Starting your college career is usually stressful for most students. After all, you are making the initial leap from adolescent to adult. And while there is no manual for this, there is something called freshman orientation. This is a program for incoming students where they can participate in several activities that provide a smooth transition into college and their new independence.

For some schools, orientation is optional while for others it is mandatory. The reason college orientation is mandatory in some schools is so that you can confirm that your financial aid is in order and provide your primary tuition payments. 

Your parents can usually attend too, and orientation also helps them to put their minds at ease since they know more about where you will be living. And for those students who cannot attend in person, some schools are holding their orientations online so that nobody misses out.

In this article, Nerdify Reviews experts will provide three reasons why it is important to go to college orientation and answer any questions you might have about it.

Nerdify Reviews 3 Important Reasons to Go to College Freshman Orientation

1. You get a chance to ask questions

Hopefully, you learned plenty about your college before you even applied, but orientation is the time to learn even more, like their campus, culture, and traditions. There should be academic advisors as well as upperclassmen there to discuss any last-minute questions, comments, or concerns you might have. 

Be sure to ask about college safety, like what number should you call or where you should go if you feel unsafe. Many colleges have curfews for freshman students. Check to confirm that you know exactly how curfews work so you don’t get locked out of your dorm at night!

This is the perfect time to ask questions! We’ve collected from the Nerdify Reviews on Reddit a few important questions to think about:

• How can tuition fees be paid?

• Who should I contact if I have any problems or concerns?

• Where are the best places to go near campus on the weekends?

• Where is the best place to park?

• Is there a club for ______ (based on your hobby or academic interest)?

• What classes will be needed for my major?

• Can I receive college credit for my AP classes? (for Advanced Placement students)

2. This is the perfect time to make new friends

One of the most important things to consider is the impact of orientation programs on new student engagement and transition. One of the best ways to get students engaged is to meet new people. Some orientations will have a lot of information for you to absorb, while others will try to push you to meet some of your peers and establish social connections.

Sure you can get to know the administration and academic advisors (and ask them some of the questions listed above), but one of the best reasons to join an orientation is to get to know your fellow students. This can mean the upperclassmen or the new freshman like yourself. Hearing from upperclassmen is particularly important since they can share their experience and tell you exactly what to expect.

Sometimes, the leaders of the orientation will introduce you to other peers once they learn about your background. Everyone is there for the same reason, so don’t feel nervous about talking to strangers there. They’re probably just as nervous as you!

Some students in the Nerdify Reviews on Reddit ask, “What happens if you miss orientation for college?” Making new friends should be your primary reason for going. Try to locate students that are interested in the same major. That way you can help each other out when it’s time to study for an exam or a big project. If you really want to make friends, find those with the same hobbies as you (or frequent the same Reddit forums).

3. You can take care of any last-minute business

If you’re wondering when college orientation is usually beginning, it occurs at different times depending on the school. It can happen the summer before the fall semester, or it can even be a few days before school officially starts. A university will usually send you a checklist by email or the school portal. This checklist will list all the recommended things you should do before the first day of school. 

Make sure you turn in any required documents BEFORE the first day of college, say Nerdify Reviews experts. The college will probably send reminders of what you still need from you beforehand, so always check your email, especially 2-3 weeks before school starts. Sign up for the college’s online portals so that you don’t miss valuable information from teachers, administration, and academic advisors. 

If you want to know how long college orientation is, it can be anywhere between a couple of days to an entire week. This is a great time to take care of any required last-minute items before the school year starts and things become more chaotic. You can do things like getting your student ID, purchasing your parking pass, and finding out exactly where everything is located on campus. 

In conclusion

Freshman orientation is something that most incoming students should take advantage of. The benefits of going far outweigh not going. As a final tip from Nerdify Reviews experts: Make sure you attend the correct orientation! Sometimes there are specific ones for first-year students, international students, and transfer students. It will be very embarrassing for you if you arrive at orientation and nobody calls your name!

If you would like more tips on how to succeed in college and university, subscribe to Nerdify blog for a comprehensive game plan on how to achieve great results in your studies.

As you know, Nerdify reviews only the most interesting and helpful stuff. And this time it’s all about leisure!

