Incoming! Freshmen!

Nerves flutter and nametags reign on the IU campus as incoming freshmen and their families complete the first rounds of summer orientation. The New Student Orientation program is required for anyone who is attending IU for the first time, and it will draw nearly 6,900 new faces to the campus by the time it concludes July 25, Orientation Director Melanie Payne said.\nDuring the two-day itinerary, students take academic placement tests, meet with advisers, register for classes and explore resources on campus. Meanwhile, the students' parents also follow a schedule that familiarizes them with the campus and its available services. \nMike and Kim Armbruster of Lombard, Ill., have a daughter who will attend IU in the fall. Upon completing the second day of orientation, Kim Armbruster said the program was very well organized for students and parents. \n"They filled us in on every aspect we needed to know about," she said. "The helpers I can't say enough about. They were friendly, helpful, knowledgeable … and they were all different. No matter who talked to you, it worked."\nMike Armbruster said the orientation offered a human, realistic look at IU. He found the advising sessions to be beneficial and was glad that \n"immediately choosing a major" was downplayed.\n"It put in perspective being exploratory," he said. "They pointed out the positives of being unclear."\nKim Armbruster was glad the sessions addressed practical issues, such as alcohol on campus and the fact IU was ranked as a party school. The only section of the program that disappointed her was the finances part --she thought it was too short and skirted certain money issues.\n"It was the least informative and the least friendly," she said. She added that addressing parents in smaller groups might improve the session.\nIncoming freshmen Angela Babb and Elizabeth Tegart, both from Indianapolis, are planning on attending IU to study mathematics and law, respectively. They also found orientation to be "very informative."\nBabb said the best part of the program was the role-players who acted out methods of avoiding a sexual assault.\n"They gave me some really good ideas that I wouldn't have thought of," she said.\nTegart also was impressed with the safety situation on campus. \n"I'm glad they have the van service," she said, referring to the safety escort program that the IUSA sponsors. "It's good to know they can pick you up late at night."\nThey are not without fear, however. Constant references to the difficulty of college academia left them feeling a bit daunted.\n"It's making me scared," Babb said. "All I keep hearing is how much harder it's going to be than high school and how I'm going to have to study seven hours for a test. I never studied in high school."\n"Yeah, they talked a lot about not procrastinating, which is my problem," Tegart said.\nEven so, Tegart and Babb said they are looking forward to leaving home and starting college. \nBabb said she's ready to get the transitional period over with and "find her comfort zone at IU."\n"Everyone seems to care, which is very much appreciated. And it's good to know there's 7,000 students going through the same thing," she said.