<p>It’s been put online, if anyone wants to see it. Here’s the link:
<a href=“http://www.columbia.edu/cu/orientation/sbook.html[/url]”>http://www.columbia.edu/cu/orientation/sbook.html</a></p>
<p>Word of advice: don’t go to anything you don’t really want to go to. When they say “required”, they don’t mean it. Spend the time meeting people and exploring with them. Deck out your dorm room, take care of all administrative stuff, but ignore NSOP’s BS.</p>
<p>I disagree, I would try to take advantage of as many activities as possible…they will provide you the oppertunities to meet people…you can deck out ur room and do administrative stuff for the next four years but orientation only happens once. For instance I wish i had gone on some of the walking tours they had…even though i’m a native new yorker it would’v been fun to check out a couple of them. As for the library spillproof mug and computer thing etc…its only like an hr of your time (and you get a nifty spillproof mug)…besides, especially for those not exactly good with computers it’d be a good idea to find out how the columbia network works. Also, its nice to at least show up to each of the nightly events just to check it out…you can always leave if its corny.</p>
<p>To plug-in a computer in a dorm room, do you need just a regular ethernet cable, or is there something else? For internet access, I mean.</p>
<p>yes, its just a regular ethernet…make sure you dont have any viruses or else u will be kicked off the network</p>
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<p>Completely agree. Something “required” that requires you to sit in a room and listen to a boring speech isn’t going to allow you to meet anyone, anyway.</p>
<p>It’s hard to know what’s boring on the basis of what’s listed in the book alone, though. I agree that the library thing is worth it, for the mug alone. The public safety presentation is always a hit (they’re funny). The Varsity Show is always worth seeing, even in truncated form. Some of even the awful things are worth going to, solely so one can reminisce senior year “remember that stupid/ridiculous orientation event?” </p>
<p>I would not overemphasize meeting people during orientation, though. Some act like it’ll be your only chance at Columbia to make friends…I hardly remember anyone I met at orientation besides my floormates, who I had a reason to stick around with.</p>
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<p>very true, at best the people you will meet during orientation will be people you just say hi to in passing and by the time you hit junior year you will probably not even acknowledge them anymore…doesnt mean you should avoid meeting people but dont put too much emphasis on it like columbia2007 said.</p>
<p>The first few days of orientation are an absolutely unique opportunity - people haven’t made friends yet, everyone is an open book. After about a week, people form cliques and it becomes a lot harder.</p>
<p>COOP clearly helps a lot with getting a jump-start, people-wise. I couldn’t afford to go, but everyone who came back already had 3-6 friends. Made things a lot less lonely sometimes, from what I could tell.</p>
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oh sure, there’s definitely stuff i’d want to go on. The walking tours in particular are great, grab a friend or two and amuse yourself for the hour and a half, then grab a bite in whatever neighborhood you’re in. But stuff like the diversity/sensitivty schtick they do right before CUnity (also an abhorrent time) is a waste of space, as is the library thing and a lot of academic presentations. I’m just saying, don’t feel obligated to do anything just because they say it’s “required”, just stick to what you want to do, and be outgoing. you’ve got 4 years to get a cup for the library, too.</p>
<p>The one thing you absolutely want to wake up for, no matter how hung over, is the activities fair. It’s after classes have started so you’ve got a little time, but it’s a great time for all involved.</p>
<p>-Steve</p>
<p>I would definately take advantage of the walking tours and the coney island party, and yes, the library presentation for the mug. However, I think a lot of people go to things like C-Unity and expect to walk out with a bunch of new, lifelong friends, and it just doesn’t happen like that. Getting to know the people on your floor will be most beneficial at first because you’ll be with them all year and it will be easier to forge those friendships. Plus, once classes start you’ll get to know some more people</p>
<p>I like how Columbia screws us over by making us use some of our meals/points during orientation =) Anywho, should I go to the Lit Hum lecture?</p>
<p>I want to know what god-awful talent they booked for the annual NSOP Concert on the Steps.</p>
<p>Absolutely go to the Lit Hum lecture; if it’s anything like it was my freshman year it will mostly be illustrated historical background on the Iliad. Plus most freshmen will go as they’ve not yet been jaded into total apathy (that will take a few weeks probably). </p>
<p>As for your meals/points: Columbia is actually screwing you over more than you realize, because there’s no way you can actually use all the meals they force you to buy as a freshman in the times allocated. Using meals during orientation will have no impact on this; you’ll still have many left over even if you at at John Jay twice every day.</p>
<p>well, that’s not true, the 210-meal per semester plan is close to 100% coverage (twice a day, every day). What’s the minimum? 120, followed by 150?</p>
<p>As for the concert on the steps, my freshman year it was Ben Folds. Your mileage may vary.</p>
<p>last year it was yo la tengo</p>
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<p>CUnity is the most pathetic heap of BS I have ever experienced.</p>
<p>i dont think i saw CUnity in the schedule for this year…it seems like they came up with some new team thing instead.</p>
<p>I think you hit Ben Folds during a college tour. How cliche.</p>
<p>They replaced CUnity with some interschool scavanger hunt that will include teams of one Barnard student, one CC student, and one SEAS student each. Apparently they decided it was better to micromanage social engineering even more.</p>
<p>I didn’t see the scavanger hunt on the schedule, what day/time is it? You’d think that if they wanted to make it a real New York City scavanger hunt they’d have us look for bodies in the Hudson River and stuff like that.</p>