MU freshman experience eased through 'Welcome'
Published July 11, 2007
Through Summer Welcome, which ends Thursday, incoming freshmen experienced the life of a college student a couple months early: cramped residence hall rooms; dining hall food; and meeting strangers.
MU invited prospective students and their parents to encounter campus life this summer. Incoming freshman and transfer students arrived on campus as participants in the Summer Welcome program.
According to the Summer Welcome Web site, the program is MU's advising, registration and orientation event for new students.
"This program will welcome and introduce you to the campus community," the Web site states. "At Summer Welcome, you will receive answers to any questions you may have."
The incoming students interacted with Summer Welcome leaders, a group of 36 carefully selected MU students, to get the answers the Web site promises them.
Summer Welcome leader Lydia Priebe helped answer some of the students' questions about beginning college in the fall. She said she enjoyed being able to welcome the students and answer their questions.
"The main questions were concerning making new friends and adjusting to life in college," Priebe said. "I told them there are lots of people on campus and plenty of activities to get involved in and not to worry."
Students who come to Summer Welcome also get an opportunity to network with organizations at MU.
Students who had questions about the organizations they wanted to join received help from their Summer Welcome leaders.
Priebe said she was able to lead two of those students to the right people, which helped reassure them that MU is where they should to be.
The students spent most of their time doing various activities put on by the Summer Welcome team, including tours, information sessions, counseling appointments and social activities.
Incoming freshman Billy Kowalski, who attended Summer Welcome on June 18 and 19, said he enjoyed his time during the session.
"It was well-organized," Kowalski said. "There was never really any downtime, always somewhere to go and something to do. There was never any boring parts or lapses in time."
Kowalski said his favorite activity was the small group sessions because of the nature of the discussions.
"We got to ask questions to our staff leaders that would have been embarrassing to ask in a big group," he said. "It was a good down-to-earth discussion."
Priebe said Summer Welcome was also a fun experience for the leaders who bonded and did many things together, including spending Independence Day in Chicago.
Priebe said she had one of the best summers of her life doing Summer Welcome and she would encourage others to get participate and become leaders next year.
"I would tell people to definitely do it," she said. "If you don't get it the first time, try it again next year. I want to study abroad next summer, because I don't want to sit at home after doing this."