Description of the video:

IU Admitted Student Event: Session One

Descriptive Transcript



[Video: A slide presentation is shown on the main screen. The IU trident appears in white enclosed in a red tab at the top of the screen. The background shows a photograph of The Sample Gates at the western entrance of the Indiana University Bloomington campus, with raised landscaped beds filled with blooming white and red flowers. Words are overlaid on the background: Welcome to the IU Virtual Admitted Student Event. Mary Claire Wolk, a student ambassador, is shown in a head and shoulders view in the upper right corner.]

Mary Claire: Good evening, everyone, and welcome to our Virtual Admitted Student event. My name is Mary Claire and I am from Saint Louis, Missouri.

[Slide: Mary Clare. A professional headshot of Mary Claire is displayed on screen with text to the left. Hometown: St. Louis, MO. Major: Psychology. Year: junior]

Mary Claire: I am a junior studying psychology with a certificate in business management. We are so glad you're here today. We have an awesome event planned for you. To optimize everyone's experience, your cameras and sound are turned off and the chat function is disabled. We welcome your questions throughout the session today. At the bottom of your screen you should see a Q&A icon. Please type your questions there. First, we would love to learn more about you. I am going to share a few polls. Read the poll question and answer it and let us know where you’re from. Amazing. We got a lot of people from all over the place. Welcome to everyone from the north, east, south and the west. And as always, I love people from the Midwest being from Saint Louis. We are so glad you're here. All right. This next question is, who's joining us with you today? All right. Well, thanks so much for sharing this information.

Over our three program sessions we'll provide next steps and give you the opportunity to hear from staff and current IU students. We know you may not be able to attend all sessions and that is okay. We hope you are able to connect to those that you are most interested in learning more about as you explore IU.

[Slide: Admitted Student Event Schedule

Session One: Welcome and Congratulations, Expert Panel
Session Two: Student Panel
Session Three: Academic Sessions
Q&A Rooms: International Student Q&A, Financial Aid]

Mary Claire: The first thing you will want to do if you haven't yet is bookmark the event page go dot I u dot e d u slash a s e dash lobby. In our first session we have brought together staff in Admissions, Residential Programs and Services, and the Office of First Year Experience to provide next steps and share some of the opportunities you can explore as an incoming IU student. Session two is all about student experiences. You'll be able to hear from current students to learn more about ways they've engaged on campus, both in and outside of the classroom. Our third and final session will focus on academic opportunities. You will be able to engage with staff from your interested school, college, or unit as they provide additional academic resources available to you. Additionally, we will have two Q&A rooms that will be available throughout the event this evening. There will be one room available to learn more about how financial aid works and another room available for international students if you have specific questions. You'll hear from me later. But now, please join us in welcoming Sacha Thieme, Assistant Vice Provost and Executive Director of Admissions.

[Slide: The slide shows a headshot of Sacha Thieme, Assistant Vice Provost & Executive Director of Admissions. Video: Sacha’s video replaces Mary Claire in the upper right corner.]

Sacha: Marie Claire, thanks so much and welcome everyone. We are so honored to host you in this virtual admitted student program. Now, while we hope to have the opportunity to host you on IU’s beautiful campus,

[Slide: The slide changes to an up close image of a limestone building with the IU trident carved into its façade shown beneath a blue sky with wispy clouds.]

Sacha: this visitor experience is still so unique and it's especially important as students. Now you're considering the IU experience with the lens of someone who has earned the right and privilege to take advantage of everything the university has to offer. That is special.

[Slide: Photos of students engaged in activities on campus including two students playing bean bag toss outdoors and students in a small crowd talking and laughing]

Sacha: And speaking of your admission, congratulations! You did it. And we are celebrating with you.

[Slide: Photo of the Centennial Patio at the Indiana Memorial Union, the student union on the IU Bloomington campus. It is a limestone building with a large tower at the center. Students are shown sitting, standing, and talking together on the patio and the stairs leading to the union.]

Sacha: Do you know in this space tonight we may have individuals from maybe 42 states or 16 different countries? That is a true example of what you'll find at IU with students from all over the world who are coming to share in this IU journey with you.

[Slide: Photo of green space between limestone buildings on the IU campus with focus on a limestone carving of an IU trident with white and yellow tulips in the foreground.]

