作者：北美考试教学中心 托福写作组 叶建萍

In order to familiarize freshmen with the campus life, it is not uncommon for the college to hold multi-day series of meetings or programs, such as one-week orientation or introduction program, to provide new students with in-depth overview of how the college works. However, a new approach, regularly contacting upperclassmen majoring in the same field, is becoming popular and welcome, for the seek of gaining more personalized advice. Given  the comprehensive information and socialization, I prefer to attend the orientation instead of having a regular meeting with upperclassmen.

To begin with, it pays to participate in one-week introduction programs with a general and up-to-minute introduction about the university life. This is because in order to improve school image and attract gifted students, it is not rare to upgrade the teaching facilities, renovate the old building, as well as change university policy accordingly every year. However, a freshman, preferring to meet schoolmates majoring in the same field, will still find it rather difficult to adapt to the college life since many changes have occurred in campus. For example, when arriving at my university last year, I was helped and guided by a friend who already studied here for several years. The crammed schedule and overwhelming homework forced my friend to devote most of his time in study, with less attention to care about the new school rule. Except for a few suggestions about course picking, I was ill-informed in terms of rule and regulation in newly -built canteen and library, and consequently encountered many problems in my first year. Should I attend the orientation week, my situation would be improved.

Plus, orientation week gives freshmen the chance to bond and form life-long friendships with classmates or other first year students. To be specific, during these activities, new students will turn from being a nervous wreck on the first day to feeling more at home than ever in the span of a week. Thus, it is easy for them to share common topic and experience, which is absent in regular meeting with an upperclassman. In addition, since a variety of activities, full of good vibes and fun, are held to orient and welcome new students during this period, they can pinpoint the classmates with the same interest or hobby and find the like-minded person. Therefore, it is an amazing opportunity to expand social circle and establish friendships with soul mates, facilitating these freshmen to become accustomed to university life.

Admittedly, some may argue that freshmen will seek personalized advice in regularly meeting with the seniors studying in the same major. However, considering the information we get and the chance to socialize, I regard one-week orientation as a must-have experience in the my first year at campus.