In many institutions, admissions and student success operate with the same goal of supporting student access to higher education.
Admissions focuses on recruitment, yield, and relationship-building. Student success focuses on retention, academic progress, and long-term outcomes. Orientation often sits between them as students transition from applicant to enrolled.
But too often, orientation is treated as an event rather than a bridge.
When done thoughtfully, orientation is not just a welcome experience. It is the intentional transfer of focus—from recruitment to retention. It is where students move from being “admits” to becoming members of a learning community. That transition deserves strategy.
Let’s dive into ways to make the most out of your orientation and how to help students not only feel ready for their first day, but committed for the next few years.
Aligning Internally Before Engaging Externally
Before students ever arrive at orientation, campuses must answer a fundamental question: Who takes responsibility of the student and when does that responsibility shift?
Is orientation managed by admissions, student success, a committee, or a dedicated team?
Is the transition triggered by a calendar date or by a student action like deposit or orientation registration?
If roles and timelines are unclear internally, the handoff will feel fragmented to students. A seamless external experience begins with internal clarity.
This period between deposit and arrival is not only nerve wracking for admissions, but students as well (shocker!). They’re not just asking themselves what time orientation starts or where to park, but they’re wondering what to wear, will they have to speak to a ton of people, will they make friends, and–just maybe–what if they feel lost.
Clear communication and bite-sized expectations will help reduce some (maybe not all) of this anxiety. Orientation’s job is to prepare students emotionally as much as it prepares them logistically. If they’re confident on day one, they’ll be more likely to persist into week one.
Moving from Information Delivery to Resource Connection
Admissions already knows important information about incoming students like who will need accessibility accommodations, virtual options, translation services, or specific support needs. But if that information isn’t intentionally communicated to the orientation team (and the student success team from there), students may be forced to repeatedly advocate for themselves.
A thoughtful handoff means anticipating needs before they become barriers. They need to feel a part of the community, not an accommodated burden.
From there, Orientation not only distributes information but connects students to the people who’ll support them long after admissions steps back.
That means they’ll be expecting to know who their advisor is, where to go for academic support, what does tutoring actually look like, and who to contact if they’re feeling overwhelmed. They also may not know that they have all of these questions or what to ask in order to know resources on campus.
This is the part where student success becomes tangible. Admissions has built their trust up to this point. Orientation transfers that trust to the broader campus community.
And here’s where an admissions counselor may need to loosen their reins and feel supported to do so by their office. Counselors have functioned as students’ primary trusted source of information, but it’s crucial for long-term success (and the admissions counselor’s sanity) to begin referring students to campus resources for their own independence. For example:
“That’s a great question for your advisor” or “Our orientation team can walk you through that” or “Let me introduce you to the housing office.”
Is Your System Truly Student-Centered?
It’s important to continually ask yourself: Is this process easy for staff or easy for students?
For example, students may need to reschedule their orientation. Operationally, this could be complex. But from a student’s perspective, life happens, travel conflicts arise, and parent work schedules shift.
Building flexibility into the process shows that you care.
Other ways to center processes towards students include:
- Including orientation registration in the admissions portal checklist students already use
- Ensuring you collect a permanent email address, not just high school or previous institution email accounts
- Clearly outlining whether changes to major, start term, or personal information can happen at orientation and who approves these changes
For orientation itself, it’s important to remember that a schedule stuffed with mandatory programming leaves little room for students to make connections.
Make sure to include time for peer-to-peer interactions (perhaps grouping via major), residence hall introductions, club and organization exposure, and informal spaces to ask questions without feeling judged.
Retention research shows that peer belonging is one of the strongest predictors of persistence. Orientation should reflect that.
Of course, students at orientation are a part of a package deal. Their family members are critical partners in this transition. Including parents/guardians in communications, especially around timing, expectations, and logistics, reduces anxiety across the board.
But you’ll want to toe a fine line with families. After all, students are stepping into ownership of their academic journey as they transition to college. If there are Facebook groups or other parent councils available for families to join, you can help parents feel a part of the community without intruding on their student’s autonomy.
The Real Measure of a Successful Orientation
It shouldn’t be measured by attendance or completed checklists.
It should be measured by whether students leave feeling prepared, connected, and clear on their next steps; aware of resources; and comfortable asking for help.
When orientation functions as an intentional bridge between admissions and student success, not just a welcome event, it becomes a retention strategy.
Remember: Admissions secures the yes. Student success sustains it. Orientation is the bridge that leads one to the other.
If you’re looking for an objective external opinion on admissions or orientation practices, The Parish Group is at your service. Reach out at success@parishgroup.com or call us at 828-505-3000.
