I envy the individuals who claim to have had butterflies fluttering in their stomachs before their first day of college. From what I remember about my experience a little over a year ago, my body was staging a coup against itself. I was borderline paralyzed with fear of the unknown as I was pulled from my car outside of Wolman last fall. In all honesty, I barely can remember my orientation experience; it was all a blur of confusion and disorganization. I remember wandering the back side of the Rec Center trying to find Bloomberg for my first Peer Ambassador (PA) meeting; upon finding the room, my PA that was nowhere to be found. I gave up on the orientation process after that. I guess I was on my own, along with a thousand other new kids.
This year, however, the Class of 2018 and new transfer students experienced a revamped and refreshed Orientation. Many drastic changes were made to this fall’s Orientation, including a formal welcome assembly, Discovering Baltimore field trip and a new First Year Mentoring program. Led by Associate Dean of Campus Programming Tiffany Sanchez and Executive Chair of Orientation Brandie Morris ’15, along with the other orientation staff, the Univeristy’s Orientation program made a new name for itself this year with an infectious energy that was impossible to ignore during the first week back on campus.
One of the biggest changes to the freshman orientation experience was the new role of the First Year Mentor (FYM). The FYM title replaced the role of the PA with which most upperclassman are familiar. Prior to this year, the role of the PA was a glorified resumé enhancement; the title of “Peer Ambassador” sounds relevant, but when push came to shove, it was more likely that the PA was fulfilling a Greek requirement rather than genuinely being invested in transitioning the incoming students to college life. This year’s FYMs went through extensive leadership training and workshops to facilitate meaningful group discussion. But most importantly, they were led by charismatic and enthusiastic individuals who believed in the importance of Orientation. Orientation is meant to push people out of their comfort zone and into their learning zones; it is an adjustment period where no one really knows what’s going on and everyone learns together and from one another. Perhaps this is an idealized fantasy, but no matter, because Orientation is consciously constructed to aid in the transition to life as a Hopkins student.
The effort that went into this year’s Orientation is what impresses me. I was struck by the attention to detail and the goal to really impact the incoming class. Fortunately, I was able to be a part of Orientation through the FYM program, and I was shown a different side of the University. Hearing Dean of Student Life Terry Martinez and Vice Provost for Student Affairs Kevin Shollenberger talk about the initiatives moving forward for the undergraduate program made me excited about this upcoming year. Both were willing to take time out of their hectic days and address a room of 50 or so half-asleep volunteer mentors to personally explain why we were crucial to orientation because they believed in the value of the undergraduate experience.
Hopkins is a renowned institution of learning. However, this prestige is often immediately linked to its world-class teaching hospital. People assume that those attending are interested in a career in medicine or research, but our undergraduate student body is composed of so much more than pre-meds. The diversity of the Homewood campus is what people fall in love with and it is how secondary majors are born. The individual’s pursuit of knowledge is a driving factor in our school’s success. This year in particular, President Ronald J. Daniels and his administration have demonstrated a sincere intention to improve the undergraduate experience by engendering a genuine sense of school pride and spirit. There is also the focus to eliminate the cutthroat stereotype associated with our academics. During Orientation, this was evident as the stairs of Shriver were packed with cheering upperclassmen, greeting the freshmen to their first assembly. Rain or shine, the Orientation staff and the administration are determined to put a new foot forward this year with an emphasis on student life here at Homewood.
The changes made to Orientation give me hope that the goals to make Homewood a more spirited and involved community will become reality. Only time will tell if change will be brought to this borough of Charles Village, but real change is also created by the individual. So “embrace your S” this upcoming year and make the Nest home for all the Blue Jays around.
