Parents and Students Experience Mustang City at Summer Orientation
July 16, 2012
Orientation Coordinators Warren Zimmer and Sam McEwan welcome new students to their orientation sessions.
At Mount Ida College, it’s not even the fall semester and our campus is already booming with activity, students, and their families. This can only mean one thing—summer orientation season has officially begun and it’s here to stay until the start of the school year. The Mount Ida community has opened the doors of its campus for our new students and parents who have traveled from near and far. From faculty, to staff, to our new President Barry Brown, everyone is eager to greet incoming students and give them a glimpse into their future as Mount Ida Mustangs. Summer orientation is one of the most important steps our students and parents take in their transition into college life and academics.
It All Starts with Mount Ida Parents
At Mount Ida College, we recognize the care and support parents give to our students. The success of students’ undergraduate experience means just as much to parents as it does to us, and that’s why we offer both a student and parent orientation program. Like our students, we believe it is important for our Mount Ida parents to experience what it is like to be a member of our community. Parents have their own orientation, separate from their child’s, then attend a number of programs, seminars and social events throughout a two-day timeframe.
The goal of parent orientation is to give parents and guardians the information, tools and insight necessary to ensure their child’s continued success in a college setting. Similar to the student orientation, there is lots of fun built in too. Parents eat meals together, go into Boston together, tour Newton and catch up with President Barry Brown at Boulder Farm at an after-dinner dessert reception. After the two-day parent orientation, our families, like their students, make new friends and have an overview of the opportunities, resources and support Mount Ida has to offer their children as students and as alumni.
Creating a Sense of Belonging
While parents are busy with their sessions, our student orientation program invites first year, transfer, and international students to meet their fellow classmates, explore campus, and participate in a variety of informational and social events. Orientation Leaders, otherwise known as OLs, are current students who choose to give back to the Mount Ida community through leading student orientations. These individuals create a fun, memorable orientation and share their excitement about Mount Ida and its traditions.
Through many “ice-breaker” activities, lunches and dinners, advising sessions and interactive presentations, the Class of 2016 is well-prepared for the start of the fall semester. They conclude their orientation experience with new friends and confidence about campus and college life and the experiences that await them. Of course, our new students’ OL s will be awaiting them too, ready to continue guiding them and cheering them along as they begin their college careers. Enjoy the rest of the summer Class of 2016. See you this fall.
Connect with your future classmates now by visiting the Class of 2016’s Facebook page and watching our orientation YouTube video.