What Exactly Happens At Freshman Orientation At Duke University

Are you planning for freshman orientation at Duke University? We've put together a step by step guide so you know exactly what happens.

Let me be another one of the many that have said this: Congratulations on your acceptance to Duke! As you may already know, Duke is not like other schools. One example of this is freshman orientation at Duke University; instead of having Orientation sometime during the summer, Duke hosts Orientation right before classes start. The week before the Fall semester begins, baby Blue Devils are moving in, meeting new people, and learning more about their new home. As a new student, you may not know much about Orientation besides what you’ve read on the Duke website and College Confidential, so here’s a few things you should definitely know about freshman orientation at Duke University.

1. Get Ready for Three Questions

Any fellow first-year you meet will ask you one or more of the following questions: What’s your name? Where are you from? What are you thinking about majoring in? The first two are pretty easy to answer, but you don’t need to have an answer to the third. The wonderful thing about Duke is that they encourage you to use your first two semesters as a chance to explore potential majors. You might go in thinking you’re pre-med, but come to realize that you really enjoy cultural anthropology. Nothing is set in stone at Orientation.

2. Move In is a Breeze

First things first: moving in. Pulling up in front of your new dorm, you’ll notice three things: loud, upbeat music, a line of cars, and a crowd of people in neon shirts. These people are called FACs (short for First-Year Advisory Council, more on them later) and they’re the ones that’ll be carrying your belongings up to your dorm (once you make it to the front of the line, that is). In each dorm’s common room, there will be RAs (Resident Assistants) waiting to check you in. Once you check in, you’ll be given your room key and able to open the door to your home for the next eight or so months.

3. Check In

After moving in, you should go to the East Union building (which houses Marketplace and Trinity Café, and is usually referred to as simply “Marketplace”) to pick up your packet, get a few free things, and load up your FLEX account. Inside your packet you will find your DukeCard, your mailbox key, your parking pass (if you purchased it), and a GoPass, which will let you ride the Durham buses for free. A few free things you might pick up include a water bottle and a planner. If you didn’t do so beforehand, you will have the opportunity to deposit money into your FLEX account, which turns your DukeCard into a debit card. The line will be long, but you can always deposit funds at a later date either online or at a kiosk.

4. RA Floor Meetings

Throughout Orientation, you will have almost nightly meetings with your RA. Some topics that will be discussed are safety, health, general rules, and roommate agreements. You’ll receive a box of goodies from Duke Wellness that will include a sleep mask, ear plugs, a tea bag, a packet of Tylenol, Band-Aids, a lanyard, and more. You’ll be informed about everything that’s been in place to ensure your health and safety and be reminded that East Campus is a dry campus.

5. FACs are Great … for the First Few Weeks

FACs are upperclassmen that have volunteered their time to help first-year Duke students adjust. They’ll help you move your stuff in, have a few group chats with you, and give you a campus tour on the weekend. After Orientation, few people keep in contact with their FACs except for the occasional “hello” when they run into each other on the bus.

6. Lots of Information

Orientation Week is full of flyers, meetings, and speeches. If you’re in Pratt, you’ll have a whole group meeting following convocation and another whole group meeting the day after. If you’re in Trinity, you’ll have two meetings with your College Advisor, one as a group and one individually. There’ll be a departmental resource fair, open houses, welcome receptions, etc. They’re great sources of free food and swag.

7. Late Night Fun

Welcome to college! Don’t expect to get too much sleep, even during Orientation. From late night carnivals and showcases to Target runs and the Brodie Blowout, you’ll be up late sampling everything Duke has to offer and making friends. The evening events are fun to go to and everyone should go, if only for a few minutes to try it out.

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8. It’s Not All Required

The Orientation schedule will note some events as mandatory, but not all of them are. The ones you have to show up to are the ones where they scan your DukeCard and are as follows: Convocation, True Blue, Duke It Out, and the Closing Ceremony. Although your DukeCard won’t be scanned, you also have to attend the meetings with your College Advisor, your FAC Chats, and your floor meetings. No one will notice if you’re missing from the class photo, but you get a free shirt, so it’s sort of worth showing up.

9. Orientation Friendships Do Last

Ever heard that you’ll never speak to the people you meet during Orientation again? Not true. The people I met during Orientation are now my closest friends at Duke. While it’s true that I don’t speak to a few people I met at one event or another, we spoke for barely five minutes while waiting for our friends to show up. Don’t be afraid to get to know some of the people you meet during Orientation because they may end up being some of your closest friends.

Orientation may seem unnecessary sometimes, but you’ll be begging for O-week once classes really get going. There really is something for everyone here and, while you might not find your lifelong best friend or end up in the best dorm, you’ll be able to find your place here, as cliché as that may sound. Again, congratulations and GO BLUE DEVILS!