WELCOME TO THE MIAMI FAMILY, CLASS OF 2020!
Congratulations on making your college decision and becoming a part of the Miami family! Our team at the Office of Orientation and Transition Programs is so excited that you have chosen to pursue your college education at Miami and we look forward to welcoming you to campus at orientation this summer. 
 
This e-newsletter is the first of several that you will receive from us over the next three months. Each edition will be packed with information, tips, and resources that will help you transition to Miami. This first edition includes some helpful pre-orientation details, as well as information on aspects of the Miami experience that you can start taking advantage of right now!
 
Again, congratulations on becoming a RedHawk! We can't wait to see what you'll all accomplish and bring to the Miami community!
Hawk Herald: Issue #1
SIGN UP FOR ORIENTATION
Ready to Join In On the Fun?
Summer orientation is not only required for all incoming first year students at Miami, but it's also a great way to get to know more about Miami, meet new people, and meet with an academic advisor. 

Since you have now officially confirmed your place as a Miami RedHawk, s igning up for orientation is the next step in your college journey . If you haven't already, register for orientation today , as spots are filling up quickly!
 
If you have already signed up and need to make changes to your registration details (such as adding/removing guests, altering housing plans, and changing your major), please note that you may make changes through the myMiami portal up until one week before your orientation session. 

If you have questions about your orientation registration, please do not hesitate to call 513-529-9771 or email orientation@MiamiOH.edu
ORIENTATION CHECKLIST
What to Do & What to Bring
In order to best prepare you for summer orientation, we have created several checklists for you. It's important that you come to orientation prepared, both in terms of pre-arrival tasks and what to bring to your session. We've made it simple for you with the following checklists:

Follow the steps above to ensure that you're all set to have a stellar orientation experience!

MIAMI STUDENT ID CARDS
Smile for the Camera!
Your Miami Student ID card is your all-access pass to your residence hall, meal plan, recreational sports center, sporting events, campus activities, and more! 

You will receive your Miami Student ID card on Day 2 of your orientation session.

Insider tip: upload your own photo for your Miami Student ID card at least 5 days prior to attending orientation.  If you do not upload your photo or have a photo taken ahead of orientation, you may visit the HOME (Housing Options, Meals, and Events) Office in the Campus Avenue Building, room 129, upon the completion of your orientation session. Note that lines for photos after orientation closing can be long, so uploading your own photo will be much more efficient. 

If you have questions or need help uploading your photo, contact the HOME Office by calling 513-529-5000. 
ORIENTATION FOOD DRIVE
Help Out Your New Community!
Miami is an integral part of the city of Oxford, and we hope that all Miami students are active and engaged members of the local community. If you are able, please bring two canned goods with you to orientation to benefit the Oxford Community Choice Pantry. Items most needed include tuna and peanut butter, but any non-perishable foods will help! 

When you arrive at orientation, you can drop off your canned food items at the Community Engagement and Service table at the resource fair (Day 1, 11:45am-12:45pm) in the Armstrong Student Center, 2nd floor. At the Community Engagement and Service resource fair table, you can also learn more about the issue of hunger in the Oxford area, how to contribute to - or benefit from - the Oxford Community Choice Pantry, and about volunteering and additional service to the local community.

ORIENTATION RESOURCE FAIR
Join us for the Summer Orientation Resource Fair on Day 1 of your orientation session. 

Nearly 40 campus offices will be ready to welcome you to orientation and talk about the support, resources, and opportunities they provide. 

As you visit resource fair tables and meet the staff members, collect a sticker for your resource fair brochure/prize entry. Drop off your form in the collection box outside of the Armstrong Student Center Pavilion for a chance to win prizes at the orientation closing on Day 2. 





SUMMER ORIENTATION
What to Expect

Summer orientation at Miami is designed for all first year students and their family members, and consists of one-and-a-half days of programs and meetings with faculty, staff, and student leaders. Orientation is required for incoming first year students. It provides students with the opportunity to become more  confident, comfortable, connected, and curious  about the Miami experience. 