Sacha: And speaking of that journey, students, you are entering college at a truly defining time in your life, where your work, your relationships, your personality, even your brain is going to change more than any other time in your adulthood.

[Slide: Photo of a red metal sculpture in front of a limestone building on a sunny day. The sculpture is Alexander Calder’s Peau Rouge Indiana.]

Sacha: Think about how amazing it will be to spend this formative time with others who bring their unique experiences from around the globe and with faculty who have not only spent their career researching the topics you'll study, but they may actually be the global authority on the topic.

[Slide: Photo of five students sitting on a stone wall in front of the Wells Library on the IU Bloomington campus]

Sacha: And as you start your journey, we know that you're preparing for careers that may not have been imagined. So how do you begin that?

[Slide: Photo of the Wells Library, a limestone building with a tall tower]

Sacha: Well, we've thought of that.

[Slide: Three photos are shown on screen, including the Arthur Metz Bicentennial Grand Carillon in the Cox Arboretum green space at sunset; a bronze statue of past IU president Herman B Wells seated on a bench in front of Maxwell Hall, a brick building, with red tulips in the foreground; a close up of a limestone bat holding an IU trident]

Sacha: In fact, we're actually crafting an entire strategic plan around your success. It's going to begin with a powerful first year experience strategically designed to equip you with the knowledge and the confidence you need to be the successful and engaged student who hits all of their academic goals.

[Slide: Four photos are shown: students playing soccer; a student with a laptop seated outside with the Sample Gates in the background; two students smiling and talking at a fair in Dunn Meadow; three students leaping in dance on a stage]

Sacha: And as you move further into your experience, you will be supported by faculty, advisors, staff, and even your fellow students who will offer critical guidance and mentoring. And speaking of mentoring, let's not forget of another important group, only the second largest alumni network in the country,

[Slide: Photo of a limestone building with a glass atrium on the IU Bloomington campus. In the foreground students are walking both down and up the stairs in front of the building, two students are seated at a bench near the stairs, and one student is on a bicycle.]

Sacha: with over 760,000 Hoosiers who are ready to support you at every step. When it comes to academic preparation at IU the question, ‘So what's your major?’ results in a beautifully unique combination of more than 200 majors and 550 academic programs,

[Slide: Photo of campus in the fall with an iconic red clock tower in the foreground, and students walking in a group between trees with orange, yellow, and red leaves in the background.]

Sacha: those that you'll mix and match specific to your interests. And IU's highly sophisticated career services structure will offer you support and coaching

[Slide: Photo of Kirkwood Avenue at dusk, with local businesses shown in silhouette.]

Sacha: to help turn those programs into career opportunities, with not one but ten specialized career service teams. And you'll take all of this academic learning,

[Slide: Photos of students working in academic spaces, including two students working at a table and one student in a white lab coat and gloves working with laboratory equipment.]

Sacha: and you'll live it out with practical, meaningful, and high impact experiences. You'll take advantage of the fifth largest overseas study program in the country, with more than 380 different offerings truly making the globe an extension of your IU classroom.

[Slide: Photos of individual students on campus, including: a student sitting under a tree on a sunny day, smiling while using a cell phone; a student participating in activities at the Student Recreational Sports Center; a student posing in front of the Eskenazi Museum of Art’s Light Totem wall]

Sacha: You will test your theories and your interests by conducting research in your field with world renowned faculty who are also incredibly dedicated teachers.

[Slide: High angle photo of the Eskenazi Museum of Art, a modern stone building with a red metal sculpture (Charles O. Perry’s Arc of Indiana) in the foreground]

Sacha: You're going to secure internships that give you direct experience in the work related to your course of study, or maybe even inspire you to explore career paths you hadn't yet considered.

[Slide: Close up of Showalter Fountain and its sculpture of Venus reclining in a clamshell, surrounded by fish, with IU Auditorium in the background]

Sacha: Your IU experience is going to create pathways that are going to remain open even as the world shifts. So, just like you won't likely study only one thing, you won't only be prepared for one type of career.

[Slide: Photo collage, including: Close up of the bronze Herman B Wells statue; a field of red flowers with the limestone structure of Rose Well House in the background; a close up of one of IU Bloomington’s iconic red clock towers; the Sample Gates shown from a low angle with red and white flowers in the foreground; the Francis Morgan Swain Student Building seen between tree trunks]

Sacha: Throughout your time here, you're going to continue to reskill and develop confidence that will make you ready for anything. And students, you'll have all of this opportunity for professional success bundled with the experience of personal fulfillment.

