What to Expect at Your College Orientation and How to Make the Most Out of It

College orientation can stir a mixed bag of emotions, such as excitement, skepticism, anxiety, and maybe even a little apprehension. It is a rite of passage, a moment where the future finally feels real. 

Orientation is a full-day experience where incoming students get introduced to campus life, meet peers, and learn about resources available to them. But beyond the logistics, it is a chance to emotionally and mentally shift into this new chapter of life.

If you don’t know what to expect going in, orientation can be a little nerve-racking and confusing – but it’s designed to help you find new friends, discover campus, and so much more. Use our guide to learn how you can make the most out of your college orientation.

Come Prepared with Questions

It’s easy to show up to orientation and passively sit through the sessions. But the best way to walk away feeling more confident: Come with questions.

Write them down ahead of time, including questions about your major, financial aid, student clubs, campus jobs, housing, meal plans, or where to find the best food on campus. No question is too small or trivial. 

Here are a few questions you might bring:

• What support services are available if I struggle academically?
• How do I get involved in student organizations or leadership roles?
• What should I know about campus safety?
• What are some common first-year challenges and how do students overcome them?

The students and faculty running orientation are there to help, and odds are, if you're wondering something, at least five other students are too.

Keep an Open Mind

It’s easy to walk into orientation with assumptions about how it will go. But come into it with an open mind. You’re often entering college right after high school, a place where you felt like you had everything figured out. But college is something else entirely.

“[Most students] just finished high school where they were pretty familiar with the environment and resources available to them" said Carolina Nutt, senior director of USF Student Success. “And now they’re starting again.”

Orientation is a chance to reset. Not to forget who you were, but to discover who you might become. You’ll meet people who are different from you, be introduced to new perspectives, and maybe even rethink your goals. Let it happen. Even if parts of orientation seem corny or repetitive, remind yourself that this is your first real preview of campus life, and how much you get out of it depends on how willing you are to be present.

Enjoy the Icebreakers

At some point in orientation, particularly at USF, students are separated from their guardians. “So we’re kind of running a system of two simultaneous events,” said USF St. Petersburg Orientation leader Carter Allen. According to Allen, this puts students in a position where they have to interact with people they’ve never met before. 

“We want to make sure we’re having fun, and that it’s not just an eight-hour, nine-hour session of pure information,” Allen said. 

So, in come the icebreakers! Someone might ask you to shout your name in a circle, or, like Allen, ask you the question, “Would you rather live a normal life or have that immortal snail chasing you, but you're a billionaire?”

Everyone is a little nervous, even if they don’t show it. Leaning into the silliness rather than resisting it can help you bond with others faster and help with anxiety. It might feel unnatural in the moment, but it sets the tone that college is a place where stepping outside your comfort zone is normal and even necessary.

Try picking one activity that you give 100% effort to, just to see what happens. You might meet someone you click with, or at the very least, have a funny story to tell later. Embracing the awkwardness is part of embracing the experience as a whole.

Make Note of your Resources

A lot of orientation is about getting you familiar with the nuts and bolts of campus life — where to go when you’re sick, how to check your grades, who to call when your financial aid is confusing. It can be tempting to tune some of this out, especially when there’s a lot of info being thrown your way. 

“We do know that what we provide is foundational for them,” said Nutt. “We just package it a little bit differently so that they are more engaged and involved through the process.”

These resources often become crucial during the semester, especially when you hit bumps in the road.

Make note of departments like:

• Academic advising
• Counseling and wellness
• Student accessibility services
• Tutoring centers or writing labs
• Financial aid and billing

Take down contact info when it's shared, grab flyers, or save websites in a folder on your laptop. You might not need these offices right away, but having them on your radar makes it way easier to reach out when the time comes.

Use Orientation to Practice Meeting People

You don’t need to walk out of orientation with your new best friend, but using the space to meet a few people can make the transition to campus life smoother. 

“Getting them to be friends before they even step foot in that classroom is a huge step of importance for the orientation team,” Allen said.

Everyone’s new. Everyone’s a little unsure. Try to introduce yourself to at least one person per session or event. If you’re introverted or anxious, set small goals: join one group activity, eat lunch with someone new, or ask a question during a session. Orientation is a safe space to take those social risks, and you never know where one small conversation might lead.

Orientation is just the Beginning: Stay Connected

When orientation wraps up, take some time to reflect while it’s still fresh. What did you learn? What surprised you? What are you still unsure about? Jotting down your thoughts can help you create a game plan for the weeks leading up to the semester.

Remember, the goal of orientation is not perfection. It’s about taking in what you can, being open to what unfolds, and permitting yourself to ease into college life one step at a time.

“We also want to ensure that they feel like they met someone,” Nutt said. “That they’re going to have a connection for the rest of the time here.”

If you met a helpful advisor or student leader, shoot them a quick email to say thank you or ask a follow-up question. If you found out about a club or org that piqued your interest, look them up on Instagram or your school’s website.

At USF, each of our campuses has a respective department dedicated to helping incoming students in their transition into college. Orientation is more of a launch pad than the end of the admissions process. So, as emphasized earlier, make use of the plethora of resources presented to you.

If you’ve recently been admitted to USF, you can sign up for an Orientation session after you make your admissions deposit.