UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — Whether an incoming first-year student had a graduating high school class of 50 or 2,000 students, making the transition to a university boasting nearly 46,000 undergraduates can be daunting. And for first-year students already bleeding blue and white, there is still much to learn about academics, diversity and inclusion, and social life when it comes to being a Penn Stater.
Now in its fourth year, the New Student Orientation (NSO) program is able to bridge that gap. Twenty-three orientation leaders and student program specialists receive rigorous instruction through a credit-bearing course and 50 hours of training before introducing first-year students to Penn State culture as they begin their academic careers.
Daniel Murphy, director of the Student Orientation and Transition Program, said 98 percent of first-year students participate in NSO. “I think this speaks to the important role the NSO program plays in the transition to Penn State for both new students and their parents and family members,” he said.
Katie Motycki, associate director for New Student Orientation, said the two-day sessions run for 10 consecutive weeks during the summer. Every session hosts about 220 students. On the first day of NSO, orientation leaders are assigned to a small group of first-year students.
“The orientation leader’s job is to individually interact with students in a small group and model behavior of what it means to be a Penn Stater. They also share important messages about being smart, safe, and the importance of living and learning in a diverse community,” Motycki said.