[Slide: The Marching Hundred drum line is pictured in the middle of Kirkwood Avenue]

Sacha: This is where you will forge your lifelong friendships and build amazing memories.

[Slide: Photo of the IU Auditorium in the evening]

Sacha: You'll experience year-round arts and cultural events, participate in or lead one or one or more of the 800 student organizations, and you're going to cheer on world class athletes, either in our sports or performers in the IU Auditorium.

[Slide: Photo of students roller skating inside Alumni Hall at the Indiana Memorial Union]

Sacha: You will turn this learning opportunity into a degree that will set you apart. You're going to find your unique path. And as you step into this new world, the entire IU family goes with you.

[Slide: Photo of students painting a cream and crimson stripes on a bridge outside of the Neal-Marshall Black Culture Center]

Sacha: At this time, I'm going to invite Mary Claire to provide you with information regarding your next experience for this event. But students, we applaud you, we celebrate you, and we thank you for your interest in Indiana University.

[Slide: Photo collage: a group of students cheering; IU cheerleaders holding megaphones while marching in a parade; two students at a table smiling while working on laptops in an outdoor space; two students in graduation regalia hugging]

Sacha: And we wish you the greatest success in this next stage of your academic career. We really hope that journey will continue at IU. Congratulations and thanks for being here with us today.

[Video: Mary Claire’s video replaces Sacha’s at the upper right corner. The slide shifts to a red background, with a photo of students sitting on a stone wall with a limestone tower in the background to the right, and the words ‘My IU Story’ to the left]

Mary Claire: Thanks so much, Sacha. And now I'd like to share a bit about my unique story. I chose IU because I wanted to find a place that made me feel at home away from home. I wanted to find somewhere where whatever I ended up studying, because I knew that I would change my major, that I'd be getting a fantastic education. And I wanted to be surrounded by people who, they were happy with whatever they did or whoever they were with, and they were happy to help whoever needed it. And when I came to IU, it was just that. Everyone who I was with was happy to be a Hoosier, and they were very warm and welcoming and just happy to see me. And I found just that. And so, I was extremely happy and I felt safe here. And I just knew that whenever I settled and I did end up switching my major, that I would be able to create my own path and do actually what I wanted to do and just make my own journey. So, now that you know more about what your IU experience could be like, it's time to start taking the next steps to becoming a Hoosier. I'd now like to welcome India Anderson, Senior Assistant Director of Admissions, to get our first panel started.

[Slide: Expert Panel

Office of Admissions
Indiana Anderson, Admissions email address
Residential Programs and Services (RPS)
Sara Ivey-Lucas, RPS email address
Office of First Year Experience Programs (FYE)
Chase Wilson, FYE email address]

[Video: India’s video replaces Mary Claire’s at the upper right corner]

India: Thanks MC. My name is India Anderson and I am the Senior Assistant Director here in the Office of Admissions. I’m a member of the diversity recruitment team here at IU, and I am so excited to get to share a little bit about IU with you guys today. First off, I really want to congratulate you on your admissions to IU. We are so excited that you guys are considering joining us and making this your home for the next four years. I want to take this moment to say you should be super, super proud of your accomplishments as you look back on your high school journey as it comes to an end. And we're just as excited to share this space with you and we hope that you are continuing to consider IU and this information session is super, super helpful for you all. So, moving forward, we brought together a really, really strong team of people from Admissions and put together a short panel for you all. So, during this presentation we will be hearing from our housing department, Residential Programs and Services, along with a member from our First Year Experience Program to discuss the unique IU housing, orientation, and first year experience as you begin your transition to IU.

You are going to get a ton of information today, but we also want to hear from you. So, we have another panel for you guys to tell us what you're interested in learning about today. So that's everything from campus life and culture, housing processes and residential communities, student organizations and involvement, next steps to enroll, academic resources and experience, literally all the above. So, I want you all to take a moment, and if you have a second, just go ahead and fill that out. All right. We're getting some amazing all the above. I hear that. All right. Housing and processes, campus life, next steps. Awesome. Awesome. Thank you so much for sharing, guys.

