Are you ready for orientation? 5 tips for new students

For new UIC students starting classes this fall, there's a lot to learn even before the semester starts.

Where is my class?

Where can I eat lunch?

And who is Sparky?

These and many others are the questions that summer orientation is meant to answer. New Student Orientation sessions start on June 11 and will continue through summer, with two or three a week. A few hundred people - students and their supporters - attend each session. By the end of summer, about 7,000 people will have visited UIC for orientation, said Hannah Wilson, director of New Student and Family Programs at UIC. Her office hosts the orientation sessions for new and transfer students.

"Our job is to welcome new students and their families and make sure that we're providing tools that will help them be successful," Wilson said. That's what orientation is all about. "We want to make sure we're providing the resources to aid students in their transition to UIC and make sure they feel that sense of belonging."

Wilson gave a rundown of what new students and their parents can expect at orientation and how to prepare. Yes, there will be a lot of information to take in. But also, students should be ready to have fun, meet other new students and find their way around campus.

Much of the day is structured. You'll take a campus tour, hear presentations from UIC departments and join break-out groups to ask questions. Lunch will be in the dining hall.

But there also will be time to get a jump start on other tasks. If you're registered for classes, you can get your student ID card - your i-card - and find out where your classes will be held. That might eliminate some first-day-of-school anxiety!

Here are five more tips from Wilson to make the most of orientation day:

1. Check-in on orientation day starts at 9 a.m. at Student Center East. Give yourself ample time to find parking and make your way over.
2. If you have a question, ask. Chances are someone else will have the same question. There also will be opportunities to ask questions in small group settings.
3. Make connections. Aim to leave the day with social media handles or contact info for a few people you've met. Be yourself, Wilson said. "Everybody's in the same boat, so come willing to connect with people, learn and just try your best to get acclimated."
4. Take notes. There will be a lot of information, but that info can come in handy once the semester starts. You'll learn about sports teams from UIC Athletics, mental health resources from the UIC Counseling Center, student organizations from Student Engagement and where to find a place to study from the Commuter Student Resource Center. Those are just some of the offices and departments that will give presentations during orientation.
5. Finally, have fun. "It can be a lot of content, but we try our best to sprinkle in some fun, some social media time," Wilson said. "Follow us on social media; tag us in some cool content you create at orientation (tag @uicorientation)."

How should parents prepare? Wilson and Derrick-Robert Fookes, associate director for Family and Transition Programs, offered these tips:

1. Ask questions. Parents who can't make it to the orientation can find information online to help their student prepare for college. The New Student and Family Programs office will be adding more information like this to their site, orientation.uic.edu, over the coming weeks, including what to expect as a parent to a college student. Another resource for parents: the UIC Family Hub, uic.campusesp.com.
2. If you do attend orientation, connect with other parents and families there, Fookes said. That can help you and your student build a support network of other UIC students and families.
3. Give your student some space, and encourage them to ask questions themselves. "Be a hummingbird as opposed to a helicopter," Fookes said. College is a big step toward adulthood not just for students, but for their families, too.