A successful Orientation season concludes this August

By Alexandra Morris

Coastal Carolina University will host its last orientation of the season on Aug. 13. This one is reserved for transfer students and any remaining freshmen who were not able to attend an earlier session. At CCU, Orientation is a two-day event in collaboration with the entire University where new students and families can experience a warm, informative and entertaining first welcome from their chosen school.

Traditionally, the transfer orientation and the new freshman orientations were exclusive. “This year with the large population of incoming freshmen, we will have a few more students who will join us in August,” says Meredith Kahl, director of New Student and Family Programs. She expects to see 350 to 400 students.

Kahl is the mastermind behind CCU’s orientation events. She explains that preparation for the 12 orientations, spanning June through August, is a yearlong task. “When students and families leave orientation, they should feel reaffirmed, satisfied in their decision and excited to be a part of this community,” says Kahl. “Everyone at this school understands the importance of Orientation. There is a group I call the New Student Transitions committee, which brings individuals together from housing to the academic colleges.

“Orientation at CCU is not what it was years ago,” says Kahl. “It has moved from the Office of Admissions to the Office of New Student and Family Programs. The focus is not just the academic side of college anymore, but a whole extracurricular, social and personally fulfilling journey.”

 A total of 2,455 freshmen and 562 transfer students have already attended an orientation session this summer. And the student growth isn’t the only thing that’s spreading. “These past two days have told me that success is possible at CCU for my student,” says parent Corina Bennett from Wilton, N.Y. “The students are the most important priority at this school.”