Each summer, groups ranging from 300 to 400 incoming freshman flock to campus for two-day orientation sessions, which is an estimated 2500 students preparing for the fall semester. This time is dedicated to help make the students’ transition from high school to college a smooth one.
“The main goal is to make them feel at home,” orientation leader Anna Marie DeLee said. “We want to make sure they know that they have a support system here who wants to help them succeed.”
Among the things that the incoming students do at orientation are sign up for classes, attend various seminars that help them learn more about the offerings of the college experience at Ole Miss and small group exercises that help the students get to know each other.
“In the groups we try to help them make a connection with each other,” DeLee added. “Since half of the student body is from out-of-state, the connections and friends they make are that much more important.”
With such a large out-of-state population, Ole Miss presents students with a great opportunity to branch out and make connections with others in similar situations.
“Being from the Midwest, I don’t really know anybody coming to Ole Miss,” said Anthony Heumann, an incoming freshman. “Orientation helped me a lot because I will now have some familiar faces around campus when I get here in August. It’s nice knowing other people coming here from all over the country, it kind of gives me a clean slate.”
However, students aren’t the only ones being orientated this summer. The parents are also important to the orientation staff, as they need to feel comfortable with the decision their child has made for their college experience.
“The parents need orientation just as much as the students do,” DeLee said. “It is important for us that the parents leave orientation with complete confidence that their kids made the right choice. We want them to know that we will take care of their kids when they are here on their own.”
The students and their parents are separated for most of the activities done at orientation. This allows the students to enjoy their first college experience on their own, while allowing the parents to see first hand that their kids are in good hands.
“Orientation has been very informative to us parents,” said Tricia Meyers, a parent of an incoming freshman. “Experiencing this has helped me feel more comfortable leaving my child here. They’ve shown me first hand how they will support the kids, it’s been very nice for me.”
The information they’re gathering isn’t the only thing that is important to the parents while attending their students’ orientation. The atmosphere at Ole Miss is also a big plus for them.
“The delivery has been great, they have made it fun for everyone. The staff seems like they are having fun,” Meyers added. “I can really tell that they want the kids to succeed here, everything is very positive.”
Sending a child off to college is a big change in any family. For a parent, it is important to know their kid feels at home and welcome at their new school.
“Its obvious my child feels comfortable here,” Meyers said. “Being here and going through orientation has shown them that they aren’t little kids anymore, they know that this is their school too.”
Throughout the summer there are ten freshmen orientations and three transfer student orientations. There are two remaining sessions on June 26-27 and Aug. 22-23.
