Arrival Day will be exciting, memorable, and bittersweet. These tips will help you prepare and know what to expect when you get to campus.
Before Arriving
Remind your student to review their new student checklist.
They will want to finish any outstanding to-dos before arriving on campus so they can access their residence hall room without any hiccups.
Check out the Arrival Day and New Students’ Parents and Families pages.
You’ll find the day’s schedule, helpful details about preparing, and instructions for moving in.
Encourage your student to reach out if they have questions.
Please have them email newstudents@colgate.edu or call 315-228-6843. We’re happy to help.
Participating in a pre-orientation program or fall varsity athletic team?
If your student is participating in a pre-orientation program or is on a fall varsity athletic team, they will receive specific communication about their arrival date, time, and process. They should feel free to reach out to their program leader with any questions.
Arrival Day
Besides helping your student move in, the Arrival Day schedule includes a family brunch, an optional parent and family orientation (more below), and a Welcome to Colgate session for students and their families with campus leaders.
Let your student take the lead on setting up their room.
While it’s tempting to get everything set up on day one, your student will likely want to live in their new space for a bit before finalizing things like furniture placement or wall hangings. Perfecting their room over the first few days gives roommates a great opportunity to start building their relationship. There will be plenty of free time built into the Orientation schedule for them to get comfortably settled.
Join us for the Parent and Family orientation session.
While your student spends some time unpacking and getting to know their roommates, join us for a brief (and optional) family orientation session. We’ll touch on the adjustment to college, what their first few weeks and semester will look like, and the many resources the University has available to support your student.
If you can’t make the session, we’d be happy to email you a recording. Feel free to reach out to parents@colgate.edu to request it.
Savor the moment.
As the afternoon winds down, family and guest programming will conclude with our traditional Family Farewells and chipwiches. Your student will then gather with their Orientation groups to begin their official transition to life on the hill.
The moment your student has been working so hard for has arrived! As their biggest champions, we look forward to partnering with you in this next chapter. Our campus community is prepared and eager to support their academic and personal growth while they are at Colgate.