Summer is the best season to visit some outdoor music events and, with the increasing amount of music festivals all around, the possibilities are endless. If you haven’t attended any yet, it’s not too late to jump on a wagon! So if you live for music, sun and enjoying both with other music lovers, then this list may set up your itinerary for this summer vacation!

Some festivals have won their reputation throughout the years while the others are just starting to gain their followers, overall, Nerdify has compiled the best of them!

Folk on the Rocks (July 20 to 22. City of Yellowknife, Spectacular Northwest Territories)

Folk on the Rocks is an adventure worth to live for! Yellowknife welcomes thousands from all over Canada to Long Lake each year since 1980. Just imagine a perfect combination of amazing landscapes, a true beer garden and more than 24-hour music program not even mentioning the children’s area. Here is all the information you need: https://bit.ly/2Mdawka

Panorama (July 27 to 29. Randall’s Island, NYC)

This festival comes from the hand and mind of Coachella’s producers. It’s just one more reason to take a closer look at this newbie. This year’s line-up includes The Weeknd, Janet Jackson, The Killers, St. Vincent, David Byrne, and many others. Panorama also brings THE LAB, which places experiential digital art that combines technology, artistry, and design, created exclusively by New York-based artists. An experience exclusively brought to this festival. More info: https://bit.ly/2iYVpPd

Osheaga (August 3 to 5. Parc Jean-Drapeau, Montreal)

Every year Osheaga proves to be one of the best festivals in Canada. Its line-up is amazing and full of artists well known worldwide! From Arctic Monkeys, St. Vincent, Chromeo to Florence and the Machine, Franz Ferdinand, and it goes on and on with three days of non-stop music! Just click here and be amazed too: https://bit.ly/2l8oiLz

Lollapalooza  (August 2 to 5. Grant Park, Chicago)

Truth to be said, this one is one of Nerdify’s favorite festivals, no wonder it appears in Nerdify reviews. It was created in 1991 and quickly grew into the legendary music event of US. Although it almost ended in 1997, it came back a few years later in 2003. Grant Park in the city of Chicago! Different genres of music (rock, pop, hip-hop, electronic, etc.), eight different stages, endless food stands, and the most beautiful scenery with the Chicago Skyline on one side and Lake Michigan on the other side, make Lollapalooza one of the most powerful stages in the world. The line-up for this year includes The Weeknd, Bruno Mars, Jack White, Arctic Monkeys, The National, and many more. For tickets and more info follow the link: https://bit.ly/2erRyWP

Arise Music Festival (August 3 to 5. Sunrise Ranch, Loveland, Colorado)

This festival is best described as a movement, where yoga, art installations, workshops, performances, sustainability, social responsibility merge with tons of music for 3 days in the mountain valley of Colorado. An eclectic line up with some reggae, EDM, and folk. A huge variety of organic food in food trucks. And the best part is that every ticket sold funds a tree planting and honestly, in Nerdify, we think this only reason is enough to go there! Here you can get more info: https://bit.ly/1OltGyI

Outside Lands (August 10 to 12. San Francisco, California)

Food, wine, beer and all the sights surrounding the San Francisco area, make this festival really unique. Every August the Golden Gate Park turns into one of the biggest music events of the West Coast. With artists such as Janet Jackson, Florence and the Machine and  The Weeknd, this year Outside Lands will make a lot of people very happy. Get all the info for this one here: https://bit.ly/2odMU3r

Mutek (August 22 to 26. Montreal, Canada)

Mutek is listed in Nerdify reviews for a reason. This multicultural and international festival sets place the Musée d’art contemporain de Montréal, unifying electronic music and audiovisual performances. The splendid female artist is the one in charge of this year’s line-up. For more information click here: https://bit.ly/2teDLfa

Burning Man (August 26 to September 3. Black Rock, Nevada)

Nerdify reviews Burning Man as well, though many people will not consider it as the one dedicated to music. We needed to include it in the coolest festivals because it is indeed one of the coolest! It sets up in an inhabited part of the Nevada desert that transforms into the Black Rock City for the next 7 days. A place where people are the part of an artistic community, surrounded by futuristic sculptures and surreal art, everything in the festival comes alive when the last minute surprised DJ starts to play. It ends with burning THE man. More info: https://bit.ly/2ppRVJe

