Incoming-first year and transfer students have been flocking to Grounds in waves this summer to meet future classmates, schedule fall classes and get a taste of what it means to be part of the University of Virginia community.

Leading the way for the incoming students are upperclassmen who are serving up helpings of advice, insider tips and tales of personal experiences in hopes of making the transition to UVA just a little bit easier. Approximately 4,000 students attend one of nine orientation sessions in advance of fall semester, which begins Aug. 23.

From listening to Dean of Students Allen Groves speak on the values and norms at UVA, to tasting the food in Newcomb Dining Room for the first time and playing inner-tube water polo at the Aquatics & Fitness Center, students attending the nine jam-packed orientation sessions are getting a crash course in being a ’Hoo.

Student orientation leaders, on stage, are introduced to incoming students during the opening session of a recent orientation in Old Cabell Hall Auditorium. (Photos by Sanjay Suchak/University Communications)

Likewise, parents of incoming students are putting their minds at ease as they soak in their own introduction to the University’s resources, culture and traditions.

“Orientation is going really well this year, with students and parents alike being thrilled to be here,” Tabitha Enoch, assistant dean and director of orientation and new student programs, said. “The excitement is palpable, which gets our entire staff just as excited to host them.”

Orientation leaders greet students as they file out of Old Cabell Hall.

Patricia M. Lampkin, UVA’s vice president and chief student affairs officer, is using orientation to instill in students from the get-go that the University will soon become their second home – and the place where they can achieve academic, professional and personal success.

“You will make a difference here, and someday you will make a difference in the world,” Lampkin told a group of incoming first-years earlier this summer.

Visit the UVA summer orientation webpage for information on registration, session schedules and more.