We are excited you are Ursinus-bound for fall 2024! Whether you are coming to Ursinus as a first-year student or a transfer student, New Student Orientation will ensure that your transition to Ursinus is smooth and enjoyable.
Orientation for all first year students begins on Thursday, August 22 at 2 p.m. and runs through Sunday, August 25.
Orientation for transfer students begins on Saturday evening, August 24 and runs through Sunday, August 25.
Orientation is mandatory for all new students, so please plan to be on campus for those days.
Get ready to kick off your Ursinus Experience! Check-In will be held in the Floy Lewis Bakes Center lobby. After checking in, our families are then directed to their new home to unpack. If you are moving in on Thursday, August 22nd, you will be greeted by our very own Ursinus Bears football team, who will help you move in quicker than you can say “Go Bears!”
Orientation Begins
Families depart by 2:00 p.m. and Orientation begins! Get ready to meet your Orientation Leader and your cub group and start making connections. Throughout the next 3 days, you will make new friends, get comfortable on campus, and learn critical information that will help you navigate your first year at Ursinus.
Academic Convocation
On Friday morning of orientation, faculty and staff welcome new students to the Ursinus community during Convocation. It is the formal opening of the academic year. Following the ceremony, faculty, staff and students line up in a “gauntlet” to welcome and cheer on the newest class of Bears. The same type of formation takes place four years later as the class exits commencement and passes through a gauntlet formed by faculty.
Your First Class & More
Following Convocation, you will attend your first college class, CIE. All first-year students take the Common Intellectual Experience class together. This course will frame your academic journey at Ursinus. After you get your feet wet in your first class, you will attend workshops and presentations with your classmates designed to equip you with tools for college success. But don’t worry, it’s not all serious! Every evening there are social activities like pancake breakfast in Wismer with karaoke, firepits, glow party, DJs, Bingo, and more.
