Welcome!
We welcome you to the Orientation/New Student website for the Dickinson College Class of 2012. 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
- May Information Mailing
- Orientation Information
- Orientation dates
- Move-In Information
- Questions about Orientation
- Accommodations
May Information Mailing
During the week of May 5th, 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
Orientation is a four 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.
Orientation dates:
The formal Orientation Program is August 21st – 24th, 2008 and classes Begin August 25th, 2008. Incoming students who will be employed in Dining Services will participate in a pre-orientation training program on Wednesday, August 20th.
Move-In Information:
The general move-in day for new students will Thursday, August 21st between 8:00 a.m. and noon. 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 residence 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 Wednesday, August 20th. 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 Thursday.
Questions about Orientation:
Beginning on May 15th, 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