UB’s New Student Orientation was named, “Weekend of Welcome,” but was it really helpful to the incoming freshman class? To answer this question we decided to interview a few freshmen on their view of the orientation weekend.Here are some of the questions that were asked of them: 1) Did you go to orientation?
2) What did you like about orientation?
3) What didn’t you like about orientation?
4) What would you add to orientation?
5) Do you think that 2 days was sufficient, considering that in the past, freshman orientation has always been a weeklong experience?
6) Do you feel that the information provided during the 2-day orientation was helpful?
About 50-75 freshman and transfer students were surveyed.
While interviewing some of the freshmen, I found that some of the freshmen did not attend particular orientation activities and as a result were not able to fully gauge experience. Here is what the majority of those who had attended most sessions had to say. In reference to the question what they liked most about orientation,the majority said nothing, but there were a few who said that they really enjoyed the Interactive Theater Presentation, games that were held at the Wheeler Recreation Center, the BBQ and the movie presentation of Matrix Reloaded. The majority felt that the orientation as a whole seemed a waste of their time.
Many felt that a seminar on time management should be included in the sessions, while others suggested more activities which would help people to become better acquainted. Others suggested a tour of the campus, and still others wished that professors would have been present at the seminars.
Considering the fact that in past years, Freshmen Orientation has always been a weeklong, many felt that two days just did not cut it. Many reported feeling that the orientation left them with more questions than answers, and the others said the information the orientation provided was somewhat helpful.
By the data gathered some might say that UB’s orientation weekend wasn’t at allhelpful. Personally, I think that although the orientation staff invested a lot of effort into making a fun-filled and comfortable transition for the incoming freshman, yet could have done a better job.On the other hand, were one to look in the New Student Orientation Schedule they would have noticed certain things that they complained about not having actually were included.
Did the orientation do a good job in helping the freshmen be better prepared for the upcoming school year? Well, I’ll just have to leave that up to you.