Orientation Matters for College Students

Posted on Tuesday, September 22nd, 2015

In the past week students at Algonquin College’s Waterfront Campus have had the chance to meet a Canadian Olympian, hang out with the Ottawa Redblacks Cheer Team, take a morning off from classes to participate in a series of team building games, and pick up free tickets to the Pembroke Lumber Kings junior hockey game.

It’s called orientation and it is critically important to helping students adjust to college life.

So why is it so important? Simply stated, it’s about helping students make connections.

Transitioning to college is a huge step for students, particularly younger students who have had to re-locate to a new community. They are meeting new people, living away from home for the first time, learning how to manage a budget, and gaining independence. That’s a lot to throw at a young person, but it’s much worse if they are feeling isolated or homesick.

Home sickness is very real for some students, but most of the time it can be overcome if colleges provide opportunities for students to connect, and that’s what happens at orientation. New friendships are formed, students interact with students from other programs, and very quickly the college starts to feel like home.

In addition to hosting both academic and social activities, colleges work hard to introduce students to support services like tutoring, counseling, health services, coaching and technology help that can keep them on track in their academic studies. Without orientation, many students would not learn about all of the extra support that is available to them, at no charge.

Algonquin College’s Waterfront Campus is an extremely welcoming and caring community. Orientation is like one big group hug!

Posted by: Jamie Bramburger, Manager of Community and Student Affairs

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