With National Decision Day coming and going and summer nearly upon us, incoming college freshmen are likely equally excited and nervous about starting their first year of college in a few short months. Maybe they are eager to begin a new chapter in their lives, but still anxious about all that comes along with the college experience – making new friends, determining their future. If any of this applies to you, as an incoming freshman at Fordham College at Lincoln Center, this guide is for you. Here is what you can expect during the beginning stages of your transition to college:
1. ICE BREAKERS: You better know yourself pretty well coming into orientation in August because you will be asked several times throughout the three days to share some fun facts about yourself. But don’t worry! The icebreakers aren’t so bad. Back when I was a freshman two summers ago, I was dreading orientation because I really wasn’t sure what to say about myself. Should I tell them about my shoe collection or my pet fish? Should I tell them my favorite show is The Office or would that be coming on too strong? These icebreakers are not something you should sweat at all. Everyone else will likely be in the same boat as you and racking their brains for something interesting about themselves to say. Lucky for you, having read this guide, you already know to come prepared with a thing or two to say about yourself.
And, for what it’s worth, a lot of the icebreakers that orientation leaders decide to play are not just asking new students to introduce themselves and share some facts. There are tons of icebreaker games to play like hot seat, great wind blows, and human knot.
2. MEET YOUR MENTOR: If you are coming into Lincoln Center as a commuter, you will be paired with a Commuter Freshman Mentor (CFM). Your mentor will be available for you all year long as you adjust to college life. As a commuter freshman, you will be in a group, led by your CFM, with about 25 other freshmen. Throughout the year, your CFM will plan events for you and your fellow group members like game nights, dinner outings, and more. All of the mentors will also come together a few times throughout each semester to plan fun events for all the freshman commuters to attend. Your CFM will also host weekly office hours for you to attend if you have any questions or concerns about anything, or if you just want to chat with them. Your assigned mentor is meant to help guide you throughout your first months of college life and become a friend to you.
3. MEET YOUR RESIDENT ASSISTANT: If you are coming into Lincoln Center as a resident, you will be assigned a Resident Assistant (RA). As your RA, the upperclassman acts as a role model for the incoming freshman residents to help them with any concerns they have about college in general, and specifically about being a resident. Beyond guiding and counseling you, your RA will also coordinate fun and interesting services and programs year-round. Possibly most importantly, the RAs are concerned with creating a warm and welcoming community for the residents. You will likely form strong bonds with your RA, who you will find can be someone you can go to with any question you may have. Also, you will become very well-connected with the other members of your floor to ensure a strong sense of community.
4. GET YOUR ALAN’S NUMBER: Just across the street from campus is a deli that serves up some of the best food known to Fordham Lincoln Center mankind. Alan’s Deli provides many food options, like breakfast, lunch, and dinner sandwiches, salads, and snacks. On the board hanging from the ceiling in the deli is a numerical list of sandwich options that are quickly served to you at the call of a number. Ask anyone what their Alan’s number is and be sure to get some feedback on some of the best sandwiches the deli has to offer. I like bacon, egg, and cheese on a roll in the morning, but if you catch me at Alan’s in the afternoon or evening, you already know I’ve ordered the 19. The variety of sandwiches are also decently priced, but what is more impressive is the discount offered to Fordham students, so make sure you bring your student ID every time you go to Alan’s!
5. JOIN A CLUB: During orientation, all the clubs on campus come together to host a club fair. There are so many clubs to choose from. If you like art, sign up for the Student Arts Guild. If you are more of an investigative reporter type of person, join the school newspaper, The Observer. If you want to help plan events on campus, join the Campus Activities Board. There is a club option for everyone on campus with the wide variety available to you at Lincoln Center.
6. YOU WILL MAKE TONS OF FRIENDS: A major fear of anyone coming into college is the uncertainty of making new friends. Lucky for you, Fordham makes it fun and easy to make so many friends on campus. Just during your first few days of orientation alone, you will be placed in different groups throughout the day to get to know so many different and fellow freshmen. You will also get to know the upperclassman student leaders who have volunteered to welcome you to campus. Even when classes begin, it’s easy to make new friends if you’re willing to get to know new people. Almost everyone else will also be coming into college not knowing anyone so they will also be eager to know you, too. And, to dispel the myth that residents and commuters don’t have the opportunity to become friends, Fordham has created an Integrated Learning Community (ILC) that allows the residents and commuters to get to know each other and participate in fun events throughout the year, like the annual freshmen ice cream social. Even beyond immersing the residents and commuters, the ILC program aims to integrate all the freshmen with the New York City community to really help Fordham feel like their home for the next four years.
7. YOU WILL FEEL WELCOMED: Right from the start, from the first moment you step foot on campus, there will be someone holding the front door open for you to greet you and welcome you to our home. You will be welcomed by Fordham’s President, the Dean of Fordham College at Lincoln Center, and the Dean of Students, and during each speech, you better be sure that they will tell you exactly how happy we are to have you come to Fordham. You will gain useful information about the university, academics, and student life to make sure you feel prepared to embark on your journey. There will be many orientation leaders and student volunteers available to you every step of the way to help guide you in the transition to college, and so many events planned for you to make sure you are getting the most out of your orientation experience. So put your anxious fears aside, and welcome to the Ramily!