Pilgrimage Music & Cultural Festival  (September 22 and 23. Franklin, Tennessee)

With a 3-year history, this festival has already gained a fame of the place to find all the best bands in every genre on its 6 stages: rock’n’roll, country, bluegrass, jazz, indie, gospel, pop, and blues. Its creators have thought every single aspect through to make this festival the best experience ever – everything is kept on the highest level of performance.  This year’s line-up includes Lionel Richie, Dave Matthews and Tim Reynolds, Jack White, and many more. Check all artists here: https://bit.ly/2ywqsM5

We admit, there’s a great number of music festivals all the year round, so probably these Nerdify reviews are just a start. We will definitely have to post similar entries for the other season’s music fests. But for now, summer is the sunny season that’s just too perfect to enjoy music outdoors all day and all night long! So go ahead and start filling the agenda!

When we start with our college duties or have some fun while going through the list of endless assignments, getting organized is the key. Even though most will claim that there is not much they can do to keep things in order, there are still some ways that will greatly improve our schedule and will not force us to choose between setting up a great online college party or doing homework. Our Nerdify reviews team hurries to share their thoughts and secret tips with you just the way how the nerdy experts do it when they need more time!

1. Writing down the list of things to do. Even though it is always mentioned in a list of things that are supposed to help in keeping you organized, our Nerdify reviews staff can only confirm this because this way you will never forget about your future plans. Add an assignment or some paper revision from your college professor and you will forget about past plans right away. Now when you have a list of things to do, you keep yourself focused. You can use your phone or turn to the old method of color stickers all over your room. It has always worked before for most of us, so why not try it out?

2. Turning to digital organizers and reminders for college students. Do not underestimate the importance of helpful mobile apps that are aimed at college students. You can set reminders for your tasks and check up with the list of things that you have to do. Starting from Evernote to Wunderlist, you can see what fits best for you and helps to keep things safe.

3. Analyzing your key deadlines and sorting the tasks. Another secret tip that we want to share at Nerdify reviews is taking a deeper look at the list of your course deadlines and the parts of assignments that must be submitted. You can sort your tasks starting with the most difficult and challenging to the easy ones. It will be of great assistance as you make plans for the evening, knowing precisely what is left and how much time it usually takes. Take one step at a time and avoid trying to do it all at once because multitasking will only keep you exhausted. Since it engages both parts of the human brain, it takes twice as much strength!

4. Planning your leisure time together. If it seems impossible for you to catch up with all the fun things that you have in mind, talk to your friends and plan your free time together. This way you won’t have to wait for the bass player to show up for the band’s online practice session or hear that your best video games partner still has tons of writing to do. When you plan your time wisely by discussing it in advance, you can cooperate and help each other, which is a great part of being at college. Try it out and you shall see that it works wonders!

5. Taking breaks as you study. According to healthcare specialists and our experience at Nerdify reviews, it is best if one studies for about 25-30 minutes with a short ten minutes break that follows. It will help keep your brain filled with oxygen. This way you will know that your time allocated for studies won’t take hours. Taking a break can be anything that ranges from simply resting your back to spending some time stretching your muscles. The most important is to switch your mind off and let yourself relax. Once you know that there will be a break, you will work twice as fast as there will be a reward. Just drink a cup of coffee or dance around to your favorite song because there ought to be some fun after all!

6. Exhaustion aspect. Even if you manage to keep everything organized, it does not mean that you must do anything that comes your way. Unfortunately, it can easily lead to exhaustion and feeling stressed. The key is to choose your plans according to your resources. Of course, if you know that you can handle it all and live by the “study hard – party hard” rule, then everything is fine but remember that your body and brain need some rest!

7. Reaching out for help when you need it. Sometimes it is not possible to get organized not because of someone’s being lazy or putting things off but because of specific personal issues. Regardless if it is something mental or you have a learning difference that poses a challenge, the help is out there along with alternative ways of learning things. Talk to your college counselor online, discuss your organizational issues caused by remote learning, and a good solution will definitely be found!