U of L welcomes new students at New Student Orientation

caroline.zentner — Fri, 31 Aug 2018 16:20:27 +0000

With students set to arrive for the first day of classes on Wednesday, Sept. 5, the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge is busy getting ready for the 2018 Fall Semester.

The annual New Student Orientation (NSO) gets things going and sets the tone for the 2018-2019 academic year. It runs Sept. 3 and 4 and serves as an introduction for new students and their families, providing information on important student services, academic expectations and general post-secondary life.

“We invest a lot in NSO because it’s a very important first impression for many of our students,” says Asheley Cowie, orientation and transition coordinator for Student Engagement. “This year, we’ve made some fairly big changes to our event through feedback from previous years. We’ve extended the opportunity for new students to meet and interact with other students and we’ve focused our campus tours on way-finding, making sure that our first-year students know where to access student services, can find their classrooms and just feel much more comfortable about getting around campus on their first few days.”

The NSO program kicks off Monday, Sept. 3 with Commencement, featuring keynote speaker Bryn Hewko, the 2018 Young Alumnus of the Year. A mentor meet-and-greet session follows that will include a scavenger-hunt type game that will help students quickly build new friendships as they learn to navigate campus.

Other feature sessions from the first day include those for international students, Understanding your permit – Studying and working in Canada, and Cultural Transition – What to expect inside and outside the classroom. Other featured sessions are Career Planning: Tips for success from Counseling and Career Services, How to get the most from your liberal education, Welcome to YQL and more.

On day two of NSO, sexologist Dr. Justine Shuey presents How to have awesome relationships, while the key to financial student survival is available in Being thrifty is nifty: How to budget and survive financially in university.

A full itinerary of NSO activities can be found on the Future Student website: ulethbridge.ca/future-student/events/new-student-orientation.

Fall 2018 enrolment numbers are strong across the institution. Approximately 2,000 new students will be starting their post-secondary studies at the U of L’s campuses in Lethbridge and Calgary. As of August 28, 2018, there is an increase in the number of Indigenous students as well as solid growth in the number of master's- and doctoral-level students.

“Our enrolment numbers are very strong and we’re excited to welcome both our new and returning students to campus,” says Kathleen Massey, the U of L’s associate vice-president (students). “With steady growth in both undergraduate and graduate students, the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ continues to be a preferred destination for today’s learners and we’re here to give them an unparalleled student experience.”

Following NSO, a campus-wide Welcome Week kicks off with a pancake breakfast on Wednesday, Sept. 5 at 7:45 a.m. on the Markin Hall patio. Over the ensuing days, wayfinding booths will be set up across campus to help students with any questions they might have, the Fresh-U Jamboree Festival takes place and Pronghorns women’s soccer hosts a pair of games against Mount Royal ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ and ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Alberta.

Students who live in residence at the U of L will be moving into their dorms over the weekend as well. Move-in day for new students is Sunday, Sept. 2, while continuing students will move into residence on Monday, Sept. 3.

UNews - Dr. Justine Shuey

U of L welcomes new students at New Student Orientation

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