Become an Orientation Leader!
Starting college can be a massive change, but orientation makes that change much easier. It is a great way for new students to get comfortable with starting their college experience, without the pressure of classes beginning right away. Freshmen get to move in early and grow accustomed to the campus, as well as learn different things about the university that you may have never even thought of (like how to maximize your caf card!). Orientation has a lot of moving parts, and I wanted to highlight one in particular: the orientation leaders.
Orientation leaders are the returning students who guide the new students and act as friendly faces on campus. Part of that also involves being in touch with and helping the OSL staff ensure that orientation runs smoothly. That means everything from packing all of the swag bags that everyone receives, and even going through a whole training process on how to use CampusGroups to ensure that our programming runs smoothly. Ranging from sophomores to seniors across a variety of majors and morning programs, we ensure that new students can ask any one of us a question, whether it's about the best shiur to join or how to pick an interesting and rewarding elective. We are also the ones at the welcome tent, greeting everyone, handing out IDs, showing the new students where to go and informing them of different events that are scheduled. We also ran various sessions, from “caf hacks” to campus tours and everything in between.
Orientation opened with dinner, and an introductory speech was given by Rabbi Dr. Ari Berman, who welcomed all the new students to Yeshiva University. Wednesday morning started with Shacharis, followed by breakfast, during which the orientation leaders helped new students figure out which workshops to go to, such as academic advising or the Hebrew placement exam. The afternoon also included more programming, particularly campus tours and important security information sessions. After dinner, this busy day led straight into a series of very exciting night activities.
A significant responsibility for orientation leaders is making sure that the night activities run smoothly. This year, there were three different options for the Wednesday night activity: Topgolf, “Harry Potter and the Cursed Child,” and Dave & Buster’s. Those going to the Harry Potter show or Dave & Buster’s were the ones leading the subway groups so that everyone arrived where they wanted to go safely, as navigating the New York transit system can be a bit confusing for the first few times. This was also an amazing moment to meet and connect with the new students. The transportation itself could take around 40 minutes, which is quality time to form new friendships.
The excitement didn’t stop there. Thursday morning kicked off with a deep dive into the Undergraduate Torah Studies (UTS) programming in the Glueck Beis Medrash. It started with a brief introduction from Rabbi Kalinsky and Rabbi Bacon about the program, after which the students were broken up based on which morning program they would be going to, and sat in small learning groups with different rebbeim. This was a very impactful moment for me, being able to witness the students’ first taste of the YU learning environment and the start of their journey of growth.
For the Thursday night activity, we went to a Yankees vs. Red Sox game, which was another great way to meet and interact with the new students. I thought that this was a great idea as it was something that everyone could enjoy. For sports fans, who doesn’t love a game of baseball, especially between major rivals such as the Yankees and Red Sox? Even for those who aren’t fans of the sport, there’s a lot of quiet time during a baseball game to shmooze and interact with new people. YU also made it easy to connect with some of the upperclassmen, since all undergraduate students were invited. Being able to help facilitate connections between new and old friends also felt very rewarding.
Friday was more of a relaxing day, with some students having class registration in the morning, during which the orientation leaders helped recommend different classes. This was followed by an exciting afternoon in the library. After a brief introduction of the YU library and all it has to offer, we got to play laser tag in the library, which was incredibly fun. We then welcomed a classic YU Shabbos in which we were joined by several roshei yeshiva, and students were once again able to deepen their connections to each other while settling into the YU environment. Orientation closed on Sunday with a trip to Six Flags Great Adventure, and when we returned, the new students met some of the returning students at the Welcome Back Barbecue.
Orientation was full of enriching activities and I especially appreciated being able to experience it again as one of the leaders. OSL was easy and pleasant to work with, the group of orientation leaders was superb and I particularly enjoyed meeting the new students. They expressed their gratitude to us for the various sessions we led, which made me feel thankful for the fact that I was able to play a small role in easing the stress of adjusting to the beginning of one’s college experience.
Also, as orientation leaders, we had the privilege of choosing which activities we preferred to participate in and help out with. Personally, I tried to do as much as possible, while others only engaged in the night activities. I wanted to soak up the experience of being an orientation leader while also maximizing my impact in forming relationships with the incoming students.
There is absolutely no question in my mind that I would do it again, given the opportunity. The experience is rewarding, but it also has great perks. For me, becoming an orientation leader was about stepping out of my comfort zone and taking initiative, while also becoming a friendly face on campus. The opportunity to run sessions using my “insider knowledge” and experience of the do’s and don’ts at YU made me feel that I had a big impact. Last year’s orientation leaders had a positive impact on my first year at YU, and I hope that I did my part in giving over that same experience to the new students. If this sounds meaningful, fun or simply like a great way to start your year, I’d highly recommend applying for next year!
Photo Credit: Baruch Bluth
Photo Caption: Enjoying “Harry Potter & the Cursed Child” with new students
