SUNY Geneseo’s summer 2018 orientation saw record attendance with over 98 percent of first-year and 78 percent of transfer students attending the program’s various sessions.
“We encourage our new first-year and transfer students and their families to connect with the College early on in the transition process,” said Katie Buckley, director of new programs. “And judging from the numbers at this year’s orientation, those efforts paid off. We had to add a first-year and two transfer sessions due to the increased demand.”
But adding more sessions wasn’t the only thing that changed this year. A range of new programs and information sessions were also included in the lineup, ensuring that new students were given a better understanding of the social and intellectual culture of campus life.
New offerings included a College 101 session that covered issues related to what students could expect to experience as they transitioned from high school to college. Highlights included topics such as credit accumulation, academic support, teachers versus professors, grading policies, attendance, and time management.
Buckley also introduced a “'Choose Your Own Adventure,” session which allowed students to pick from a selection of 15-minute presentations that featured staff from offices such as student life, career development, GOLD, Campus Auxiliary Services, athletics, accessibility services, the LGBTQ student experience, volunteerism and community engagement, and health and counseling services.
“We received a lot of positive feedback on the sessions from both transfer and first-year students,” said Buckley. “They appreciated having the ability to choose which topics or resources that they were most interested in learning more about.”
Buckley also moved the traditional late-night Game Knight outdoors and under the lights on one of the fields. Students commented, “I liked Game Knight because it gave me a chance to get to know other students and gave me time to relax" to "I really enjoyed Game Knight, I made many new friends.” The survey also indicated that students had such a good time that close to 70 percent expressed interest in becoming orientation leaders next summer.
Buckley also made sure parents and families were included in the revamped orientation lineup. “We offered a ‘Letters from Home’ activity with parents, in which they were able to write a letter to their student, and I then delivered the letters to student mailboxes in the first few weeks of classes. Feedback was very positive, with families noting, “What a great idea! My husband and I both wrote one for our daughter. I even got a little teary-eyed!" and "Geneseo will be a great fit. It’s the little things like this that make an experience personal!”
And the appreciated extended beyond single sessions to the entire orientation experience. Feedback from a post-orientation survey revealed positive responses, including, “overall experience was outstanding for my son and me. Extremely happy with his selection” and “we had a wonderful experience during the Summer Orientation program. Everything was so well organized, the Orientation Leaders were extremely helpful, friendly, knowledgeable, accommodating and patient." Another parent noted, "I did not know what to expect. What I can say is that after the orientation, I truly feel that choosing to attend SUNY Geneseo, was one of my son's best decisions." Another wrote, "I have enjoyed my time and found it informational and informative. Faculty and students were extremely professional and helpful.”
As Buckley points out, orientation would not have been as successful without the support, encouragement and participation of the entire College community.
“We take great pride in our strong sense of community,” said Buckley. “And it’s demonstrated through events like orientation when we join together to welcome each new generation of first-year and transfer students to our campus. From day one, we not only tell newcomers what it means to be part of the Geneseo community, part of our family. We show them. And I can’t thank staff, faculty and students enough for what they do to support that effort.”
Dates for 2019 Orientation
Spring Semester New Student Orientation
- Tuesday, Jan. 22
Transfer Summer Orientation
- Friday, June 7
- Friday, July 19
First-year Summer Orientation
- Session 1: June 24–25
- Session 2: June 27–28
- Session 3: July 1–2
- Session 4: July 8–9
- Session 5: July 11–12
- Session 6: July 15–16