A Costly Welcome
The News' NeXt section recently ran a college guide offering advice to freshmen on everything from roommate issues to participating in clubs and activities to finding safe food choices. Having recently finished my four years, all of these "tips" on first-year survival made me smile, yet there was one piece of info that caught my eye: orientation costs.
When I was welcomed onto the St. Bonaventure's campus awhile back, there were no fees for the orientation packets we received, for the tours we were given or for the meals we were served. We were all tucked into the standard "freshman dorm," Shay-Loughlen, for our introductory first night, but none of us paid a price for the beds we used or the rooms we shared. I thought all of this was normal orientation procedure, but according to the article in NeXt, not all colleges share the same "free spirit" that Bonaventure does.
In order to prep its incoming students, Buffalo State charges $140 per student for its orientation, which is said to cover room, board, meals and materials. UB has a similar price tag - $190 - but it includes a few sessions on academic planning and advisement. (I can't believe students are paying for academic advice before they even enter a classroom; I now feel grateful my advisers didn't charge a fee for every time I took advantage of their open-door policy). What's more, parents and family members can now attend an orientation to prepare themselves for the big break as well ... but should expect to pay at least $130 for the first family member and $70 for each additional one.
Looking back, I know so many people who recall orientation fondly, or at least have a funny story about the strange roommate they were paired with or the weird guy that tried to meet the most girls but was never seen again. These stories made this strange beginning more fun than scary for so many. But if you ask those same people if they were excited about orientation, they would be quick to admit that they almost didn't attend because a) they were already homesick, or b) they were a total bundle of nerves. If St. Bonaventure had put a price tag on freshman orientation, I guarantee at least a quarter of our class would have found an excuse to bow out, and in doing so, missed some of the best memories of their college days.
Was your freshman orientation completely overrated? Or, if you had to pay, was it worth the extra cash? And lastly, should schools even charge students (and parents) for what should otherwise be a friendly welcome?
--- Molly Hirschbeck
