At Ohio State, we believe that a successful experience starts with a strong beginning. Students who complete their path to graduation begin their college career by engaging in the myriad opportunities at Ohio State. The Office of Undergraduate Admissions and First Year Experience (UAFYE) is prepared to assist you in your exploration of the activities and resources available to new students. We also coordinate events, like Orientation and Convocation, which help you get connected within the University and transition as a successful Buckeye.

Before the start of your first quarter, you will participate in Orientation. It’s an exciting opportunity to meet new Buckeyes from across the nation before you begin college. During Orientation, we review what you can expect in your first year, help you with scheduling your first quarter classes, and address your academic concerns. Camp Buckeye is another summer opportunity in which you can choose to participate before classes start as a way to get to know some of your fellow classmates in a wilderness setting. Camp programs are held in late-July and throughout August and include teambuilding, leadership, and interactions with faculty, staff, and upper-class students. Participants stay in tents or cabins and experience outdoor adventures such as kayaking, hiking, a high ropes course, and whitewater rafting.

The academic year starts with two significant events. Convocation, often known as the bookend to Commencement, is the ceremonial beginning to your first year at Ohio State. The celebratory program includes an address by the President of the University and other University officials and current students who will talk about your navigation toward success as a student. The second event, Picnic with the Buckeyes, is another way we welcome you Ohio State through an outdoor gathering of old and new friends, plenty of delicious food, and the ambiance of the music from the Columbus Jazz Orchestra. This event is open to the entire University family and admission is free.

Your participation in Orientation also starts your membership in the largest summer reading program in the nation! The Buckeye Book Community is a chance for students to read at their leisure a book selected by their college of enrollment. We provide you with a copy of your assigned book at Orientation, and then you return to campus in the fall prepared to discuss and analyze what you have read. This program is frequently connected with University Survey, a course instructed by your academic advisor serving as an introduction to campus life. As an additional component, you may even get to meet the book’s author!

We are so committed to your success as a student that we have a whole series of workshops focused exclusively on the needs of new students! The First-Year Success Series weaves together over 300 lectures, seminars, and interactive discussions that address typical challenges faced by students in their first year of college. These sessions are facilitated by campus experts, community leaders, and nationally known personalities. The workshops fall under one of nine themes, including areas such as current issues, sexual health, diversity, and financial and debt management.

In addition to the FYE programs, all kinds of other university offices and student-run groups at Ohio State offer many supportive programs and entertaining events, and UAFYE will help to keep you informed of all of them. FYE-news is an e-newsletter that guides you toward all the fun. With a wide range of support from UAFYE and the entire University, you will have a lot of options to ensure that your whole college experience — not just your first year — is successful and memorable.