Welcome to SUNY! Now that you’re joining the nearly half-million students in a pursuit to become one of three million SUNY alumni, you can proudly move forward with the assurance that your world-class education is complimented by expert faculty and staff support, nationally-ranked athletics programs, and unique internship and experiential education opportunities. Your experience at SUNY — no matter which campus is the best fit for you — is backed by thousands of students in your shoes and thousands more who have been there before.
To help you get the most out of your first college experience — new student orientation — we’ve put together five goals to achieve. The list is generated by Samantha and Maxwell, two interns at SUNY, who went through new student orientations at SUNY Plattsburgh and the University at Albany.
Check out our goals after the jump!
1. Know your way around campus. Even though you wouldn’t be the only one to do so, getting lost on your first day of class is stressful! Learn about things like library locations and hours, where students gather to work and play together, and where all of your additional resources will be around campus and around town. For big campuses (i.e., Stony Brook University and University at Buffalo), you may even want to use a map and assorted colored markers to outline the route!
2. Understand the college or university. Chances are that you needed to learn about the institution while applying — you had to write an essay about a certain initiative unique to the school or why that college is right for you. But now that you have time to interact with, relax on, and explicitly learn about the campus, you may find it easier to excel.
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3. Make some friends! Some students go into orientation knowing some other students, but every student comes out of it knowing somebody. This will help you refine your social skills (you’ve probably had the same friends through high school) and meet people from different parts of the state and nation. You might even find your future roommate!
4. Test the distance. If you’re a commuter, then make sure that you’re giving yourself enough time to drive to campus in the morning and to get home in the evening. If you’re living in student housing, make sure that you’re ready to care for your quarters, like making your bed, cleaning the bathroom, and doing laundry.
5. Prepare yourself for college. It’s an exciting step that most people on earth are unable to take. Make sure you’re ready to do your best! Alyssa Levenberg, a SUNY Oswego sophomore, gives us 5 Important Tips for College:
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Do you have any goals to add? Leave them in the comments below or connect with us on Facebook and Twitter!