Attending orientation allows you to start connecting with other incoming students, as well as take care of practical things like meeting with your academic advisor and registering for your first semester of classes. Students and guests who attend orientation can expect to
  • Learn about Miami's approach to liberal education
  • Develop an academic plan based on your selected major
  • Meet with an academic advisor
  • Register for fall semester classes
  • Hear about Miami's history and traditions
  • Meet faculty, staff, and student leaders
  • Learn about campus resources
  • Connect with other new students
  • Become more familiar with the physical space of campus
  • Understand more about the differences between high school and college
  • Consider the goals and outcomes you'd like to achieve at Miami
To view the schedules for student and family orientation, please use the links below. You will receive hard copies of this schedule when you arrive to campus, so please consider not printing your own copy. 
PLACEMENT TESTS
Math & Foreign Language
Math and Foreign Language Placement Tests are essential for helping you and your academic advisor select the best courses for your first semester. Both the Math and the Foreign Language Placement Tests can be taken online, on your own time. Allow about 30 minutes for each test.

All new students, including those admitted to the University Honors Program, are required to take the math placement test. If you are planning to study a foreign language or are required to do so, take a placement exam in every language you've previously studied - even if you are considering starting a new language. Please note: all majors within the College of Arts and Science, and some majors in the College of Creative Arts and the College of Engineering and Computing and have a foreign language requirement.

If you have questions about placement tests, please contact the advising office for the college of your major:

College of Arts and Science: (513) 529-3031
College of Creative Arts: (513) 529-2209
College of Education, Health and Society: (513) 529-6317
College of Engineering and Computing: (513) 529-0700
Farmer School of Business: (513) 529-1712

Please take your placement tests as soon as you are able, and no later than one week before your orientation begins. This will ensure that placement test scores are recorded and available to your academic advisor at orientation. 
WE'VE GOT SOUL(s), YES WE DO!
... And Soon, You Will Too!
SOUL (Student Orientation Undergraduate Leader) is our acronym for the 24 undergraduate students who will help you start off your transition to Miami on the right foot. SOULs are essential to the success of our orientation, as they provide important guidance, experience, and insight to the students and guests attending each orientation session.

SOULs are enthused and informed representatives of Miami University. They know lots of information about student involvement at Miami, campus resources, and much, much more! Use them throughout your time at orientation and beyond - they are an invaluable source of support!
ARRIVAL & PARKING
Arrival
On Day 1 of your session, please arrive between 10:00am and 12pm to check in for orientation at Beechwoods Hall (231 Western College Drive Oxford, OH 45056). Parents/family members can wait in the car while students check in and drop off their overnight bags; once your student has checked in, park in the North Campus Parking Garage (look for on-campus signs) and make your way to the Armstrong Student Center (550 E. Spring Street, Oxford, OH 45056) to eat lunch before the program begins with the resource fair (11:45am-12:45pm). Families who are staying on campus will check in to their residence hall accommodations after the last program of the day concludes at 8:15pm.

If you cannot arrive before 12pm, please go directly to the orientation office in the Armstrong Student Center, room 2048, for orientation check-in. Students can check in to their residence hall between 4:15-5:30pm, after the Academic Divisional meeting. (Families who are staying on campus will check in to their residence hall accommodations after dinner.)
Parking
If you will have a car with you at orientation, you will need to print an orientation parking pass. Please print the parking pass and put it on your vehicles's dashboard for the duration of orientation. In case you forget, parking passes will be available when you check in for orientation and at the Armstrong Student Center information desk. 

In addition to allowing you to park in the North Campus Garage for free, your orientation parking pass will allow you to park in any non-metered legal parking space (e.g., no yellow curbs) on campus. Depending on when you arrive to campus, these spaces may be rare, which is why we recommend parking in the North Campus Garage. But if you see a free space, you're welcome to use it. 

When you enter the North Campus Garage, please take and keep the entry ticket. On your way out of the garage, insert your entry ticket, and scan the bar code on your parking pass to exit (at no charge to you). Parking passes do allow you to enter and exit the parking garage to fit your needs, and the same bar code can be used multiple times.

Do not park in the spaces of the MU Child Development Center (next to the orientation student residence halls) that are marked as drop-off spaces. These spaces are strictly reserved for the parents who drop their children off for pre-school here. Your parking pass is not good for metered spaces; we recommend that you avoid parking in metered spaces, as you will need to feed the meter throughout the day.

 


     (513) 529-9771      
orientation@MiamiOH.edu