Orientation-Getting Off to a Good Start

Posted on Monday, August 11th, 2014

Track athletes are trained to be ready when the starter’s pistol sounds. They know the importance of a good start! Attending College for the first time is like getting set for a race. You are excited, but apprehensive; Confident, but yet unsure; Eager, but controlled. Above all, you are looking to find your place so the journey to the finish line will begin with a strong start.

For thousands of college and university students, orientation is an opportunity to take control of those butterflies in your stomach by making connections with other students, as well as faculty and staff on campus. Those early days on campus can be so meaningful to students, and can set a foundation for academic and social success. On the other hand, not taking part in orientation activities can leave some students isolated, making it more difficult for them to develop relationships which often create the support network students need to manage their college experience.

At Algonquin College in the Ottawa Valley, a week of orientation activities have been planned for this coming school year, running from August 23rd to September 1st. In addition to an academic orientation when students meet with their faculty and fellow students to learn more about the expectations of the program they are enrolled in, there are also plenty of fun activities and events to attend.

Things like scavenger hunts, pubs and sporting events can be great ways to meet new people, but structured workshops that are geared to specific student populations, such as mature students, can also take away a lot of the anxiety students feel when they first step on campus. So, let’s plan a typical student’s orientation week, by giving you an example of what it might look like.

We’ll call our student John. He is 19 years old, new to Pembroke, and studying in the Forestry Technician program. Not surprisingly John loves the outdoors and likes sports. He’s decided to come to Pembroke a week before classes start so he can take part in orientation.

John signs up for the alumni association golf tournament on August 23rd. It only cost him $30 for nine holes of golf, a streak dinner and he won a signed Ottawa RedBlacks jersey by hitting the longest drive at the tournament. More importantly he met a lot of new people including graduates from the Forestry program and some students that will be in his class.

John takes the next day off to get his apartment set up, but on Monday, August 25th he visits the campus to purchase his textbooks and parking pass. He also takes advantage of the free fitness zone passes that are available to students during orientation. After pumping weights and running on the treadmill, he shoots some basketballs in the gym. He returns the following day to the fitness centre, and walks through Pembroke’s downtown to get familiar with the area.

On Wednesday, August 27th, John checks out the Loggersports demonstrations and engages in some of the activities like cross-cut sawing. He has already planned to try out for the varsity team, and gets to know the coach of the team and some of the other graduating students who are helping out with the demos. While at the campus, he purchases his $15 ticket to the Ottawa REDBLACKS-B.C. Lions football game on September 5th in Ottawa. The ticket price includes bus transportation to and from the game, and with his new jersey he won at the golf tournament, John is really looking forward to the game.

The following day, John connects with some Police Foundations students and has a blast taking part in the college scavenger hunt. Earlier in the day, he checked in with the Information Technology staff to get his laptop computer configured to the college wireless network and to log on to his college email account. He also met with the financial aid office to go over some of the documents concerning his student loan. In the evening he attends the Tight and Bright dance put on by the Algonquin Students’ Association.

On Friday, August 29th, John attends his program orientation for the Forestry Technician program. He meets his faculty and the more than 40 other students that are in his program. Like him, most of them are from out of town. They decide they will be attending the “country” night at the college, and are all looking forward to riding the mechanical bull that will be there.

Saturday morning comes early after a great night at the college, and John and his new buddies attend a free brunch at the college. The rest of the day, they head over to nearby Riverside Park to check out one of Canada’s largest fiddling festivals, an event that attracts hundreds of campers and fiddling enthusiasts to Pembroke every Labour Day weekend.

On Sunday evening, John and some of his Forestry classmates take advantage of the free movie tickets made available at the Algonquin Cinemas in the Pembroke Mall, by the Algonquin Students’ Association. The next night, they cram into one of the student’s cars and attend the retro movie night at the Skylight Drive In, one of only a handful of Drive Ins that still exist in the province. It’s a new experience for John and he loves it, and so do his new friends. It’s a great way to end a week of fun!

Classes begin the next morning at 8 a.m. Thanks to orientation, John is feeling pretty good about attending Algonquin College!

Please share your thoughts on orientation.

Posted by: Jamie Bramburger, Manager of Community and Student Affairs at Algonquin College’s Pembroke Waterfront Campus

Click here for full Orientation Schedule for Pembroke Campus: Advantage Week Orientation

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