<p>another thing: there is a special orientation for international students that begins 1 week before the actual, common orientation. So, another possibility is that international students are allotted the earliest trip dates (trips that begin in the last week of August itself) since international orientation starts sometime around 2nd-3rd Sept. The actual dates for this orientation are not out yet but judging from last year’s schedule, looks like 2nd Sept is a likely date since the actual orientation begins on the 9th. </p>