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New Student Orientation FAQ

*Last Updated: 11/20/23

Student                                                            $150

Parents/Guests                                                $85/person (off-campus)

Parents/Guests                                                $115/person (on-campus)*

Early Arrival Fees for all Participants              $25/person

Extra Night’s Stay for all Participants             $25/person**

*a guest must be registered for Orientation to stay on campus

**participants can only stay an extra night by requesting permission of Orientation professional staff.

Transfer Student                                             $70

Parents/Guests                                                $55

Early Arrival Fees for all Participants              $25/person

Extra Night’s Stay for all Participants             $25/person*

*participants in a summer 1-day session can only stay an extra night by requesting permission of Orientation professional staff.  1-day sessions in August and January do not allow for students to stay on-campus outside of those who have checked into their residence hall room for the semester.

ASP/GAP Student                                               $150

ASP/GAP Parents/Guests                                   $85/person (off-campus)

ASP/GAP Parents/Guests to stay on campus   $115/person*

*a parent must be registered for Orientation to stay on campus

ASP students are encouraged to bring one family member to orientation.

Once a student has registered for a session, they receive a confirmation letter via email.  This letter details their session, when and where to check-in and what to expect at orientation.

  • Bed Linens (for Extra Long Twin beds)
  • Blanket
  • Pillow
  • Alarm Clock
  • Bathrobe
  • Comfortable Clothing and Shoes
  • Umbrella/Rain Gear
  • Pen/Pencil
  • Fan (for students)
  • Towels/Wash Cloths
  • Toiletries
  • Backpack
  • Water Bottle
  • Flashlight
  • Electronic Device for Advising Process (laptop preferred).

There is space for persons to note their situation during registration.  (Students can report for guests.)  We will contact them for details, or they may contact us.  We make every effort to make sure their needs are met.  We also coordinate with the Office of Accessibility Resources to make sure that all guests are accommodated accordingly.  (Orientation Team members will be assigned to an individual on an as needed basis.)

People wishing to arrive the evening before our summer programs (June/July) may do so.  They can arrive 7:00 - 10:00 pm and check into their Residence Hall (Black Rock, Shining Rock, or Water Rock).  The charge for early check-in is $25.00 per person.  Only students with special circumstances like band auditions are eligible to stay an extra day.  They must get permission from Orientation professional staff to stay an extra day. 

For our June sessions, participants will be allowed to park around their residence halls.  Family members/guests participating with their students who have difficulty walking may use their cars on campus as long as they park in legal parking places.  Should they receive a citation, they would need to go by the Parking Office.  All parking areas will be marked and patrolled by university police.  For the August and January sessions, participants will park in designated new student areas as they move into the Residence Halls.  The shuttle service runs every 15 minutes once school is in session.

NSO suggests reaching out to the local Chamber of Commerce at 828.586.2155 or on the web at www.mountainlovers.com.

Yes.

For 2-day program students the first day begins at 10:00am, and will continue until 10:30pm.  The second day will begin at 7:30am and end after lunch.  1-Day sessions begin at 8:00am and last till 5:00 pm.  Students will meet and talk with student Orientation Team members, academic advisors, and other faculty and staff.  There are educational programs as well as some fun activities.  Orientation will prepare students to start classes in the fall.

Orientation is designed to cater to the needs of students and their family members/guests.  At times these needs are different.  We have planned our programming accordingly. During certain portions of the day, students and their guests will be together and at other times, they will be broken out into separate groups.

Orientation is a completely drug and alcohol free program.

Students will stay in either Shining Rock or Water Rock residential halls during the session.  Students will be assigned a roommate at random.

Parents/Guests will stay in Black Rock residential hall during orientation.  Parents will be assigned rooms together and every effort will be made to give single parents their own room. 
*Orientation does not automatically assume that a student’s guests will want to room together.  If the guests do not check-in together, they will not be placed in same room. 

Black Rock (Parents/Guests) and Shining Rock/Water Rock (Students) feature modern community style restroom and shower facilities.  Rooms do not come with a private bathroom/shower. The community style bathrooms have three enclosed toilets and three enclosed showers and a bank of four sinks. Generally, there are two bathrooms on each wing with about 20 residents sharing each bathroom. In addition, there is a private restroom available on each floor that includes a shower, toilet and sink.

All incoming undergraduate campus-based students are required to attend New Student Orientation.  We encourage our students to register guests/family members if they are interested in participating in our program.

Full Orientation schedules will be in the student and guest packets upon check-in.


Residence Hall check-in will begin at 9am, and orientation check-in will commence at 10am.  Directional signs will point to the Rocks.  Students and guests will be in session until roughly 7-8pm on day one.  At that time, guests are at liberty, and students will have some fun activities planned.

On day two, breakfast starts at 7:30am the next morning, and the 1st session begins at 8:30am.  Students will be ready to depart campus around 3:30 pm.

Full Orientation schedules will be in the student and guest packets upon check-in.

Check-in will begin at 8am at the University Center.  Guests will finish the day around 4pm while students will finish the day around 5pm.

Orientation does not offer a fee waiver; however, eligible students can request a fee deferment by emailing Financial Aid.


Financial Aid Email Account:  finaid@wcu.edu


The email must include:
1.  Full Name
2.  Student Identification Number (920#)
3.  A simple sentence like this: “I am requesting a cost deferment.” OR “I am requesting fee waivers.”


Financial Aid will then review the student’s EFC (expected family contribution) provided by their FAFSA data.  The student must have an EFC of 0 to be eligible.

New Student Orientation will hold any materials found during a session for 3 months after the end of that specific orientation cycle.  Materials will be stored in a secure location in the main orienation office.  After 3 months, all materials will be properly desposed of.

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