ORIENTATION!

Happy orientation everyone! I'm on campus today for campus ministry & I'll be around tomorrow during move-in. I hope you're all almost done with packing & are excited to start your Saint Mike's adventure!


Here are some links in case you've missed em:

New Student Orientation Info:
http://www.smcvt.edu/Admissions/Class-of-2016/New-Student-Orientation.aspx#tab1

New Student Orientation Schedule:
http://www.smcvt.edu/Admissions/Class-of-2016/New-Student-Orientation/Orientation-Schedule.aspx



The most important info for your first years to keep in mind is that, due to construction, move-in will be a little crazy. Since there will be limited parking, students will move in during two separate blocks. Here's the announcement from the SMC site:

So now about the orientation schedule - when you first arrive you'll park and go to the Ross Sports Center to check in. Orientation leaders will be stationed around campus to show you your way. Park your car and go into Ross. There you'll get an info packet, sign up for work study if you need to, and stop by some tables to learn about certain clubs and organizations on campus. There will also be some local business there, like People's United Bank, who has an ATM located in Alliot. You can sign up for a bank account with them right then if you like. When you're done you can drive to your dorm to move in.


When you pull up to your dorm, you'll first need to grab your key from a tent outside. It should be located by the dorms, but if you can't find it orientation leaders will help you. After you have your key, your orientation leaders will grab EVERYTHING from your car & bring it all up to your room! Then you get to move in, talk to your floor-mates, and meet your RA. When you're done, make sure you move your car so other students can have access to the dorms.


If you can't move in right away (or when you're done moving in) go down to the post office to get your mail key. Find your mailbox and grab your class schedule. This is a great time to wander around campus, find your classes, check out the library, and basically get comfortable at Saint Mike's.


From 11:30 - 2:00, Alliot offers a free lunch for everyone. You get to experience your first meal in Alliot with your parents! Soon after lunch your parents will probably head out on their own to explore campus or go to their hotel/head home. They're welcome to join the 'New Student Convocation' later in the evening, and if they're around for a couple days they can definitely find time to come back the next day, but after lunch you should finish moving in, bond with your roommate, and then go to your residence hall meeting.


At 5:30, head over to the lawn behind the library with your roomie to find your orientation group & have dinner. If you don't know which group you're in you can ask any o-leader. You have some more time to chill until 7:00 when you'll go to the 'New Student Convocation' at the church. Basically you'll get big welcome from President Neuhauser, as well as other Saint Mike's staff & students.


From here you'll walk over to Ross again for the 'Fun For All' (believe me, it is a blast!), then do any more room organizing until 10:00 when you'll have a floor meeting with your RA and floor-mates. Finally, spend some time with your roomie meeting all the guys or gals on your floor.



Move-in day is a long, chaotic, stressful, & busy day, but it's a blast and you'll have tons of fun. Hope you all have an amazing orientation - I can't wait to meet you all and welcome you to the Saint Mike's family!

How to successfully navigate Alliot

Hi guys! Three more days until orientation starts! I know all you first years must be pumped & I'm so excited to meet you all!


Last year, when I was a first year student, I was terrified of orientation. While I'm not shy, I'm also not a particularly outgoing person and I was a little worried about being out of my element and not knowing anyone. Obviously I made it through orientation okay (if you're nervous, remember that orientation is awkward but wonderful - I felt at home by the end of my first day!).

After orientation ends, all students return to campus. This isn't too big of a change, but it can definitely make eating in Alliot a little bit awkward. Here's why:


1. When ordering food at the egg station or stir-fry station, ordering sounds insanely complicated.

2. While there are trays out to carry all of your food to your table during orientation, there are considerably fewer trays during the rest of the school year. That means you either need to balance all of your plates, or go up several times to get everything you need.

3. After you get your food and head over to the tables, it looks like there are a trillion people sitting in the dining room...watching you.

4. With those trillion people in the dining room, it can be impossible to find your friends. Cue awkward wandering...

5. You regularly hear a hundred cups being dropped at once for no reason.

6. When you're done eating it looks like there's nowhere to put your dirty dishes.


Here are some tips to help you through your first few weeks in Alliot:


1. Ordering is easier than it sounds! If you can't follow along, just ask questions! Everyone knows that you're new and there will be no judgement. 

Harvey makes the eggs, & if you order from him enough he'll remember your order. For ordering eggs in the morning, you can ask for scrambled, egg whites, or fried eggs (they don't do eggs over easy). Also, if you want your eggs on a bagel, toast your bagel & hand them your plate when ordering - they'll make you an egg sandwich! Be sure to get to Alliot a little early on the days you want eggs - if you go right before class there will be a huge line.

Steve is the main cook at the stir fry station. For ordering here, just take a look at the ingredients and tell the chef which ones you want. You an also grab something from the salad bar to put in your dish. Steve can get a little grumpy when his station is really busy, but he's such a nice guy. Make friends with him & he'll be chatty & brighten your day! I love Steve, & I go to his station so much that he remembers that I don't like peppers in my food.

2. Definitely DO NOT try to balance all your plates at once. When someone drops a plate in Alliot, everyone in the dining hall claps for them. Embarrassing? Of yes, very. If you can balance things well, by all means do it! But if you're nervous that you'll drop something, there's no shame in taking several trips to get all your food.

3. Honestly, no one is watching you walk through Alliot. Okay, maybe that's not completely true, especially the first week of school when upperclassmen are checking out the freshmen and looking for their friends. But  after the first week or so, no one really watches you walk through Alliot. That being said, I know seniors that are still intimidated when they walk into the dining hall, especially when they're alone, so I totally understand if you're nervous!

4. Saint Mike's is a small school, but since we only have one dining hall, it can get pretty crowded. I suggest that you find a place to sit with your friends BEFORE you get food. That way you don't need to wait for them to sit down, nor will you need to do the awkward room scan searching for your friends.

5. Ah, the infamous Alliot cup drop. This usually starts when someone accidentally drops their cup, then everyone else follows suit and drops their empty cups too. It's kind of funny, kind of pointless. Basically it's just a Saint Mike's tradition! Be sure to pick your cup up afterwards to the Alliot staff don't need to clean it up for you.

6. There's a little area by the door into Alliot that has a trash can to dump your food into & a conveyor belt to put your trays, plates, cups, & silverware onto. It's simple - just throw your food out & plop your plate down, then you're on your way!


Eating in Alliot can be intimidating, but don't be nervous! Just find some friends or floor-mates to eat with & get friendly with the Alliot staff! I'll be posting more before orientation, but for now, happy packing!

Vlog Post: I Can't Wait to Meet the First-Year Students!

Yet another beautiful freeze-frame photo they chose for me

As I said, feel free to ask me any questions! No question is too silly (I asked a million detailed questions, so I'm sure my stupid questions trump all of yours!).


I'm so excited to meet you all in one week! Have a wonderful Orientation!!!!!