Orientation Question

Sorry for the lack of updates, I've been busy with studying and preparing for interviews and such. I haven't compiled enough pictures and stuff for a nice Sun God blog yet, but I'll get there. I'll answer a question that someone asked on a previous thread which was:

pcontreras24 said...

i have a question about orientation. I signed up for the last session in september and just wanted to ask what the perks were for having an early orientation date? like are you more likely to get the residence hall of your choice or sign up for classes? thanks :)

Addressing the residence hall question, I think the residence halls are randomly chosen, unless you applied for the themed housing like I mentioned before. They contact you a couple of weeks before school starts to let you know who you're rooming with and which residence hall you'll live in. But in regards to whether there's an advantage for the people who have an earlier orientation date, I don't think there is. They determine the housing after all the orientations are over so I think it's random. I went to one of the very first orientations and got stuck with a crappy residence hall, so yeah.

In terms of classes, the people who sign up for the earlier orientations have the advantage because they're able to register for classes before you do. But I'm sure you'll be able to take all the classes that you want, mainly the first quarter of your college career is used to just get a feel for college, so you don't want to overwhelm yourself. If you're going into Revelle, I highly recommend you take Gospel Choir for the Fine Arts requirement. It's easily the most enjoyable and easiest class at UCSD. And there's a lot of space in that class too, so no need to worry about getting in or not.

I can't really think of any other perks that an early orientation date can have. All of the Orientation Leaders are the same and you'll still meet some cool people from your orientation. I guess the only downside is the later orientation group COULD be smaller because it's so close to the start of school, but I'm just guessing at that. And that in turn could limit the number of people you can meet. But there are always residence hall events and meet-and-greets that will give you the opportunity to meet your neighbors and fellow college-mates.

UPDATE: pcontreras24 left another comment saying that there was an e-mail saying that there will be registration for classes in August and that registration is no longer done at orientation. If this is the case, then the registration priority will go to the students with the most college units (from either AP classes or college equivalent classes).

I hope this helps clarify some things on orientation. Feel free to leave a comment if you have a question about orientation because I didn't really explain too many details about it.