Nearly 500 incoming undergraduate and graduate students will be kicking off their academic and social journey at Caltech this week as they participate in the Institute's new student orientation programs.
The two concurrently run but separate programs will help undergraduate and graduate students to get to know their peers, as well as the Caltech campus and its many services and resources. Among the activities planned by offices of the Dean of Undergraduate Students and the Dean of Graduate Studies are information sessions covering topics ranging from research integrity and the Caltech Honor Code to residential life, diversity and inclusion, campus safety, and study habits.
In addition, undergraduate students will have opportunities to take in some of Los Angeles' sights: there will be a group trip to Venice Beach as well as optional weekend adventures, including a hike in the Angeles National Forest, a community service trip organized through the Caltech Y, and a self-guided tour of The Huntington Library, Art Collections and Botanical Gardens. Graduate students will attend a day-long teaching conference hosted by the Center for Teaching, Learning, and Outreach. And both groups will come together with current community members on Sunday, September 30, for Techfest, a campuswide event on Beckman Lawn that will feature a screening of Incredibles 2 and a fireworks show.
Caltech's incoming international students, who arrived on campus on September 19, have participated in targeted orientation programs sponsored by the International Student Programs office and will now join their peers for this week's broader orientation activities.
Written by Shayna Chabner McKinney