Freshmen Orientation

Just a few thoughts on the upcoming Freshmen Orientation:

- Get a good amount of sleep the night before. You'll be up late the night of Day 1 (I've seen the schedule, you're in activities until nearly midnight, and odds are you'll stay up later) and have to be up early for college sessions and advising on Day 2. Breakfast on Day 2 starts at 6:30.

- Check the weather as you pack. July in Blacksburg can vary, though it's generally hot. Hot and humid, hot and dry, hot and windy, etc. So unless you have to wear pants or a long skirt for religious reasons, I would advise wearing shorts and a T-shirt, as well as sneakers. Clothes you'd feel comfortable literally running around in. Just trust me on this one.

- Bring an umbrella. Rain in Blacksburg tends to come quickly and with little warning aside from a thunderclap. Pass it off onto Mom or Dad during Day 1, as you'll be inside most of the day, but definitely keep one on hand. I cannot emphasize this enough

- For those of you with long hair: come to Orientation with it loose/down, and then pull it back as soon as your Hokie Passport photo has been taken. Keep a hair tie or headband ready. Like I already said, Blacksburg gets hot in July, and while Squires is air-conditioned, outside is not.

- The only head coverings allowed in your Hokie Passport photo are those worn for religious reasons (such as a head scarf or yarmulke).

- You don't need a suitcase or duffel for your overnight in the dorm. All you need is a backpack. In this backpack, you will need: something comfortable to sleep in (I vote T-shirt and gym shorts, as AJ is not air-conditioned), the essentials for hygiene, and a T-shirt, shorts, and sweatshirt for the next day.

- Why the sweatshirt? Because several of the buildings where you'll be having your college sessions are notoriously cold (McBryde and Torgerson immediately come to mind).

- This tidbit comes from what I realized no one understood at Transfer Orientation. Those two photos they told you to bring? The best ones to use are wallet-sized photos left over from school (such as your senior portrait). Or get Mom to take a simple photo of you against a solid background and print out two wallet-sized copies. These are going to go into your file in your college and your major. And make sure they're separated beforehand, so you don't have to go hunting for scissors the morning of your college session. If you want to jump the gun, go ahead and write your name and ID number on the back of both.

- I'll repeat this later, but after Orientation, be careful if you play around with your schedule. Some classes (ex: Chem Lab) are in such high demand that some of us are watching drop-add around the clock for an open section. If you drop it even for a second, you may never get it back. Even at 2 AM. I speak from experience on that.