So you have been accepted and have decided to attend THE Furman University. Congrats! Give yourself a pat on the back. You certainly deserve it! You are probably super excited and posting your acceptance letter on Instagram and Twitter with #FurmanBound and the purple heart emoticon. Once that adrenaline dies down, you probably have a lot of questions on what is to come.
Once you sign your letter of intent, you will be getting an email from the wonderful Jessica Berkey. She is the Director of Student Activities and oversees the Furman Orientation Program (also she is an overall fantastic human being and you should follow her dog on Instagram @purty_gertie). Anyways, that email will give you a breakdown of Summer Orientation. It starts in June and there are several sessions that you can attend. Once you pick a date, sit back and relax and get pumped for Orientation.
Orientation is an overnight process; so make sure to bring an extra pack of clothes and your toiletries. You will arrive at Furman on your Orientation date and head to South Housing, If you have no clue where South Housing (SOHO) is, do not fret. There are 25+ O-Staffers planted around Furman to make sure you need to get where you need to be. Once you check in an O-Staffer will lead you to your temporary dorm and hand you a linen pack so you do not need to bring bedding from home. You will check in your stuff, meet your roommate (and before you ask, this will not be your roommate during the school year) and then head to your first session.
In your first session, you will meet your pair of super friendly O-Staffers that will lead you through your sessions. They are there to help you with whatever you need. During your session, you will be meeting a ton of cool new people, who may or may not be your best friends in your four years at Furman. No pressure, though, I did not meet some of my closest friends till mid-way through the Fall Semester. You will be learning a lot about Furman during these sessions. You will get to pick classes, understand how to graduate on time, learn where various resources are on campus and have a good time to make sure you feel comfortable at your Furman Home.
It is kind of a marathon for around 36 hours, but I know you can survive it. If you have any questions, Summer Orientation is the perfect time for them. The whole point of the program is to get both you and your families comfortable with your transition to college. It can be difficult, but Furman definitely provides the tools to make sure you succeed. Oh! There is also Fall Orientation, but that is for another blog.