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Before ArrivalOrientation WeekOnce in Oberlin
   



Orientation Schedule

Orientation week begins Tuesday, August 25, and runs through the first day of classes on August 31. The week includes open houses and events to familiarize you with the Oberlin campus, as well as advising sessions and placement testing.

PDF Icon Download a copy of the PDF Orientation schedule (1.1MB)
This version of the schedule was posted on June 5, 2009. If you had downloaded this document prior to that date, please access the latest version.


Orientation for International Students

The fall 2009 International Student Orientation begins with a welcome dinner on the evening of Saturday, August 23, and runs through Sunday and Monday, August 23 and 24. International students may move into their residence hall rooms on August 21 or 22.
Orientation information specifically for international students

Orientation Schedule for Parents

Orientation for parents begins on Tuesday, August 25, and runs through Wednesday, August 26.

Opening Convocation

The first Convocation marks the opening of the academic year and serves to welcome first-year students. More details to follow as Orientation approaches.

Placement Tests and Auditions

Placement tests in languages, mathematics, biology, and chemistry are offered during Orientation for students who wish to begin study at a higher level than is customary for first-year students. Auditions for Conservatory ensembles also are held during Orientation, as is the aural skills placement test, which is required of all Conservatory students. Students in the College of Arts and Sciences interested in enrolling in music theory courses are required to take the music theory placement exam. (Conservatory students take the music theory placement exam as part of their application for admission.)

Prior to your arrival for Orientation, you can take placement tests online in languages and music theory. See the Before Arrival tab above.
See the placement and exemption schedule

Electronic Communication and Community Discussion Sites

From Linda Gates, Dean of Students
As everyone knows, technological advances have changed the modes of communication locally and globally in revolutionary ways. Opportunities for rapid communication, group discussion, and exchange have altered our expectations for speed of response and participation in online discussions. Advantages associated with these new possibilities include increased efficiency in sharing ideas, as well as building community through chat rooms and other discussion boards. By the same token, the implications of posting information and extended conversations online are not yet fully defined.

To address concerns about these issues, a broadly inclusive group of Oberlin staff members has worked together to establish guidelines that may inform the community of some of the risks and liabilities associated with posting information in such places as MySpace, Facebook, etc. That group drafted two documents – Oberlin College Educational Guidelines on Electronic Social Networking and E-Etiquette: A Quick Guide to E-mailing for Oberlin College Students – to provide guidance for issues surrounding electronic social networking and communication.

As an educational institution, we want to guide our students to make use of electronic communication in a prudent manner, respecting others and protecting themselves. I strongly encourage students and parents to read the Guidelines, and E-Etiquette.