The University of Nebraska-Lincoln is providing students with valuable one-on-one on-campus guidance this summer through orientation hosted by New Student Enrollment.
Following the purely online orientation last year, the New Student Enrollment staff have been working diligently to give students a typical campus experience this summer that no other Big Ten school can offer.
“We’re the only school in the Big Ten that has a traditional personal program all summer,” said Jenni Brost, director of New Student Enrollment.
More than 70% of the first-year students come to campus to personally take part in the orientation. They get to know the campus, meet their future fellow students, and build relationships with the university community. Parents tour the campus and talk to guides about how they can best support their future huskers. At the same time, students participate in bonding activities where they meet their peers and potential friends.
“The personal experience is just so much more special,” said Gracie Williams, an orientation leader and senior English-speaking cultural educator. “It enables you to make new friends, and it enables you to make those connections within your field of study. We like to group our new students according to their major or university group. It allows them to make these friends before they even have their first grade … so they can get that familiar face. It’s the connections that make personal experiences so important. “
Emily Nelson, a high school graduate from Plainfield, Illinois, first saw her roommate in person at the orientation. The two met online in a student group chat where they talked about their love for TV Show “dance mothers”.
Nelson’s father, Eric Nelson, said being on campus was important enough to make the seven-hour drive.
“Everyone is looking forward to this time when they go to school for the first time, and when you experience it live and up close and see the excitement and feel the energy, everyone walking around and inspecting the buildings, that was something we didn’t want to miss “Said Eric Nelson.
In the wake of the pandemic, the staff at New Student Enrollment realized how important it was for students to have the personal experience – even if local restrictions would only allow a few students at a time.
“We even decided last winter that we would do that, no matter how many students we could see in person,” said Brost. “We didn’t know how high that number would be due to the directive health measures in the summer. We also put a lot of work into our online orientation, knowing that some students would have to do an online orientation … we wanted to make sure they had an online option … that was really robust and a really meaningful experience. “
Brost said their employees’ hard work was worth it and they have received positive feedback from orientation participants.
“At the end of the day, parents, guests and students come to me and are so grateful for the personal experience and thank us for the acceptance,” she said. “It was so meaningful to them and that’s why we were so excited to host them and be a place where they can get critical information and start building their community in Nebraska.”
