It was pouring rain on September 5th, the day of orientation; as a result students could not go outside, an alteration from the original plan. Still it allowed students a chance to feel comfortable and make new friends before the first full day of classes. We had a scavenger hunt, which was informative, but not exactly fun, however it did serve its purpose, which was to assist students in learning the new location of their classes. I did not enjoy every single activity of orientation but I did enjoy making new friends and seeing old ones. One thing I would suggest next time for orientation is that it should be cut shorter. It was not that orientation was not worth going to but that it was way too long and, as result students could not enjoy it as much as they should have. There are many people who agree with me on this topic. They recall orientation as “being boring” and said they were forced into coming because they were told it was mandatory. This touches upon another issue I would like to discuss; why is it that a student of two years should be forced to come even if they know their schedule and the location of their classes already? It is great if they want to come but it should not be forced upon them.

It is a wonderful idea for new students to come because then they do not have to experience the pain on the first day of coming to a school that is foreign to them and not knowing their classes or the other students. Orientation gives them a chance to see new faces, find out what classes they are taking, and to make themselves feel comfortable in the school environment before the first full day. It should be mandatory for the new students but optional for the old ones. Here is a direct quote from one of my sources describing their frustration of being forced to come, “I was forced to come by my parents. The school told my parents and me that students old and new didn’t have a choice but to come, which I think is preposterous. The students who had already attended the school before should have an option.” Another anonymous source remembers orientation as “having a lot of down- time”. I think that if orientation was an hour rather than six hours. It would be successful in not only the eyes of teachers but also in the eyes of students at the New School.