Orientation Programs and Calendars
Undergraduate Orientation marks the beginning of an important journey for you and your family. At the heart of your Tufts education is an opportunity to grow as an individual and member of a larger campus community. During Orientation, you’ll have the chance to start making valuable connections with peers, professors, administrators, and upperclass students. Some of the bonds that begin here are sure to last throughout your time at Tufts and even long after. Welcome to the Hill!
Undergraduate Orientation 2021 will run from Thursday, September 2 to Monday, September 6. On Tuesday, September 7, the University celebrates Rosh Hashana. Therefore, classes will begin on Wednesday, September 8. We are happy to report that Orientation will be presented in-person. More detail on the specifics of the schedule will be released over the summer.
We are also very excited to announce that Pre-Orientation programs will happen in-person. Pre-Orientation registration has now ended and student participants should be receiving detailed information from their program coordinators.
Arrival Information!
The official arrival day for new students is Wednesday September 1. For details on arrival protocol, arrival times, and location please refer to the Office of Residential Life and Learning. Students participating in a Pre-Orientation program will arrive to campus earlier at the start of their program. You can view Pre-Orientation arrival dates.
Our Parent and Family welcome programming will be presented virtually this year at a date and time to be announced. All programs will be recorded and posted for families to watch at their leisure. While parents and families will be able to come to campus to assist their students with arrival, there will be NO on-campus, in-person programming for parents and families this year.
The annual Matriculation Ceremony will take place on Thursday, September 2, at a time to be announced as a part of Undergraduate Orientation. The Matriculation will be presented in person for students and streamed for parents and families to view.
While we are excited to offer mostly in-person Orientation programming this year, the University is still closely monitoring the COVID-19 situation and its impact on the entire community. Schedule adjustments will be made as needed in an effort to promote safety first for all faculty, staff, students, families and the local communities. Learn more about how Tufts University is operating during the COVID-19 pandemic here.
Undergraduate Orientation consists of a number of required and supplementary programs that center around the goals listed below.
Are you an incoming AS&E Graduate Student? Explore Graduate Orientation!
What Happens During Orientation?
During Orientation, you’ll participate in a wide range of programs designed to familiarize you with campus resources, build community and connection, and establish skills for independence and responsibility. We divide our goals for Orientation into four broad categories: Intellectual Engagement and Inquiry, Meaningful Inclusion, Community and Belonging, and Health and Wellness.
New students actively engage in intellectual inquiry and exploration throughout Orientation.
- We’ll help you take ownership over your academic experience at Tufts with workshops on college writing, studying for languages, studying for the sciences, and and preparing your artistic experience.
- We’ll introduce you to academic resources at Tufts like the Academic Resource Center.
- We’ll make sure you understand the importance of Academic Integrity in college.
- We’ll help you practice interdisciplinary critical thinking, deepen your intellectual curiosity, and the explore the expression of your own ideas in and beyond the classroom.
New students examine their own identities and the impact of power and privilege through several Orientation programs. They are also given opportunities to interact thoughtfully across difference, sustain dialogue, and build an inclusive community.
- We’ll ask you to think about habits and behaviors that foster inclusion and respect.
- We’ll help you examine implicit and explicit biases and think about how to challenge them.
- We’ll provide you with opportunities connect with Tufts’ diverse group of students, faculty, and staff.
- We’ll introduce you to identity-based resources at Tufts and discuss how our community members advocate for themselves and their peers.
New students learn to create communities and meaningful relationships during Orientation that foster a sense of shared responsibility.
- We’ll explore care and concern for others within the Tufts community and outline community supports.
- We’ll help you start the relationship-building process during Orientation and ask you to think about how it will continue throughout your college experience.
- We’ll help you think about your own identity in relation to the greater Tufts community and how identity can impact community building.
New students learn healthy habits for physical, mental, and social well-being throughout Orientation.
- We’ll help you think about how obstacles are a key part of both academic and co-curricular learning.
- We’ll ask you to consider what might be stressful during your college experience and will outline all the resources available at Tufts for physical, mental, and social wellness, including Counseling and Mental Health, Health Promotion, CARE, Health Service, Student Affairs, and the Office of Equal Opportunity.
- We’ll discuss the impacts of alcohol and other substances.
Tufts University Undergraduate Orientation is committed to providing equal access to our services, events and programs. If you require accommodations for any part of Undergraduate Orientation please contact orientation@tufts.edu or 617-627-4678.