Welcome!
We welcome you to the Orientation/New Student website for the Dickinson College Class of 2013. Over the coming months, this website will be continually updated with the information that you will need to prepare for your arrival to campus, so check back regularly. Below you will find important preliminary information about Orientation dates, as well as information about an important informational mailing that all incoming students will receive in early May.
New! - Move-In Driving Directions
New!- Complete Orientation Schedule
- May Information Mailing
- First Year Seminar Information
- Orientation Information
- Academic Advising
- Move-In Information
- Questions about Orientation
- Accommodations
May Information Mailing
During the week of May 11th, incoming students will receive an important information booklet. In it you will find:
- Instructions for using the Gateway Portal which will be your source for email, information and important matriculation information
- Instructions for completing online forms and surveys including your housing/room selection survey, your first year seminar selection form, and other important information that we would like to have about you.
- Instructions for providing us with Health Insurance documentation and health forms
- Instructions for completing math and language placement tests
- Information about disability disclosure forms if appropriate
- Financial aid and student employment forms
- Information on academic advising and course selection
- Instructions for completing the AlcoholEdu online course required of all incoming students
- Answers to frequently asked questions, a schedule for receiving additional information this summer, and helpful Information Technology information.
Orientation Information
The formal Orientation Program is August 26st – 30th, 2009 and classes Begin August 30th, 2009. Incoming students who will be employed in Dining Services will participate in a pre-orientation training program on Tuesday, August 25th.
Orientation is a five day program for incoming students held just prior to the beginning of the academic year. For incoming students, orientation is a formal part of your program at Dickinson and as such, your complete and active engagement is expected.
Dickinson’s orientation program for incoming students is designed to facilitate a successful integration into a new and unfamiliar academic and residential setting. Orientation programs will invite you to learn about the experiences, opportunities and people who constitute our dynamic and exciting community of inquiry and will support new students in their intellectual and personal development. Specifically, the orientation program will:
- Introduce you to your faculty advisors who will provide intellectual challenge, and support, in the coming year;
- Introduce you to the habits of deep engagement with intellectual life, and of productive and supportive academic and social decision making that are necessary for success in college;
- Welcome and introduce you to fellow students in ways that will help you establish mature and supportive social networks in this time of transition;
- Familiarize you with the rights and responsibilities associated with being a student at Dickinson as well as the academic and social behaviors appropriate for success in an academic community, and in the world at large;
- Help you get familiar with the campus and the people, programs and services available to support your successful navigation of college life;
- Create meaningful opportunities for you to learn from the academic and social experiences of upper-level students;
- Demonstrate the college’s connection to downtown Carlisle and the cultural and recreational offerings that will enhance students’ experiences while at Dickinson;
- Integrate you into Dickinson’s history and tradition; and
- Allow you the time and opportunity to explore and settle into your new environment.
Academic Advising:
SUMMER ADVISING
Summer Advising is scheduled for July 13 – 17th . Calls will be made between noon and 8:00 p.m. Eastern Time.
A Summer Advisor will be calling you on the following dates based on your last name.
A – D Monday, July 13
E – K Tuesday, July 14
L – R Wednesday, July 15
S – T Thursday, July 16
U – Z Friday, July 17
Please note the following:
- If you will NOT be available to receive a call on the day that is designated for you – please send an email to advising@dickinson.edu indicating when you will be available
- If you prefer that we use your cell phone number, please send that number to advising@dickinson.edu
- Please refer to the May mailing -Tab 5 - so that you are prepared to have a productive call from a Summer Advisor.
.*If you will not be available to receive a phone call at your home phone number during Summer Advising (July 13-17) – please send a message to advising@dickinson.edu and put “Summer Advising” in the subject line.
-- Please let us know how/where you can be reached that week (July 13-17).
-- If you will not be in the US between July 13-27, please let us know so we can connect with you prior to the Summer Advising dates.
-- If you prefer that we call you on your cell phone number – please send an email to the Advising account with your cell phone number.
Move-In Information:
The general move-in day for new students will Wednesday, August 26th between 8-11 a.m. Students will report to their assigned residence halls to check in. Your housing assignment will be sent to you by mid-July. There will be a late check in available from 1:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. in the Student Life Office in the lower level of the HUB. More information, including directions to campus and helpful lists of what to pack and what to leave home, will appear in the weeks to come.
First year students who will be employed in the Dining Hall as part of their student work program will be invited to move in on Tuesday, August 25th.. After you move in and get settled, you will participate in valuable training and team building that afternoon and evening for your important role on campus. This schedule will allow you to get the training you’ll need and still be involved with the complete orientation program which will begin on Wednesday.
Questions about Orientation:
Beginning on June 1, an Orientation Office will be staffed by students trained to answer your questions. You can call directly at (717) 245-1555. The office will be staffed all summer from 8:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. We receive a heavy volume of calls, so if you receive a voice mail response, please know that someone will contact you as soon as possible.
Accommodations
If your family is coming from a distance to move you in, you may need hotel accommodations for move-in/orientation. The Carlisle Area link on the orientation website provides a list of local hotels as well as many other Carlisle attractions that may be helpful as you plan your move to the area. You may access the site at
www.dickinson.edu/about/hotels.html