First-year and transfer students participated in a variety of activities to help them get oriented with Aggie life
By RAGAVI GOYAL — campus@theaggie.org
From Sep. 17 to 22, transfer and first-year students were welcomed into the new academic year with Aggie Orientation. Orientation Leaders, assigned to a group of students to guide and teach, led the incoming Aggies through various activities to help them get settled on campus.
For first-year students, orientation is a three-day program where the new Aggies undergo a variety of workshops, get acquainted with the campus and have the opportunity to connect with other peers through planned events. Transfer students have a slightly longer orientation that lasts five days, yet the program consists of many of the same preparation activities.
Many student participants shared positive thoughts about their orientation experience.
“It helped you create that mental map about how UC Davis is, where you can find the stuff [and] what you have to do,” Hrithik Tabaki, a first-year history major, said. “You can ask people what are they doing, what are their classes [and] how they are.”
Orientation activities ranged from mingling, games and city/campus tours to an academic preparation program in which seasoned Aggies gave advice on how to succeed in classes.
One activity called the “Violence Intervention and Prevention Program” hosted by representatives from the Center for Advocacy Resources and Education (CARE) taught the incoming students about the health and safety resources available on campus.
Another popular activity included the “Davisfest Resource Fair,” a tabling event in which students roamed the Quad to explore the various clubs and organizations that the UC Davis community has to offer.
For both groups of students, orientation ended with a free football game at the UC Davis Health Stadium.
One anonymous student said that they thought the program was very informative.
“Orientation got me used to the surroundings [and] where everything is,” the student said. “I didn’t know more about the university until after the orientation.”
Despite many positive experiences, some students shared unsatisfied opinions about the orientation as well.
“I mean, the orientation experience […] was useful to a point,” Jared Bunweba, a first-year chemical engineering major, said. “After the first day, the next two days were kind of repetitive.”
Alekya Veluri, a second-year computer science major, commented on the overall significance of orientation.
“Despite its challenges, orientation promotes community,” Veluri said.
Written by: Ragavi Goyal — campus@theaggie.org
