Orientation

Summer is around the corner, and it’s time to focus on preparing for the Fall 2013 semester!

Each incoming student received an email today with a few reminders. Be sure to check your Allegheny email account regularly throughout the summer, as that will be an important method of communication for our office as well as your registration advisor.

As you may remember from our summer communication schedule, new students will receive a mailing in the coming days that contains important information about registering for Fall courses. That mailing contains the following items:

• For new first year students, a detailed description of the registration process, including the summer entrance advising and registration period (July 15th – 26th). Please note that all advising and registration will be completed via telephone and WebAdvisor. You will not need to come to campus to register.
• For new transfer students, an insert with additional instructions for the summer advising and registration process.
• Information on placement exams for mathematics, foreign languages, and music, which can also be found here. You can access each of these exams via the Important Forms page. These exams will be available on May 15th, and must be completed no later than June 30th.
• A handout explaining the appropriate course selections for students interested in the health professions. Course selections for those students will rely heavily on math placement exam results, so please be sure to complete the exam before June 30th.
• Descriptions of the Fall 2013 LIving Learning Communities (LLCs) and their assigned section numbers for FS 101. These descriptions can also be found on our LLC page. If you are interested in joining an LLC, please complete this form no later than June 1st.

All of this information can also be found by visiting the Summer Course Registration section of our website. If you have any questions, please feel free to contact the Learning Commons at orientation@allegheny.edu, or (814) 332-2898.

New Gators: If you have submitted your deposit AND received the welcome packet with your student ID and account information, you can now complete your housing information form! The form is available by clicking here, and also by going to the “Important Forms” page on the menu to the left.

Here are a few things to remember when completing your housing form:

1. Be honest. It is critical for the roommate assignment process that you be truthful about your habits and preferences. If you have trouble keeping a tidy room, be honest about that. If you rarely go to bed past 11:00pm, and always wake up before 7:30 am, be honest about that too. Represent yourself accurately so we can find the roommate who’s the best fit for you!

2. Complete the form as soon as possible. The Office of Residence Life considers these forms in the order that they are submitted. The sooner you complete the form, the more likely it is that we will be able to match you with a roommate who is a good fit, and place you in your preferred residence hall. If you have already submitted your deposit and received your welcome packet, you can get submit the form today! Note: You must complete the form no later than June 1st, 2013.

3. You will receive your room and roommate assignment information in July. Though you may submit the form as early as March 1st, the Office of Residence Life will not begin reviewing the forms until May, after most incoming students have submitted their deposits. Also, please remember that all incoming students have until June 1st to complete the housing form.

As noted in your summer communication schedule, incoming students will receive their roommate assignment and residence hall room information by mail in July. That will give you plenty of time before Orientation begins on August 24th to connect with your new roommate, and get to know each other!

If you have any questions about the housing process for incoming students, please contact the Office of Residence Life at (814) 332-3865. You may also contact the orientation staff at (814) 332-2898, or orientation@allegheny.edu.

Having a roommate can be one of the best experiences of your college career, but also a challenging one.  Living with someone brand-spanking new can be a little intimidating and rightfully so!  There’s a lot that goes into living with someone new.  Will they study in a quiet space or like music on?  Are they a night owl or early riser?  Do they keep the room tidy or will they keep pizza boxes under their bed for weeks?  What if they’re completely opposite person than I am?  These are all legitimate questions and there are ways you can navigate the roommate experience so that you have a great living experience at Allegheny.

The Basics to Roommates: Communication, Recognition, Understanding, & Compromise

• Communication is key.  Prior to coming to Allegheny take some time to get to know your roommate.  Don’t just text and Facebook them, take the time to give them a call and chat about your excitement to come to Allegheny!
• Recognize that folks are just different!  Two very different people can live together and enjoy their time at Allegheny through this experience.  You need to remember to RESPECT the differences in each person and be open to those differences!  Also, remember that your roommate probably has the same fears as you do.  Respect your differences, but remember that you also have a lot in common as well! You’re here to study…so both you and your roommate should be on the same page!
• Discuss the important things that make your living environment comfortable so that you both understand the expectations of the room. These expectations can include:
  • The set up of your room.
  • Rules for sharing common items like the TV, fridge, stereo, etc.
  • Rules for sharing personal items like clothing, jewelry, sports equipment, food, etc.
  • Expectations for guests, study time, personal time, alarm clock settings, cleanliness, etc.
  • Guidelines for misunderstandings.  Everyone has them, chat about how you’ll work them out in the event that you experience some rough seas with your roomie.
  • Be assertive but flexible.  If everyone is right and the situation is the other person’s fault, you’re never going to get to a common ground.  Recognize that some situations call for you to compromise and be flexible; it’s ok to agree to disagree.  Approach the situation from the standpoint of how can we move on from this and what will we do in the future if a similar situation happens again! Read the rest of this entry »

You’ve heard about getting Orientation updates sent to your phone, but we thought you might need some direction for getting our Orientation tweets.  If you’re a Twitter user, just start following @alleghenyorient!

If you would like Orientation updates sent to your phone, follow these easy steps: Read the rest of this entry »