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Look, orientation is aptly named. You come in not knowing which direction you're going, not knowing a thing about how college actually works in practice or how Columbia is to be navigated. Some of the sessions will help explain that, but mostly, you get some time to figure things out on your own.
The single most important, best piece of advice I can give you is: be willing to throw yourself into new experiences, take risks, and do stuff your parents wouldn't approve of. When people say "hey, a bunch of us are going to go to ___, want to come?" your answer should be "hell yes". When you're not sure if you should introduce yourself to that person on your floor or that person in your class or that person you think is cute, DO IT ANYWAY. At worst you get practice at it, at best you make a friend, and you'll start to learn the little secret that confidentialcoll alluded to: everyone ELSE is just as disoriented as you are, and lacking a comfortable social circle themselves. They WANT to meet you. They know you're just as smart and interesting as everyone else because you got into Columbia too - you have a presumption of being cool.
The first two weeks are crucial, because that's the time period that everyone is open to meeting literally anyone else, and cliques and snobbery are by-and-large nonexistent. After about two weeks, people have made their initial circle of friends and are much less needy about meeting new people (so it'll become a little less easy - still not hard, but not the trivially-easy that it was during orientation). Use that time, and be bold. You'll never face this much ambiguity and confusion again, or be in a situation where it's so easy to make friends.
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