Amherst did amazingly. Orientation activities scheduled to end just before mealtimes so there were natural groups to head to meals with. Free dorm gear, clothing, books organized by the office of sustainability (which had the bonus effect of inclusiveness so that belonging didn’t require $$$)

Colorado School of Mines has Helluva Week for freshman the week before classes start. They are on campus for 5 days and there's a 2 day campout. Kids got to get acquainted with campus and the town. DD is in a freshman seminar with people on her floor. Orientation was really well done.

Anonymous wrote:Wheaton College (IL) - small orientation groups with leaders and fun activities within the small groups and the entire class, involved RAs, floor activities and brother/sister floors, dorms with themed parties.

But that's in IL.

I feel like my kid during UVA orientation and welcome week was a little annoyed with some of the activities. She already had some friends and just wanted to hang out with them, but was forced fo attend those akward “get to meet new people” activities. She is very social, and knew a lot of people from her NOVA high school, and others through club sports.

My current HS senior will most likley attend a large out of state flagship, where she will not know anyone. She’s also super outgoing, so I hope she will quickly find her people. Sbe will go through rush, so I hope that helps her out.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Both GMU and UVA did a great job for my kids

I'll second UVA. DC had an amazing first-year experience - due to both a great RA who planned activities so the residents would get to know each other, and also special programs planned by the university. They also made an effort to get involved in clubs and organizations early, which was very helpful.

huh. My kid's RA did nothing and I really don't know what special programs the university planned at the beginning of the year outside of the convocation and club fair and a concert --but they were all large events where my kid was lost in the crowd. My very social kid (who historically had a large group of friends) really struggled as did many other kids she knows. Some are still struggling.

Well, three seconds of googling told me (my kid had a fantastic transition to UVA)Here is everything UVA did for a Wahoo Welcome this past fall. Note you click on the six days starting on August 21, and read everything that is offered that day. Then there are weekly welcoming activities running until Oct 2. Plus the 3 days of presentations by UVA’s 700+ clubs and organizations. Honestly, looking this over, if your kid can’t take advantage of all of these offerings then the problem is them, not UVA https://orientation.virginia.edu/2025-wahoo-welcome-schedule

William and Mary's orientation hasn't changed much since I was there in the 80s. Freshmen move in before classes start and a couple of days before the upperclassmen start to return. It's a busy time, but they get adjusted to campus, meet with advisers, join clubs, work on their schedules. With lots of social events mixed in. I thought it was and is very well done.

Middlebury has a week long orientation with activities and an off campus outing. Students also gather all semester with their freshman year seminar group including mixer type meals with other seminar groups. And most dorms are freshman only (and then sophomores only) with some RA get togethers. It’s pretty scaffolded that whole first term

Loyola MD does a good job with their first year Messina program.

https://www.loyola.edu/department/messina/about/

Their first year retention rate is high- 87%.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Most schools will have activities for the students. They aren’t mandatory so your student will have put his phone down and leave the room.

10 years ago, I attended a parent orientation and a mother asked if the RA noticed her kid wasn’t leaving the room, would they stop by to encourage him to participate in activities? Yikes, the poor moderator had to set this parent straight.

THIS ^^. Honestly, some parents seem to think their kids are still ten years old and going away to summer camp for the first time.

Most schools have freshman orientation week(s), full of activities, etc. But the student needs to be proactive and actually GO to these activities, rather than sitting in their room waiting for someone to take them by the hand.

And reading these replies make me realize how so much of this depends on the kid. I hated the mandatory freshman into 1 credit class I had to take my freshman year. It seemed like a waste of time.

DS eliminated a few schools after hearing about all of their dorm activities because he thought it felt babyish. He’s more of an introvert and asked if he could be allowed to live off campus. Yes, I told him he didn’t have to go to these but you could see how some students on the tour loved it.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:James Madison does a superb job taking care of students and building a strong connection with parents/families. Probably the best in Virginia. Without taking responsibility off the students or excessive hand-holding, they do student services very well. Graduates are well-prepared for real world responsibilities, mature, experienced —-and it’s because of how effectively JMU shapes them from day 1.

This is the answer. JMU does an excellent job.

+1 I have to agree with this. My (introverted) son had a wonderful introduction to college with JMU.

In comparison, my other (introverted) son went to UVA and did not seem to have any sort of help with making connections, learning the ropes, and "finding his people." It was much more of a "you're smart, you'll figure it out (and if not, you can always transfer)" kind of vibe. He did indeed figure it out, but he was pretty lonely during the first semester of his freshman year.

Anonymous wrote:James Madison does a superb job taking care of students and building a strong connection with parents/families. Probably the best in Virginia. Without taking responsibility off the students or excessive hand-holding, they do student services very well. Graduates are well-prepared for real world responsibilities, mature, experienced —-and it’s because of how effectively JMU shapes them from day 1.

+100

5 pages of good experiences 😝

Anonymous wrote:James Madison does a superb job taking care of students and building a strong connection with parents/families. Probably the best in Virginia. Without taking responsibility off the students or excessive hand-holding, they do student services very well. Graduates are well-prepared for real world responsibilities, mature, experienced —-and it’s because of how effectively JMU shapes them from day 1.

This is the answer. JMU does an excellent job.

Anonymous wrote:Surprisingly, many very large schools are excellent in this area.

Wisconsin was great

Brown has a great first week of orientation activities. But after that kids are on their own, don’t expect dorm activities there.