Preparing for Arrival

New Student Checklist

Your student received an email on August 7 outlining the details of Arrival Day and moving in as well as a reminder to check their new student checklist. If they have not completed any required items by Arrival Day, they will be directed to complete them before they can access their residence hall room.

Conversations to Have

10 Conversations for the Summer Before College

When you have a college-bound teen in your house, the summer before college can be stressful. As a parent, you're excited about your student’s future as they head off on the road to adulthood. But you're also aware they might not be quite ready for the journey. Suzanne Shaffer’s Collegiate Parent article offers conversation topics to help your student prepare for college and start their first year with confidence.

Physical Health

Before your student heads off to Colgate, take a few minutes to discuss health care basics to help them to be prepared to manage illness while they are at college. Our article “Health and Wellness: Helping Your Student Prepare” provides tips and things to think about.

Mental and Emotional Health

The first year of college will be a tremendous adjustment for your student. Help them prepare by considering a mental and emotional wellness plan that includes how you can be supportive. It’s better to figure out strategies in advance rather than waiting until a moment when tensions and emotions are high. Our worksheet guides you through questions to ask your student.

Discuss The Red Zone

In the welcome packet sent to your student, we included for parents a letter sharing the University’s efforts to educate students about alcohol and other drug use and to prevent sexual violence. As a follow-up, we share this article from Psychology Today, “Talking to College Students About ‘The Red Zone’.” (The “Red Zone” refers to the first six weeks of the semester when there is a statistically heightened chance of sexual assault occurring (national statistics). We hope the article will assist your family in having important conversations before your student begins college.

Advice From Family Members

We asked current parents, “What is one piece of advice you would share with a parent/guardian of an incoming first-year or transfer student?” Their helpful responses ranged from practical to metaphorical and reflect the guidance found in our Parent & Family Resource Guide.

Tips for a Smooth Arrival Day and Move-In

Students and families should arrive on campus between 9:00 a.m. and 12:00 p.m. on the morning of their arrival, which for most students, is Sunday, August 25. Arrival Day will be exciting, memorable, and bittersweet. After the 2:30 p.m. welcome remarks under the tent near Taylor Lake, and a brief Family Farewells ice cream social, parents and families will depart campus and students will begin orientation at 3:30 p.m. These Tips for a Smooth Arrival Day will help you prepare and know what to expect when you get to campus.

Success On Campus

Academic Calendar

The academic calendar is the official listing, organized by semester, of important dates and academic-year milestones. The schedule is established and approved four years in advance. This is the best place to find out important dates such as midterm breaks, when students return to campus for spring semester, family weekend, commencement, and more. Please keep in mind that students should not book travel plans for the winter recess, or end of the spring semester, before confirming their final exam dates (which are specific to their courses and professors’ schedules.)

View 2024–25 Academic Calendar

Advising

Colgate provides layers of support for students and a variety of people to help them achieve their goals. Two of their primary contacts will be their academic (faculty) adviser and their administrative dean. Encourage your student to build relationships with their administrative dean and faculty adviser early on by contacting them with any questions or concerns. Advisers and deans are here to help students adjust to college life and succeed at Colgate!

New Student Orientation: What it’s All About

New Student Orientation (August 25–28) prepares students to begin their college experience. During orientation, students will:

• Get acquainted with their roommates, classmates, and staff members of their Residential Commons
• Develop a sense of home in their residence halls
• Become familiar with the campus
• Meet their academic advisers
• Learn about Colgate’s community expectations

The program is designed and led by professionals in the Dean of the College Division and trained student Orientation Links.

Family members sometimes ask if they will have time to visit with their students during orientation, and if they should stick around to help their student to get settled into their rooms. We suggest that setting up their own space is an important step in gaining new independence — and that students being fully immersed in orientation programming is an important part of settling in at college. As well, your student will be busy from early morning through late in the evening — so family goodbyes should take place before orientation begins.

Founder’s Day Dinner and Convocation

At the conclusion of new student orientation, on Wednesday evening, our newest class will gather for a formal meal to solidify the bonds that have begun to form. Immediately following dinner will be the Founders’ Day Convocation, a formal ceremony with the faculty where the class will be welcomed into Colgate’s community of scholars. 

Events and Programs

Living Writers: A Passion for Reading Is the Only Prerequisite

Since 1980, Living Writers has been an on-campus course for Colgate undergraduates. Since 2010, it's also been a self-paced program for alumni and parents. Our 2024 lineup has something for every reader: stories, novels, poems, memoirs, and even comics. For details and to sign up for weekly emails in the fall, visit the Living Writers page or write to livingwriters@colgate.edu.

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