July 25–31, 2007, Number 453
A tradition at Orientation is building a huge ice cream sundae. It 's experiential art—a beauty to behold and a delicious delicacy!
Orientation—
Academics and Parent Orientation
Orientation is set up to help students adjust to life on their own. Last week I discussed the plethora of exciting events that are planned throughout Orientation Week. This week will consist of the academic events your student will have to complete.
Course Scheduling
When looking at your student’s initial schedule, you may have noticed that the number of credits scheduled is rather low; in some cases, it is below the 12 credits needed to be a full-time student. This is because your student will have to schedule their last class with help from their Orientation Team Leader (OTL). This last class is called Perspectives on Inquiry and helps students develop college level writing and speaking skills. Here is a preliminary list of the different sections so your students can start deciding what classes might interest them. I would suggest picking three top choices, since the classes do fill up and that first choice may not be available any longer. Depending on the results of the placement tests your students will take, their schedules can also be changed during Orientation by talking to the academic advisors.
Placement Tests
Much of the course placement for your student was determined by their ACT or SAT scores before ever entering college. Some students who were on the borderline between classes were offered the chance to take placement tests online. If you did not take the placement tests already, there will be opportunities available to take them during Orientation. These tests help to ensure that your student is starting at the appropriate difficulty level so they don’t feel overwhelmed with their classes.
- Mathematics Diagnostic Test—used to determine the appropriate mathematics class to start your student in.
- Computer Science Placement Test—this is designed for students with current programming experience in any language. It helps decide whether an accelerated introduction course is best for you student.
- Spatial Visualization Test—required to be taken by all engineering majors. This test measures the student’s ability to visualize three-dimensional objects from different perspectives. If students do not do well on this test, it is recommended they enroll in ENG1002 which is an introduction to spatial visualization.
- Modern Language Placement Test—available for French, Spanish, and German to determine what level your student’s language skills are at. This way they will be placed at the appropriate level of study. This test must be registered for via mail by August 17th by going here.
Parent and Family Orientation
For many parents, this is the first time they have to say goodbye to their students for an extended period of time. To help with this separation, Michigan Tech has an orientation for Parents and Families as well. The orientation schedule of events can be found here.
The Parent Orientation takes place on Sunday and Monday throughout the day. I talked with my mother about what she thought about the Parent Orientation when she attended the sessions four years ago. She said they really helped her since I was the first child to leave the nest. My mother highly recommends that parents attend these sessions, especially if this is the first student going to college. They help with issues of homesickness (both parents and students), letting go, and helping students from a distance.
Many younger brothers and sisters also come up with their parents for orientation. Michigan Tech knows the younger siblings would find the parent informational sessions tiresome and boring, so they set up a special program just for them. This program is called the Sibling Summer Youth Sessions. The siblings are split up into groups depending on their ages. The children engage in hands-on projects, team building and creative explorations. Parents are strongly advised to pre-register for this event as walk-in slots are determined strictly by the number of openings still available.
The family picnic is also a popular event to attend at Orientation. It takes place on Sunday, August 26, from 4:00–6:00 p.m. First-year students and children under five eat free, everyone else must purchase meal tickets in advance. They can be purchased online or by calling the Rozsa Box Office. I know while my family and I were at the picnic, we ended up meeting another first-year student and his family who were from my hometown. We had never met since we went to different schools, but it was nice to know I wasn’t the only one from the area.
Hopefully you will find all these experiences enjoyable and informative. I would like to personally invite you all to the University Expo that takes place on Monday, August 27, following the last parent orientation sessions in the Rozsa lobby. Make sure to stop by the ParentNet booth and say hello to us. It is nice to put faces with names.
If there are ever any concerns or topics that you feel should be addressed, please send me a personal email and I will try my best to include them in my future articles.Until next week,
- Michigan Technological University
- 1400 Townsend Drive, Houghton, MI 49931-1295
- 906-487-1885