All new students are required to participate in an Orientation program that is designed to acquaint them with the University, the administration and faculty of The Fu Foundation School of Engineering and Applied Science, upper-class students, and New York City. The New Student Orientation Program for first-year students begins the week prior to the start of the fall semester.
Orientation is intended to assist all new students with the transition to college life.
Orientation is busy, exciting, and a lot of fun, but it is also a week in which important academic decisions are made. Scheduled into the program are information sessions and opportunities to meet with academic advisers. Through large group programs and small group activities, students will be introduced to faculty members, deans, resident advisers, and other students. Orientation includes walking tours of New York City, barbecues, club nights, movies, and festivals. During Orientation, new students have the campus to themselves, providing a unique opportunity to make friends and settle into life at Columbia before classes begin.