Orientation
Welcoming AnBryce Scholars
Acclimating to college is daunting. There is new social vocabulary, academic vocabulary, commonly named dorms and buildings, and, of course, calling dibs on a bunk. Students who are the first in their families to attend college have the added worry of not having a parent help explain things ahead of time. Many of these students also have not visited Notre Dame prior to First Year Orientation. AnBryce Scholars arrive on campus early to acclimate to Notre Dame before Welcome Weekend begins.
AnBryce Orientation includes evening tours of campus for families, which intentionally focus on locations first-year students will frequent (gyms, the health center, the various places to eat and study). Families attend a brunch that includes Associate Vice Provost Dr. Hugh Page and Director of Financial Aid Mary Nucciarone. A panel of staff addresses most aspects of the first year of school. Parents and those traveling with students can ask questions to better understand the life their students will take on at Notre Dame. Upperclassmen take a prime role in giving advice and helpful hints on which clubs to join and how to make it through early morning classes. Students tour the IDEA Center and St Liam's to meet practitioners. They learn about resources, such as the Math Bunker and the Writing Center, and meet their Writing and Rhetoric professor. When parents leave, they have a much better understanding of what college will be and the knowledge that there is not just the AnBryce staff ready to help their sons and daughters with the expected curve balls.
