. The SOULs were great actors, making it that much more real.

2. Small Groups- My group a.k.a the Baker’s Dozen was so much fun! I loved that we all clicked immediately and had fun, but when it was time to do Cross the Line, everyone took the activity and the discussions seriously. It was a relief to know feel that everyone’s experiences and viewpoints were and are respected without a second thought.

3. Class Registration and Academic Advising- Right before my meeting with my advisor I like, everyone else had tried to translate the course guides and made up a list of what I thought my schedule would be…RIGHT! My advisor was amazing and I was very surprised and relieved at how genuinely interested he seemed in my career goals and academic planning. That being said at the end of the day I have four science classes that I’m super excited about, my honors 181 seminar and my new experience for the year: theater 101, 103.

When it comes to surprises, it’s safe to say that the sense of community was the biggest one by far. Since my first campus visit, Oxford has felt like home but now there’s a family with it. My SOUL Cori, was honest and open but treated us and expected us to behave as equals. Because of her, I’m really excited about getting involved in the Miami Community and applying to be a SOUL next year. When it came time for the social, our group was a little late due to the fact that we were battling another group in Ninja. Can you say, AWESOME! After the social, Megan and I had our first p.m. college experience as we stayed up all night chatting and eating cold pizza…

I think it’s safe to say that my college experience is off to a good start. In about a month, I’ll be on campus and moved in for MADE…I can’t believe it’s almost here but now I feel more than ready to take on my 8am classes and theater anthologies.

The Experiences of Summer Orientation

Hello everybody. I am here to talk about my second blog. This time instead of talking about why I choose to attend Miami, I am writing about my experiences at summer orientation. Before attending summer orientation in mid June, I didn’t think I was going to get a lot out of it besides taking another tour on campus, finding out my living learning community, and finding out my class schedule for first semester. But thankfully, I was wrong.

The whole time I was at orientation, there was not a single hour where I had free time. There were a couple of events that stuck out in my mind at summer orientation. I liked many of the speeches during the day including the speeches of two of the Farmer’s Business School professors. Another event that stuck out in my mind was when everyone was split up into groups with their SOULs or guides to take a tour of the campus and to talk about what to expect first year of college. I thought all of the staff especially the SOULs helping out at orientation were extremely nice and helpful.

I thought the most important thing I learned at orientation was to get involved in the campus community. What I mean by this was to get involved in campus activities by joining clubs and other organizations that Miami has to offer. Another important thing I learned at orientation was not to be afraid to ask my professors for help if I didn’t get the material they were teaching that day. Also, if I need additional help outside of my classes, I know can always meet with a tutor regarding my coursework.

Overall, I thought summer orientation was more than I expected. I knew I was getting my class schedule, my Miami ID card, and learning more about the campus. The one thing I didn’t expect was how involved and busy summer orientation was. When I left orientation, I knew what I needed to do to have a successful first year at Miami. I had so much fun at orientation that now I can hardly wait for move in day next month. Some of the exciting moments I had during orientation were meeting new people around the country and experiencing the amazing spirit Miami has to offer. I also hope that you had a great time at summer orientation and you are also excited for move in day next month too. So now, I can say that I am ready to start my college career and I hope you are ready too, Class of 2014!