Ask college freshmen what they did to prepare for school, and they will likely give you a running list: housing applications, dorm shopping, scholarship essays, orientation, etc. By the time they get to campus, the only remaining task is to make friends.

The University of Iowa requires all freshmen to take an online class over the summer called Success at Iowa,
which provides background about the campus and academics as well as substance-abuse precautions. The UI also organizes a welcome week for freshmen known as OnIowa!, in which students can gather at various events to meet and socialize.

Both these are crucial for the involvement of students on campus, but many freshmen noticed that some of the activities became repetitive and that there was confusion on whether the OnIowa! meetings were mandatory.

The welcome week should be aimed more toward socialization rather than required
informational discussions.

Freshman Kate Bazarek participated in evening events such as the Lip Sync Battle and Madness on Madison, as well as the small groups. She noted that she met a lot of people through the evening events, but she found the small-group discussions to be boring because they were so similar to Success at Iowa.

“I think that more icebreakers and activities during small groups would have made it more
exciting,” she said.

OnIowa! volunteer Paige Schlapkohl found the program to be helpful her freshman year, and she has received generally good results since she started leading the small-group discussions as a junior. However, she does notice the repetition.

“I would change it so it wouldn’t be the same topics that the students already go over with Success at Iowa, because I felt like they were bored at some points,” she said.

While some parts of the program may have been dry, many social events did bring the new students together. It is understood that these events provide easy opportunities for freshmen to get out of their dorms and to talk with their peers. However, some students ended up back at their dorms after finding they already knew some of the information being covered.

Freshman Becca Swanson, who attended all the small-group discussions as well as five or six optional events, said she found them all to be helpful and met people in every
activity.

“I heard that it was pretty boring for most people, but we had a really funny leader, which made it fun,” she said.

Because freshmen have spent part of their summer completing Success at Iowa and attending orientation, the informational small-group discussions should be optional. Students want to use this time to meet people and explore campus on their own terms.

OnIowa! has some great initiatives that do welcome first-year students, but most students come prepared and ready to build relationships. Putting more emphasis on the social aspects of the activities would ease some of the boredom in the
discussions.