So, we will have the opportunity to discuss the answers to some of these amazing questions with our experts as we move through the program. We also have a chat or a Q&A. You can drop some questions in there. I'm going to give the floor to our panel experts so they can introduce themselves. After we hear from them, we will leave time for your specific questions. Please use that Q&A function on your Zoom toolbar should you have any questions. In addition to our experts, we will also have staff helping to answer questions from behind the scene. So, let’s get started with Sara Ivey-Lucas to kick us off.

[Video: The video in the upper right corner changes to highlight each speaker]

Sara: Great. Thanks, India. Hello, everyone. Good evening if that's what it is where you are. It’s that time of night for us here in Bloomington. My name is Sara Ivey-Lucas and I am the Director for Residential Life and an assistant dean on the IU campus. So, thanks for taking time with us this evening.

Chase: And good evening, everyone. My name is Chase Wilson. I’m a Senior Assistant Director in the Office of First Year Experience Programs, and it’s wonderful to be with you all.

India: Thanks, Chase. All right. Now we are going to get started and spend some time with Chase. Tell us about FYE.

[Slide: FYE, Office of First Year Experience Programs]

Chase: Yeah, absolutely. So, the Office of First Year Experience Programs is here to help support students and their family members throughout your entire first year.

[Slide: The start of your Hoosier Experience

New Student Orientation (NSO)
New students are required to complete orientation.
Invitations will be emailed beginning in late March. Once you complete your Intent to Enroll, you will receive yours.
You’ll choose your dates from 2-day options in June and July. Program date availability is based on your academic unit.
Prior to attending NSO, complete your required placement exams (available starting March 1) and NSO Canvas modules (released in May).
Parents and families will also have opportunities to participate.

Chase: After you pay your intent to enroll and let us know that you're going to come to Indiana University Bloomington, you'll receive an invitation to schedule your orientation program. Now, I know some people, as you're talking with other friends who might be going to other campuses, or maybe you have older siblings who are going to other schools, there are different ways orientation happens. Here at IU our orientation program is a two-day in-person program in the summer. This is a required program for all students to attend. So, once you pay that intent to enroll, you'll be one of the first folks to start getting the invitation when that is sent out during late March. And that will also be when we announce publicly what our orientation dates are. Our orientation dates are going to be in June and July.

When you go in to make your reservation, you are making your reservation for your two-day program. And so you'll be guided through the process to select what that program is. During that two-day program, there's a whole bunch of stuff that you're going to engage with on our campus community. You're going to meet other new students. You're going to have opportunities to hear from some of our current students, from our orientation leaders, as well as a plethora of campus partners who are here to help support your success in and out of the classroom.

Our program content is really focused on two areas. The first is about the business of being a student, and the second is about the experience of being a student here at IU. And at the end of your orientation program during your second day, you'll have your academic advising appointment, which is where you'll sit down with an academic advisor and plan out what your course schedule is going to be for your first semester. Now we ask that please make sure you wait to make your travel plans until you've made that reservation. Because our reservation system is a live system, we just want to make sure no one accidentally makes travel plans and then is locked out. And then the date that they were hoping to come to orientation is already booked up.

In preparation for your orientation program, you'll want to make sure that you're checking your IU email for important tasks, such as completing the required placement exams. We'll also have some Canvas modules that you'll complete online as well prior to your orientation program. These modules, the placement exams, and other tasks that we ask you to do before you arrive for NSO are going to help prepare you for your experience. They'll get you thinking about the things that you'll experience during your first year and have you ready to go. In addition to that, so obviously student orientation is required for students. For parents and guests, we welcome you to also come along. We have a separate track for our parents and guests in our program as well. So, you're able to learn about the resources that your student is going through to know how to support them throughout their whole first year.

[Slide: 2. Welcome Week: A proud tradition

Events kick off Wednesday, August 16.
Get to know your way around campus, meeting other students and interacting with faculty and staff.
Start with the Induction Ceremony with your family. Other events will introduce you to the traditions, spirit, culture, and academic world at IU.
Understand the expectations of you new role as a college student and set yourself up for success!
Slide includes a photo of two students in IU gear, cheering and holding white thunder sticks with Indiana University printed on them]

Chase: All right. And of course, our office continues to support students throughout your entire first year. And that student experience really begins during Welcome Week, during the week before classes began, after you move into the residence halls. Welcome Week will start on Wednesday, August 16th. There are all sorts of things for students to do during Welcome Week. We always like to challenge students to make sure that they never have a day where they're not getting free food or a free T-shirt because of all the different events that we have going on around campus. Some events are going to be required, such as meetings with your academic advisor or career coach or with your academic unit. Other events students get to choose what you're interested in going to. Maybe you're really interested in learning about other cultures and decide to come to CultureFest. Maybe you’re a diehard Hoosier fan or trying to figure out what a Hoosier is and want to come to our pep rally, Traditions and Spirit of IU. But there are all sorts of things for students to do throughout Welcome Week. And Welcome Week is also the beginning of our Hoosier Experience Program, which is another way for students to continue to get involved and connected throughout the whole first year.

