Campus & Culture

Class of 2025 Gets a Taste of Life on Campus

The newest class of Hawks will be landing on Hawk Hill for a series of two-day orientation sessions from June 23 - 30.

Two students smiling and pointing at the camera.

May 24, 2021

Keys to the Article

After a year of stay-at-home orders and physical distancing, Saint Joseph’s University is bringing new Hawks to campus for summer orientation in a series of two-day, online and in-person events that will aim to prepare new students for life at St. Joe's.
The goal of the program is to ensure new students feel welcome, are prepared to learn, get to explore their new home-away-from-home and connect with fellow Hawks.
View the full orientation agenda and read advice from the student orientation leaders to all incoming Hawks at Saint Joseph’s.

Orientation is a long-standing tradition on Hawk Hill. After a year of stay-at-home orders and physical distancing, Saint Joseph’s University is bringing new Hawks to campus for summer orientation in a series of two-day, online and in-person experiences that will aim to prepare students for life at St. Joe’s.

The goal of the program has always been to ensure new students feel welcome, are prepared to learn, get to explore their new home-away-from-home and can connect with fellow Hawks. On the first day, students will be on Hawk Hill and attend a variety of sessions, with supplemental programming offered for parents and families. The second day will be held online and will ensure that students are ready for fall semester.

Throughout the orientation, students will be able to select and register for their first classes, meet fellow classmates and see their new freshman dorms.

A full schedule has been posted to the New Hawks Portal, and includes:

STUDENTS

DAY ONE: ON-CAMPUS

8 - 9:30 a.m. Park at Hawk’s Landing, registration at Camion Student Center
9:30 a.m. Orientation Kick-off
10 a.m. The Ignatian Adventure: Engaging Jesuit Education to the Fullest
10:45 a.m. Culture of Care: Preventing Harm Through Bystander Intervention
12:15 p.m. Lunch
1:15 p.m. The Residence Life Experience: Campus Living 101 (tours of the halls)
2:30 p.m. Introduction to SJU Resources and Community Expectations
3:15 p.m. Snack Break
3:45 p.m. College Life Conversations
4:30 p.m. Class of 2025 Field Games
6 p.m. Depart SJU

DAY TWO: ONLINE

9 a.m. Log in to Meet your Orientation Leaders
9:15 a.m. Intro to Your Major and Registration Process
10 a.m. - 5:30 p.m. Course Registration - Five 75-minute sessions (assigned by orientation groups)
10 a.m. - 5:30 p.m. Additional Resource Sessions with orientation leaders and group (note: you will not be required to be online this entire time, but there will be times throughout the day when your group will be meeting for various sessions)

Tentative orientation 2025 schedule - please note - schedule is subject to change.

PARENTS/FAMILIES

DAY ONE - ON-CAMPUS

8 - 9:30 a.m. Park at Hawk’s Landing, registration at Campion Student Center
9:30 a.m. President’s Welcome to Saint Joseph’s University
10 a.m. Freshman Year - What to Expect (Provost, Student Life and COVID-19 updates)
10:45 a.m. Introduction to Campus Life and Resources
11:15 a.m. Financing Your SJU Education
11:15 a.m. - 12:30 p.m. Tours of the Residence Halls

The Post Learning Commons will be available for parents/guardians between 10 a.m. - 6 p.m. if you need a place to do work, rest and/or wait for your student during their on-campus orientation program.

Hear what current Hawks have to say to our incoming freshmen

With more than 50 student orientation leaders, there is a lot of energy and enthusiasm from current Hawks during the two-day event. Here is some advice from a few of the leaders to the new fellow Hawks:

Do not be afraid to ~go with the flow~. College is full of new and unexpected experiences that may just lead you on the best path for YOU! - Claire Fox ’22

Don't sweat the small things! Important parts of college are having fun, getting involved, growing, learning more about yourself and making mistakes! - Michael Abruzzo ’22

Push yourself out of your comfort zone and allow yourself to grow. - Cipriana Christodoulou ’22

SJU and your college experience is only as good as YOU make it. Come in ready to make this the best time of your life. - Kayla Evans ‘23

Be yourself! Don’t try and alter your personality or change your ways to impress people. - Nick Manzi ’23

Go to class!!!!! - Maura Montgomery ’23

Put yourself out there! You and every other freshman are nervous and want to meet people, just say hi! - Alexa Walter ’24

Get a calendar. One you can access on your phone. Keeping track of your time will save your life. Time management and planning are critical to being productive! - Donavin Gomez ’24

Stay engaged and stay active in all of the activities orientation has to offer! - Patrick O’Hara ’24