What to Expect: August-September

August

Students move in, meet their roommates, and set up their room/living space. Many will spend their first days on campus attending Week of Welcome events. During move-in, students may not want you around.

Advice for Parents and Families

Ask them what Concordia orientation events they attended. Did they have fun? What did they learn?

What is a WOW Team? A WOW Team is led by at least one Peer Advising Leader (PAL) who is a returning student. PALs serve as the first peer resource for new students and will host a variety of engaging and meaningful events during Week of Welcome. Each WOW Team consists of 25-35 first-year students. Freshman WOW Teams will transition to INT 100: Freshman Seminar Breakout Sessions where PALs become co-facilitators. WOW Teams will continue to interact with each other throughout the fall semester by going to on or off-campus social gatherings organized by the PALs.

Each WOW Team is identified by a theme. WOW Teams are designed to help first-year students make critical connections with each other as well as to the campus and community. It contributes to their positive transition to Concordia University, Irvine.

September

Students attend their first classes and begin navigating the campus and Irvine community. They may also be faced with choices about alcohol, attend their first college athletic game, and start regularly eating cafeteria meals. They may be feeling lonely, isolated, and/or excited about meeting new friends. Questions about their identity may start to arise as they assess where and/or if they fit in.

Advice for Parents and Families

You may miss your student, but you are not alone; so do their siblings, pets, and other friends! Ask about their classes, their friends, and any opportunities for involvement. Research states involvement in college enhances a student’s college experience. Encourage your student to get involved on campus or seek out their PAL(s) to help connect them with their peers if they are unsure if they fit in.