[Slide: 3.

Your Hoosier Experience continues throughout your first year
Participate in a variety of event, activities, and programs focused on helping you explore campus and all that is here for you.
Track your participation in Hoosier Experience events to earn swag.
Staying connected:
We will check in on you early in the semester.
You will receive regular newsletters to keep you up to date on important news and events.
Stay engaged with the Hoosier Network online community.]

Chase: So, that Hoosier Experience program that I mentioned, again, we have all sorts of programs for our students to engage with. The goal of this is to get our students connected to all these different offices and resources and make the most of their time here at IU. You're able to track your experience by scanning QR codes at different events, and by attending all of these different events, you're able to not only earn an e-certificate to show off to potential employers that you made a commitment to get involved during your first year, but you're also able to get swag and other items to show your campus pride. All these different events that are happening around campus, there are lots different ways to find out about them: through newsletters, different student orgs that you might end up joining, and by checking the FYE newsletters that we send out as well. And one of the best ways to make that first step in hearing about events and learning about things is by continuing to stay engaged in the Hoosier Network that a lot of you all might have already joined as well.

[Slide: RPS, Residential Programs and Services]

Sara: Thanks for all that great information, Chase. I think India is gonna let me talk next.

India: Sure am.

[Slide: 1. Residential Programs and Services

Assignment process for new students
Submit residency exemption requests BEFORE applying for housing. The $200 application fee is not refundable.
Assignments will be processed by groups and not individual application dates.]

Sara: So, one of the most important things as folks think about Residential Programs and Services is the housing and dining on campus. How do you get signed up for an assignment? So that application is live now at housing dot Indiana dot e d u. We do remind all first year students that you are required to live on campus unless you have an approved exemption. So, please research that information if you feel like you should qualify. Make sure you do qualify. And then if you don’t, fill out that contract and application. There is a $200 nonrefundable application fee as you fill out the application and contract. We are doing our housing priority based on priority group windows at this point in time. So, on the next slide you'll be able to see that we do priority groups from February 1st when our application opened up until May 1st, or that window there.

[Slide: 2. Assignment priority groups

Opens February 1 at 4 p.m.–April 15 at 11:59 p.m.: Living Learning Community (LLC) requests
Group 1: Opens February 1 at 4 p.m.–May 1 at 11:59 p.m.: At or below cost category and one preference
Group 2: Opens May 2 at midnight–June 1 at 11:59 p.m.: Cost category OR one preference (if available)
Group 3: Opens June 3 at midnight–July 1 at 11:59 p.m.: Any available room or temporary space
Group 4: Opens July 2 at midnight–Contract start date: Any available room or temporary space
Note: May 10 is the final day to submit changes to a housing application]

Sara: We are asking that if students are interested in a Living Learning Community, that they complete their application by Tax Day, April 15th, to give us a head start on getting those assignments and placements made. If students apply after May 1st, after that intent to enroll deadline, you can do that. The second priority group window ends on May 10th, which is also when the contract and application will shut down and students will no longer be able to change their preferences. And then we have our third and fourth group priority windows, where if you're waiting that late to apply for housing, please just know that you're less likely to get what you preferenced and more likely to get what happens to be available at that point in year.

[Slide: 3. Your roommate options

You can:
Request a roommate
Accept a randomly assigned roommate
Request a single room
Please note: Roommate requests must be mutual. Differences in cost category and learning community selections, or medical needs may nullify roommate requests]

Sara: When you complete your contract and application, you will be asked to identify a roommate option if you want one. You will be asked to preference cost category and neighborhood on campus as well as the learning community. You also choose that meal plan and have the opportunity to tell us about any medical special needs that you might have as you do your placement. If you are looking for a roommate, about 50% of our students put in a mutual roommate request. You can use that Hoosier Nation app that Chase and the Admissions office have invited your all to join, and that’s a great way to find a roommate. But please don’t feel like you have to. If you do have a mutual roommate request, please make sure that your requests are mutual, so they need to match exactly. And there’s a button on the contract and application where you can agree to see your roommate's preferences and let them see yours. And if you both do that, you should be fine.

