Summer Orientation Sessions |
Winter Orientation/Advising |
Fall Quarter Orientation Meetings
Graduate Student Orientation | Discovery Days Activities |
Kiosk - Student Handbook
Student Staff Selection and Training |
Interdisciplinary Studies 20: "Introduction to the University"
Summer Orientation Sessions
Each summer, Orientation Programs offers approximately seventeen Orientation
sessions for new students and their parents. These sessions are two days for freshmen
and one day for transfer students, and are designed to assist with the
transition to UCSB from high school or other institutions. In previous
years, attendance at Summer Orientation has been approximately 96% for freshmen
and 77% for transfer students. Student and parent activities include large
and small group meetings (discussions, lectures, presentations, panels);
foreign language placement testing; tours of the campus, facilities,
and Isla Vista; academic advising in small groups for students; meals in
the dining commons; an overnight stay in a campus residence hall (for freshmen
only, optional, and dependent upon availability); student social activities;
parent social hour; workshops on student life; and online course registration for
students.
Beginning in mid-May, booklets describing Summer Orientation session activities,
fees, and reservation procedures are mailed to freshmen and transfer students who have
returned a Statement of Intent to Register to the UCSB Admissions Office.
Summer Orientation booklets are also mailed to the parents of freshmen.
The same information is also included on the
Freshman,
Transfer, and
Parent Orientation sections of this website.
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Winter Orientation and Advising
In late November, Orientation Programs presents a
Winter Orientation and Advising session for new transfer students who will enter UCSB at the start
of winter quarter. Students are invited by e-mail to attend this Orientation and must reserve space
in advance. The one-day session provides general advising, major department advising, and information
and materials to help with the transition to UCSB.
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Fall Quarter Orientation Meetings
At the beginning of fall quarter, Orientation Programs holds meetings for
new students who have
not attended Summer Orientation or another advising session prior to the
beginning of classes. General activities include an introduction to important
resources, and academic and student services information.
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Graduate Student Orientation
At the beginning of fall quarter, Orientation Programs coordinates a meeting
for new graduate students which includes important information about registration,
the Graduate Division, Graduate Students Association, Student Health, Counseling
and Career Services, and other campus resources. Panels on important graduate
issues are also offered.
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Discovery Days Activities
At the beginning of fall quarter, there are several days of events
for new undergraduate and graduate students. The events are designed to welcome students
and help them become familiar with the variety of programs and services
available to them at UCSB. General activities include new student welcomes,
discussions, receptions, presentations, panels, workshops, tours of the campus, dances, and socials.
A calendar of the Discovery Days activities and an invitation
from the Chancellor to attend the New Student Convocation are mailed to
new undergraduate students at their permanent addresses in September. Graduate
students receive an e-mail describing events and activities designed specifically
for them. In addition, an information van is staffed by Orientation Staff
members and located near the UCen throughout Discovery Days.
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Kiosk - Student Handbook
Orientation Programs publishes the
Kiosk - UCSB's student handbook.
The handbook is a comprehensive guide to academic and co-curricular services
and resources on campus and in the community. It is the only University publication
of its kind and is distributed to new students during Orientation and during
Discovery Days in the fall. The Kiosk, which has won national awards,
is also for sale in the UCSB Bookstore for students who wish to purchase an
updated copy after their first year, or for parents and visitors interested
in learning more about the campus.
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Student Staff Selection and Training
Each year during fall and winter quarters, Orientation Programs advertises
the availability of 28
student staff positions. Two students are hired from
among previous staff members to act as Student Coordinators. Twenty-six students
are hired as advisors to participate in a three-month training, and to help plan and
implement the upcoming Summer Orientation sessions. The selection and training process includes
informational meetings, individual and group interviews, and 10 weeks of
training in a classroom setting. Outreach to advertise the student staff
positions is included in Daily Nexus ads, fliers, printed brochures,
personal letters to targeted groups of students across the campus, and announcements
in targeted winter quarter courses. Orientation Programs outreach is designed
to recruit a diverse staff representative of the range of students making
up the UCSB student body.
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Interdisciplinary Studies 20: "Introduction to the University"
Each winter and spring quarter, the Office of Student Life coordinates
a 3.0 unit academic course for freshmen titled "Introduction to the University,"
also known as INT 20. Co-sponsored by the College of Letters and Science,
this course is designed to guide first-year students in the exploration
of the sociological aspects of higher education. General activities include
lectures, discussion sessions, written assignments, and participation in
regularly scheduled education and co-curricular Student Affairs events such
as panels, films, performances, and workshops. This course counts as a writing
requirement (*) for general education. Upper division students can apply
to serve as student co-leaders to help the teaching assistants run discussion
sections.
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