This post is NOT designed to terrify any incoming freshmen.

It also is NOT a diss on freshman orientation to college.

It is a realistic look at what orientation does and does not prepare you for.

After reading this article, you should have a better picture of…

• What happens at freshman orientation

• How to prepare for freshman orientation

• What to expect from freshman orientation

Freshman orientation is designed to give you a “crash course” on what college will be like. 

It gives you an overview of the dorm, social, academic, and extracurricular opportunities your college campus will provide.

Think of it like a step on a staircase. 

Visiting different colleges was one step. Taking entrance exams (e.g. ACTs) was another. And applying to different colleges was yet another.

College orientation is the next step toward being a college freshman.

This means that orientation will not be able to fully prepare you for all of the realities of college. (It’s just not possible that a few days can prepare you entirely for months.)

You will experience many learning-on-the-go moments, and that is okay. (That’s part of the college experience.)

Below are three things freshman orientation will not fully prepare you for…

• Self advocacy

• Balancing your social and academic life

• Isolation

Self advocacy

Your parent(s) likely brought you to your freshman orientation, which is normal.

They are usually only a car ride away from picking you up, giving you a ride to an event, or answering a question.

This isn’t the case once you’re in college.

Even if you’ll live relatively close to home, your life and your parent’s lives will get busy. Coordinating will be more tricky.

So how can you practice self advocacy (speaking up for yourself or supporting yourself)?

• Research your college. You likely already know a substantial amount of information about the academic benefits your school offers. Now, it’s time for you to look into the other parts: student housing, meal plans, extracurriculars, student health services, tutoring or advising offerings, etc.

• Talk to your advisor(s). With your research complete, you should be prepared to discuss your first semester on your own. Instead of letting your parent(s) ask all the questions, ask some questions for yourself. Don’t allow yourself to rely on your parent(s) to think of all the questions to ask an academic advisor.

• Collect contact information. Rather than relying on your mom or dad to collect email addresses or phone numbers of important people, why not collect these emails or numbers yourself? One of the best ways to be viewed as a college student is to communicate directly and professionally via email.

Balancing your social and academic lives

Even if your high school years were stressful, you’ll likely find that college is another level of busy.

Balancing the rigor of your college classes with trying to make friends can be exhausting.

While freshman orientation might give you a glimpse into the fast-paced environment of college, it cannot fully prepare you for this tricky balancing act.

So how can you practice balancing your social and academic lives?

• Set priorities prior to orientation. A good question to ask yourself before attending is: what will need to happen at freshman orientation for me to feel like it was a good use of my time? Listing out a few goals (e.g. meet academic advisor and get answers to my 3 questions) might help you know things you need to accomplish.

• Set boundaries and stay within them. Boundaries can be hard to enforce when you feel social pressure to hang out with friends rather than study for a test. (I mean who wouldn’t want to hang out with friends instead of study?) Setting a time you want to go to bed by and wake up by can be an easy way to start setting boundaries for yourself now.

Isolation

One of the biggest disappointments that many freshmen feel is that they expected making friends to be easier.

But making friends takes work, especially when you’re in a new setting.

While encouraging you to prepare for being isolated sounds depressing and ridiculous, instead focus on ways you can break out of isolation or reach out to others.

Here are a few suggestions:

• Prepare to initiate. Waiting for someone to reach out to you is a recipe for feeling disappointed or left-out. Being willing to be the first to text or the first to suggest grabbing a meal is a much quicker way to meet and spend time with people. (And don’t get discouraged if the first person says no. Keep at it!)

• Be the friend you’d like to have. Wishing for friends that are kind, supportive, or friendly is great. But in the end, someone has to be that friend. You can be that friend to others, even if it takes a while to be treated the same in return. (Focusing on giving rather than receiving sets you up for more success.)

College orientation provides a lot of very helpful information, but it can’t prepare you for everything.

Like many things in life, experiencing college is the best way to learn how to be a college student.

But learning to self-advocate, balance your social and academic lives, and ways to decrease isolation can help you feel much more prepared.