[Slide: 4. Residential Curriculum

Civic Stewardship (globe icon)
Intellectual Engagement (brain icon)
Understanding Self & Others (heart icon formed of two hands)
Wellbeing (Lotus icon with person in seated position]

Sara: The next slide, we'll talk about our residential curriculum, which is one of the great ways that we work in Residential Programs and Services to engage students on campus and help them connect with all of the learning that can happen on campus. We want students to be intellectually engaged and attending classes and participating in academics, but how does that relate to the rest of your life and what you learn? We want students to be thinking about their personal sense of wellbeing and balance. We want them to learn and develop a sense of understanding about themselves and others, how community works, that it can be challenging, that you're not always going to agree with everyone that you're living with, but you need to be able to live with them in a respectful way and help keep everyone safe and secure. When we do that, then we kind of move into the civic stewardship. And what does that mean for you moving forward? How are you going to engage and be aware of the world around you if that's just being a leader on your floor or if that's getting involved in community service in Bloomington, or political action or whatever that might look like for you, what does it mean to be civically engaged and be a good steward of the community that you're a part of? So, those are all very exciting for us.

[Slide: 5. Learning Communities

Living Learning Centers (LLCS): Civic Leaders LLC; Collins LLC; INSPIRE LLC; Jellison LLC; Media LLC; Hamilton Lugar School LLC; Luddy School of Informatics, Computing, and Engineering LLC; Thrive LLC; Thomas I. Atkins LLC; Women in STEM LLC
Thematic Communities: Asian/Pacific American; Cooperative Housing; Health Sciences; Honors; Hoosier Link; Luis Davila Latinx; Outdoor Adventure; Performing Arts; Residence Scholars; Spectrum; Wells STEM]

Sara: My last slide is a list of those learning communities that we are super excited about. Again, these are a way that at Indiana University you can make the large campus feel a whole lot smaller by living and going to class with and interacting with fellow students around a specific topic or academic department. So, I will stop there so that we can move on to fun questions and answers.

[Slide: Expert Panel

Office of Admissions
Indiana Anderson, Admissions email address
Residential Programs and Services (RPS)
Sara Ivey-Lucas, RPS email address
Office of First Year Experience Programs (FYE)
Chase Wilson, FYE email address]

India: Thanks, Sara, and thanks Chase. What great overviews. So, next we are going to spend the next few moments answering some of the questions you all have submitted. As a reminder, please use that Q&A function on your Zoom to toolbar. Keep an eye out for your questions to be answered either live or by one of our helpful staff members behind the scenes. So, let's get started. So, Sara, going right back to you, can you share a little bit about the dining plan and how dining works on campus at IU?

Sara: Sure. Our dining plan is incredible. I am so excited with where we have taken it in the last couple of years. We do have an All You Care to Eat plan for all students. So, all students have unlimited access to our five All You Care to Eat dining facilities on campus. Those facilities are generally open from about 7:00 in the morning until 10:00 in the evening during the week—have slightly shorter hours on the weekends when students are usually engaged in other things or sleeping in in the morning and not so inclined to eat breakfast. The dining halls all offer a wide variety of foods, lots of different flavors and tastes. Most of the plates that are served are kind of that small tapas size plate, and that gives you the freedom to try new things. Also gives you the freedom to have lots of different food without feeling like you've loaded up, but also great salad bars and all those things. We do in two of our locations currently and hopefully in a third location as the fall begins, have an option called Free from Nine, which is food that is free from the top nine allergens. And those places within our dining hall are kind of segregated off, they’re contained and so everything that's prepared there that's put in those locations is free from those allergens and makes it a great option for students who have special dietary needs.

India: Thanks, Sara. Let me tell you guys that salad bar, top tier. So, Chase, this one's for you. What are the lodging options for New Student Orientation.

