Hey~ Class of 2018 first-years!
Welcome to Wellesley!
It’s a beautiful campus, I know. This is the Lulu, our student center, first building on your left. Since you’ve likely got your parents with you to help you move in for Orientation Week, maybe they can buy you some new Wellesley gear on the top floor!
Or not? Or not. Grandpa wants to see the whole place before we go stopping anywhere. Check out the Galen Stone Tower! They’re playing the carillon bells for you up there.
Ooh, Munger Meadow. I think. It’s kind of hard to tell– this campus is confusing! It’ll become clearer though within a week. You first-years are so smart…
But no time for nap time! Lake Waban’s awfully pretty though. Are those pink shirts that I spy on the sleepers? Those must be our Orientation student leaders!
Ahaha THERE they are! Yay, student leaders! They seem pretty pleased to meet you. Oh, you want us to find the dorm? Well, that’s what we’ve been trying to do this whole time, pink shirt people, you think we’re just wandering around aimlessly?
Ooh, the quad. Looks kind of weird from this– uh, these— angles. Are you in Beebe, Cazenove, Pomeroy, or Shafer? Munger’s just down the hill on the right, too. If so, this is where you need to be!
They think so too :). Oh, did you know you’re the purple class? Wellesley’s school color is blue, but there are class colors as well… purple, green, red, and yellow.
Yes, we’ll definitely take candy and your directions. Where’s our room, where’s our roommate, when’s food time and financial aid and the elevator and — oh, okay. One step at a time, you say? That’s easier said than done. But we’ll do our best :).
Living room! Seems we’re lost again.
Ooh, MORE FOOD! You pink people have different roles, you say? Our Residential Advisors (RAs) made this? It’s gorgeous. Look, it fits with the theme of the hall- Alice in Wonderland!
Whoa, more pink shirts. You guys are like mushrooms. Hello!
Oh wait, you said you’re not supposed to be in the Quad? Cool! Maybe you’re in Stone-Davis, McAfee, Bates, Freeman, Dower, or in the Tower Complex! This is the Tower Complex: it holds Tower East, Tower West, Claflin, and Severance. Pretty, huh?
And don’t you worry, because there’s food here too.
And information from more pink shirts! What’s with the pink shirts anyway? Oh, this is supposed to be a Dora the Explorer theme, and Dora wears pink? Huh. That’s a lot of Doras. Then again, we’re a lot of Explorers :).
Hello hello hello :).
Wellesley Women, yeah 🙂
But eventually it’s time for your parents to leave, after gearing up and settling you in… farewell, family– we’re starting a new adventure! And you slide into your bed, ready for the whole Wellesley Orientation Week ahead of you…
…
Wake up! Wake up! It’s time to meet your First-Year Mentor (FYM) Group! I’m a bit confused about the timeline, actually, because Monica wasn’t working these shifts since she’s an Ask-Me pink shirt rather than a FYM pink shirt, but we’re all about adaptability now, right?
They seem to be getting along swell :).
Wellesley W, yo! They’ve found the Chapel swing, I see :).
And these guys are in Tishman Commons. Where’s their pink shirt, though?
There she is :).
Want to walk around the lake with your FYM group?
Or… well, the label for this one is: “Evolution of the Sloth.”
Much fun had by all :).
Time to get down to business though! Let’s hear from your student leaders about the myriad of resources on campus. Here’s Hannah and Ferni, the student orientation coordinators. They’ve been planning this week for you guys since June!
Ready to hear from your Residential Advisors (RAs), AMPs (Athlete Mentor Program), International Student leaders, College Government leaders, and First-Year Mentors (FYMs)? Here’s your Academic Peer Tutor (APT) coordinators: Sebiha and Milena!
And tonight is a lecture by Dr. Maura Cullen, reminding us about all the various forms of diversity on campus and how to respect everyone we encounter.
And wish a thank you to ur fearless leaders who coordinated almost all of Orientation Week (with help from SO many different people): Annie, Hannah (class of 2015), Dean O’Keefe, Ferni (class of 2016), and MIA: First-Year Dean Lori Tenser.
…
And new days bring new activities!
Here’s some East-Side first years exploring Boston on one of the day trips. You could have gone on a Science Museum or Wilderness trip as well!
Back on campus? Head over to s’mores night– just follow the chalk on all of the sidewalks!
Mmmm…
How about a trip to the art museum on campus! Did you run up all 5 floors of the Davis museum (two shown here) on your mini-treasure hunt for artwork clues? On the 5th floor you can reveal the answer to receive a Davis tote bag!
What, did you say that there was free ice cream yesterday? And free cookies practically every night? And free water bottles and highlighters and compasses? … Well, Jazzie’s here to offer you free erasers. Get excited :).
Ooh, more treasure hunts! One day you get to go on an across-campus treasure hunt with your FYM groups. Here’s one group, deciphering the first clue…
Hi Melissa Joe and Melissa Joe’s FYM group! Melissa Joe was in charge of Orientation last year :).
Guess who found the 9 3/4 passageway?
But now it’s time for the REAL excitement… classes! Placement exams one day, and advising day another. You have the opportunity to talk to faculty from all of Wellesley’s departments!
Interested in engineering opportunities? Dean Stephan is talking to a student about opportunities at Wellesley and the schools surrounding it. Dean Stephan is the 2015 class dean now, and will be the Class of 2018’s dean after they finish 1st year!
Hope you’re headed over to the language department as well! You have a 2-year language requirement to fulfill at Wellesley :).
And one of the best nights of the week: the Pre-Registration Pyjama party. I fully expect that you stuff yourself with cookies and milk. And talk to the APTs (Academic Peer Tutors) and other upperclasswomen about what classes to register for tomorrow!
9am, bright and early, you decided on your classes for first-year, first semester. You’re going to meet some awesome classmates. Some of these classmates even decided to try out for the Talent Show– they wrote poetry, or polished their dancing or music skills, in order to perform for you! They were absolutely fantastic, don’t you think? I was particularly amazed by the spoken word poetry. I wish I could write as well as them.
Class picture time! Got your purple shirt on? Purple class all the way!
And we’re all the way to Saturday night! Time enough for a Glow Party, and a Color Run the next morning.
And so many more activities that happened along the way :).
Exhausting yet starting to feel like you belong, Orientation Week comes to an end. I had an amazing time this week, and only wish I had been helping out earlier. Let the upperclasswomen come home, and the school year begin!
Best of luck to all of you, first-years. I’ll (Monica) be seeing you around :).
Monica (and the narrator ;)).
ps. Good stuff with the third-person and the pictures, right? Those took FOREVER and now I don’t have any room left on my hard drive. Should have gone for the more expensive Mac :). Speaking of…
pps. These pictures are not mine :). About half belong to Dean Lori Tenser (the super crisp ones), and the other half I took off of the Guidebook Orientation Pictures site, and those belong to many pink-shirted student leaders. Thank you so much for letting me use them!
ppps, THE FUN’S NOT DONE YET! Check out the fun schedule for the fall.
pppps. Also, I had a fabulous time this week. It’s been so much fun helping the first-years out, and I wish I’d done it earlier!