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Your Guide to Welcome Week!

What the heck is Welcome Week? I get it. By now, you’ve probably received about a million different emails with a million different dates and times. What do you actually have to go to? What dates should you mark down? I’m here to help!

Basically, Welcome Week is the first week back from summer break and it’s PACKED with activities that will allow you to meet other students, meet OSU staff, and get ~free~ stuff!

Here’s a breakdown of important stuff going on at OSU…

  • Saturday Sundaes w/ Dr. Drake - August 18th from 2:00-3:00pm at Ohio Union Performance Hall
    • Both students and parents are invited to meet Dr. Drake, Ohio State’s President. This is a great opportunity to get to know an ~OSU celebrity~ and get FREE ice cream.
  • Student Involvement Fair – August 19th from 4:00-7:00pm on The Oval
    • This is a great opportunity to learn about everything Ohio State has to offer! Don’t waste your time as a college student by ONLY going to class. It is super important to get involved with additional activities on campus! I promise there is something for everyone here.
  • President’s Convocation – August 20th from 10:30AM-12:00PM at the Schottenstein Center
    • This is the official opening to the academic year! This is an opportunity to hear from President Drake, faculty, administrators, and other special guests.
  • Buck-I-Frenzy – August 20th from 12:00-4:00pm at the RPAC
    • If you like coupons and free stuff… Buck-I-Frenzy is the place for you! Get there early to get the good stuff. Plus, this is a great opportunity to meet other students.
  • Movie on South Oval – August 22nd at 8:00pm on The South Oval
    • Wrap up your first day of classes with food, friends, and a feature film! Everything is free. This is an awesome opportunity to get to know some new people!
  • Buckeye Kick-Off – August 23rd from 6:00-8:00pm at the Ohio Stadium
    • If you’ve ever been in the student section at an OSU game, you’ve probably wondered how everyone knows the same cheers. Well, Buckeye Kick-Off is where we learned them! If you’ve never been to an OSU football game, this is your first chance to explore Ohio Stadium. Not to mention free “Ohio Dogs”. Personally, I think the Ohio Dog a really strange food combination, but it’s well known among OSU students and alumnae and a lot of people love it. Don’t forget to wear your OSU gear!
  •  Community Commitment – August 25th from 9:00AM-2:00PM at Ohio Union Grand Ballroom
    • If you enjoy serving the community, this is a great event for you! You’ll travel to one of over 50 service sites around Columbus for a day of service. Breakfast and lunch are provided!
  • Back 2 School Bash – August 30th at 5:00pm at Fred Beekman Park Wheel
    • Your amazing advisor, Mariette, and a bunch of amazing students spent a lot of time planning this event! There will be music, games, kickball, tug of war, bingo, giveaways, free food, carnival artists, and so much more! This is a great opportunity to meet other CFAES students and faculty. Hope to see you there!

                                                                                                             

As a bonus, I wanted to throw some first year of college advice your way. Here are a few things I wish I had known when I started at OSU….

  • Everyone is nervous. Don’t get discouraged when you don’t LOVE college your first week. College is super overwhelming and it’s totally normal to feel uneasy.
  • Most Welcome Week activities are not required… BUT you should still make it to AT LEAST some! When I first started at OSU I was still in the high school mindset that if I didn’t go to certain things, I would get in trouble. There are way too many people at OSU for anyone to keep track of who is and isn’t at certain events. That being said, you’re missing out on a lot of opportunities to get involved and meet new people if you don’t go. And, YES, I still talk to people that I met at Welcome Week.
  • “I didn’t review that topic very much. It was on the notes, but we didn’t talk about it in lecture a lot.” NO! That does NOT fly here. Just because a topic wasn’t covered as extensively as another doesn’t mean you can forget it. It will very likely still be on the exam.
  • It’s okay to change your mind. You might come into school seeing yourself in one career and then decide there’s a better fit for you elsewhere. That’s totally normal and OKAY!
  • Get to know your professors, TAs, and advisors. I promise no one wants you to fail. There’s no shame in asking for extra help. Also, you'll probably need a letter of recommendation from them one day. 
  • Stay healthy. Mentally and physically. If you ever find that you need some help, DO NOT HESITATE to reach out to a staff member. We are a family and we want you to succeed.
  • Get involved, but don’t bite off more than you can chew. Most students that have been to the Involvement Fair would probably agree with me that there are a lot of amazing clubs at OSU so we signed up for every single one! Now I’m on the email list for about 40 different clubs and I only actually participate in 3. Don’t be afraid to try new things, but it’s better to find a few things you’re passionate about rather than try to stretch yourself to participate in everything.
  • College goes by fast… too fast… one day you’ll be a third year student sitting at your laptop writing advice for freshman, and it’ll just blow your mind because you still remember sitting at orientation terrified of everything. Enjoy college! Make the most of it! You can and will do amazing things!