Chase: So, during New Student Orientation we have options for our students to stay the night on campus at Union Street Center. Now, Union Street Center is a really nice residence hall. It’s apartment style living. So, it’s a little bit different than what most first year students will live in. So, that’s always important to preface that you’re not going to always have a washer and dryer in your unit and a kitchen in your unit as well. But you get to have that Union Street Center, you have the apartments are configured where there are separate sleeping areas that have locked doors and you share a common area and a kitchen and bathroom. Some students will choose to spend the night with their parents at hotels in the area. And we have a number of partner hotels that will offer discounted rates. So, again, make sure you wait to make those travel plans until after you've made your reservation so that way you can see what some of those hotel discounts are. I know sometimes people might have loyalty points with the Holiday Inn or the Marriott and totally able to use those if you want to, but if you really want to try to get the best deal, just wait until we share out hotel information in that in that orientation invitation.

India: Thanks, Chase. So, Sara, another one for you. Can you explain the difference between enhanced and standard dorms on campus?

Sara: Sure. So, most of that cost price difference between enhanced and standard with air conditioning has to do with the amount of bathroom privacy and the room styles available. So, the more private your bathroom setup, the more expensive the place that you are living will probably be, which hopefully makes sense. Again, single rooms also cost more than double rooms. Apartments because of the additional amenities in those spaces costs more than the traditional double room that folks might know. So, those are the main differences that you do go to our housing dot Indiana dot e d u website there is some information under the locations that describes some of those other differences.

India: Thanks, Sara. So, Chase, we have another one for you. What is the date range for NSO?

Chase: Yeah, so we'll have our in-person dates in June and July, ranging from early June through mid-/late July. Again, those dates will be officially announced in late March when the invitations first start rolling out. We know that some people have—you might be out of the country the entire time in June and July. We will have some dates in August that are that are overflow dates. Our priority is to get everyone in June and July. But knowing that there are sometimes things outside of folks control, we do have some additional dates to be able to accommodate you as well for the in-person program.

India: Awesome. Now, another question Do I need to schedule early in the summer to get my classes?

Chase: So, everyone's going to be able to get a class schedule. So having a program at the beginning of June versus the end of July, the difference is going to be how many class options you have. Something that's very important that I always recommend students to consider as they are trying to figure out their class schedule is being open and flexible with what classes that they're able to take. I know 8 a.m.’s aren't the most glamorous classes, but sometimes that's that might be the only option to be able to get the credit that you need to continue with your program. So being open, being flexible, and making sure that you do the work ahead of time, reviewing your Canvas modules and completing if you have a required advising pass ahead of time to do that work to make sure that you're prepared, so that when you go into that meeting with your academic advisor, you have a plan A, B, and C, maybe even a D if necessary, of what classes you would be interested in taking. So there is some, to coin a phrase, strategy with going earlier than later, but everyone is still going to have a great experience, whether you're the first day of orientation or the last day of orientation.

India: Thanks, Chase. Great info. So, Sara, I need your expertise here. Can you explain a little bit more about the Living Learning Centers and what unique opportunities do they provide?

Sara: Sure. I love the Living Learning Centers and all of our learning communities. So, the two big differences is, if it is a Living Learning Center that means that there is a affiliation with an academic school. So, the Collin's Living Learning Center is related to the College of Arts and Sciences. The Civic Leaders Living Learning Center is connected with the O'Neill School for Public and Environmental Management. The Jellison Living Learning Center is connected with the Kelley School of Business. And you can see those relationships on our website, as there are several others, but those are three of the most popular. Those Living Learning Centers have course requirements that you are required to take if you choose to apply to those communities and are accepted. They’re great programs, they have fabulous faculty connections, good study groups, mentoring opportunities. I can't speak highly enough about them. It's part of how I managed to graduate and get my degree from IU. Our learning communities are a little less, I'll say intense, but that doesn't feel like a great word. But they are just areas of interest for students. They don't have the same academic class requirements, but they do a lot of the same kind of programming around that specific theme. So, we have a performing arts community that has students who are interested in music and theater and drama but may or may not be associated with the School of Music. They just want to come together around that theme. They do great programming. Going to IU Auditorium events together, sometimes getting to go backstage and meet the cast. We also have identity-based communities. So, you might be interested in learning more about Latinx culture or the Asian and Pacific Islander communities. You might have some of those interests. So, I encourage all students to look at the Learning Communities section on our website. Consider those 21 communities. The other one I'll mention briefly is called Resident Scholars, which can offer scholarship housing for students that might have unmet financial need. So, it's a great option.

