The purpose of New Student Week is to provide incoming students with experiences and information that prepare them to thrive both academically and socially in their first year at Carleton and beyond. We accomplish this through activities and interactions designed to introduce new students and their families to the values of the institution, as they are embodied in, and enacted by, the people, programs and lived experience of our campus. Our hope is that by the end of the orientation period, students have begun to situate themselves in this rich environment with a clearer sense of how their own talents and abilities can flourish and grow.
Specifically, new students should feel that they have one or more reliable sources of information for academic issues and institutional policies and regulations. They should have an awareness of the support structures on campus for social, emotional, and physical health and well-being. They should begin to gain a first-hand understanding of the rewards and challenges of living and working within a diverse community and begin the process of making social connections within such a community. While students may not get all of their questions answered, we hope that they enter their first term confident that they can find the help and resources they need to succeed.