The transition to college is more than a logistical shift; it’s a profoundly human one. For students, it’s not just about arriving on campus with a course schedule and a dorm key. It’s about stepping into a new identity, forming meaningful relationships and beginning to answer the fundamental question: Do I belong here?
At the University of New Hampshire (UNH), we believe orientation is one of the most powerful tools we have, to answer that question with a resounding yes, but it only works if we’re intentional.
We don’t treat orientation as a singular event. We design it as the foundation for a longer journey, one that starts well before students arrive and extends through their first semesters and beyond. In an era when higher education is expected to demonstrate both value and relevance, a purposeful, student-centered onboarding experience is essential.
Why Intentional Orientation Matters
Transition programs, when thoughtfully designed, do more than help students find classrooms or navigate dining halls. They lay the emotional, social and academic groundwork for the entire college experience.
Strong onboarding correlates with:
- Higher first-to-second-year retention
- Improved academic performance
- Increased use of campus support resources
- Stronger feelings of belonging and well-being
These outcomes require deliberate planning, broad campus collaboration and a unified philosophy.
The One UNH Experience: Designing for Integration
Students don’t experience college in silos. They don’t distinguish between academic affairs and student life or between advising and residence halls. To them, it’s all one college experience.
At UNH, we’ve built our orientation model around this philosophy, a fully integrated, human-centered approach that bridges academic, residential and social onboarding. Orientation is a partnership. It involves senior leaders, faculty, residence life staff, advisors, peer leaders and campus support services. We all work in sync to welcome each student into the fabric of the institution.
Early and Intentional Outreach
The UNH onboarding journey begins before students ever set foot on campus.
Months ahead of orientation, staff in Admissions and New Student and Family Programs are connecting with incoming students to build on their excitement and ease their transition. Together, these departments implement a coordinated communication plan that includes enrolling students in an online orientation module. This platform introduces key staff and campus resources, remaining available throughout students’ time at UNH, to help them integrate into the university’s culture from the start.
This early engagement sets the tone: You’re not just a number here. You’re already part of our community.
Families as Partners in Belonging
Parents and families play a critical role in a student’s success. When they feel confident in the institution, students are more likely to engage, persist and seek help when needed.
Every orientation session at UNH includes a parent and family reception, where senior academic leaders, deans and student life staff spend meaningful time with families and parents. These conversations foster trust, answer questions and reinforce the message that UNH is a partnership. The following day, we have a complete, dedicated orientation for parents, families and guests.
Our parent council also plays a key role throughout the year, helping new families stay connected and informed. This long-term relationship is strategic, as it supports retention and amplifies the student’s sense of belonging both at home and on campus.
Living the Experience: Residential Immersion
UNH has a two-year residential requirement, rooted in evidence that on-campus living promotes stronger retention, academic success and social connection.
As part of orientation, students spend a night in a residence hall, experiencing campus life firsthand. This immersion breaks down fear and accelerates comfort. Students move in already feeling like they belong. And because our orientation leaders hand off these students directly to residence life staff, that sense of connection doesn’t end with orientation; it evolves.
Peer Leadership: A Culture of Connection
Our orientation leaders are more than guides. They’re connectors, mentors and career culture. They lead small-group discussions, model engagement and stay in contact beyond the program. These peer-to-peer relationships often become students’ first anchors on campus.
Importantly, our leaders help create a bridge from orientation into residential life, ensuring continuity of care and support. That intentional handoff sustains momentum and prevents the common fall-off many students experience after a warm welcome.
Academic Engagement Starts Early
A meaningful academic start is another hallmark of intentional orientation. At UNH, students engage with faculty, advisors and academic deans during orientation, not just during course registration. Students clarify or explore majors, meet with advisors and receive tools to plan their academic journey. For those who are still undecided, we offer structured support to help them begin reflecting on their strengths and interests.
This early investment in academic advising signals a culture of support and purpose, reducing stress and increasing academic confidence from the outset.
Sustaining Beyond Day One
The most overlooked part of orientation is what happens after it ends. Too often, institutions host vibrant welcome programs but fail to sustain engagement.
At UNH, we’ve institutionalized intentional transitions from orientation into first-year experience. Before the fall semester begins, we host Wildcat Days, a transition program that introduces incoming students to their residential staff. Academic support services follow-up. Wellness and inclusion teams engage early. The welcome deepens sustained support.
We also gather feedback in real time and adjust. Our orientation model evolves based on what students and families tell us they need, ensuring we remain responsive and relevant. Beyond the data, we hear the stories. Students tell us they felt seen. Parents say they left reassured. These outcomes remind us that practical orientation is not just about logistics; it’s about connection.
Final Thoughts: This Work Is Foundational
Higher education continues to evolve. Students are arriving with more diverse needs, greater expectations and new definitions of success. If we want them to thrive, we must do more than welcome them; we must integrate them. Intentional orientation is how we begin that work. It’s not a checklist. It’s not a tradition. It’s a launchpad for trust, engagement and long-term belonging.
At UNH, this is our commitment: designing experiences that not only inform students but also transform them into confident, connected and contributing members of our academic community. Every student deserves to feel like they matter, from day one to graduation day and beyond.
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