India: Thanks, Sara. Appreciate that. So, Chase, got a really great question for you. So, we know Welcome Week is like top tier, but what are some of the other events and ways that FYE helps students transition to college during this school year?

Chase: Absolutely. So, throughout the entire first year, like I said, the Office of First Year Experience Programs is a partner in that transition experience for students and for their family members. So, basic things like sharing newsletters to family members and students throughout the entire first year is something we do. Our office also collaborates closely with various offices for programming and helping to provide different experiences for students as well. The Hoosier Experience program that I mentioned, all those different programs are a part of the Hoosier Experience program, most of them are led by other offices. A handful of them are actually staffed like 100% by FYE staff. So, it's really important for us to make sure that we're sharing out all the information about all the different things that are happening on campus and all the different opportunities that you have or that your student will have to get connected on campus.

India: Awesome. Thanks, Chase. So, we have one more question before we move forward. Sara, could you highlight some of the unique resources available to students in the residence hall that are not commonly available?

Sara: Oh, sure. We have lots of fabulous, really unique things that are special. We have classrooms in our residence halls. So when you sign up for classes, look for those locations that might be in your residence hall. Laundry is something that’s included in your room and board price. So, you don’t have to worry about saving up quarters and dimes, those sorts of things. We have great study lounges, we have libraries in some of our residence halls where you can check out DVDs, video games, books, magazines, fun stuff. And great programming. Lots of unique things happening in our residence halls. In addition, in three of our centers, so, one in each neighborhood on campus, we have an academic support center that's open to all students on campus. But mostly those folks go to the one in their neighborhood. So, you can get free math tutoring, free help from our Writing Tutorial Services, and it’s all focused on those services being provided late in the evening from about 7:00 p.m. to midnight every night. So, great, cool, fun options, good reasons to live on campus.

India: Thanks, Sara. I totally agree. So, we are wrapping up here with this session. I want to thank Sara and Chase and you guys for participating today. So, before we conclude our expert panel, I'd like to thank you once again on behalf of the Office of Admissions.

[Slide: Next Steps to Enroll

Create your IU computing and email account
Apply for housing
Submit your FAFSA
Reserve your space
Join the Hoosier Network
Sign up for New Student Orientation
Slide contains a background image of the Sample Gates looking on to Kirkwood Avenue at sunset]

India: We are so glad you joined us for this virtual admitted student event. After today, please visit our Steps to Enroll tab on the Office of Admission website at admissions dot Indiana dot e d u. This site is a great resource for admitted students offering information about everything new Hoosiers need to know about enrollment, orientation, housing, submitting your FAFSA, and more. To get to this site, click on the Steps to Enroll tab at the top of the Admissions website. We literally want you guys to be IU Bound and join our fall 2023 freshman class. As a reminder, the National Candidate’s Reply date is May 1. You certainly have until May 1 to declare your interest in attending IU. But any time you are ready, please feel free to sign up and secure your space in the freshman class by completing your intent to enroll online at admissions dot Indiana dot e d u. As an admission student, you will have access to our 2023 Hoosier Network. More information will be sent to your email after admissions. This is a amazing way to connect with other admitted students, find a potential roommate, and find resources or ask questions to current students and staff.

If we were unable to answer your question or if you have any future questions, please be sure to contact the Office of Admissions, RPS, or FYE.

[Slide: Contact Us

Office of First Year Experience Programs email address
Office of First Year Experience Programs website
Office of First Year Experience Programs phone number: 812-855-4357
Residential Programs and Services email address
Residential Programs and Services website
Office of Admissions website
Office of Admissions phone number: 812-855-0661

India: We are definitely here to help. Now I want to turn it back over to Mary Claire as we wrap up our first session. Thanks, guys.

Mary Claire: Thank you, India. And thank you all or joining us for our first session in the virtual admitted student event today. We hope that this session provided you with valuable information that can assist you as you become hashtag IU Bound. As we conclude our opening session, we hope you enjoy the remaining sessions. Please remember that the topical question and answer rooms will be available until the end of our program. We will remain in this Zoom room for a break and the student panel will begin at 7:45. You can connect to the question and answer rooms at the bottom of the event page go dot iu dot e d u slash a s e dash lobby. You can come and go from these Q&A rooms and we look forward to answering your questions today.

[End of video]

[End of transcript]