New and Transfer Student Orientation Program
New and Transfer Student Orientation Program
The goal of the orientation program is to connect you to key administrators, faculty, staff, and student leaders as well as to provide you with essential services, information, and resources for a successful first semester at Hampshire College and beyond. Most of your time during Orientation will be filled with interactive sessions, small group activities hosted by staff and student orientation leaders, and the occasional special guest presenters or performers.
E-Newsletters
Each new and transfer student will receive a series of e-newsletter's we call “How to Hampshire." These newsletters are sent to your Hampshire email address throughout the summer up until the start of Orientation, typically on a weekly basis. Be on the lookout for these emails!
If you have any questions, please don't hesitate to contact the Dean of Students Office via email at deanofstudents@hampshire.edu.
Prior to Arrival
Starting this summer, check your Hampshire email regularly for important updates, reminders, and the E-newsletter, “How to Hampshire.”
Arrival Dates
Fall 2024 New & Transfer Student Orientation
New international students arrive on August 24–25, 2024, and the International Student Transit Program runs from August 26–28, 2024.
Thursday, August 29 is move-in and orientation welcome. Check back for arrival times for new domestic and transfer students (exact assigned arrival instructions will be emailed directly to you by our Office of Residence Life).
Orientation is a multi-day event that includes daytime and evening activities, sessions, and events each day starting Thursday, August 29, and ending at the end of the day on Tuesday, September 3. Domestic new and transfer students, along with international students, participate in new and transfer student orientation activities.
The first day of classes for the fall semester at Hampshire College is September 4, 2024.
Move-In Guidelines
- All residents will be emailed specific move-in information before the start of the fall 2024 semester. This will include instructions and check-in locations.
- At the check-in location, students will be able to pick up their keys and get details regarding upcoming events and other important information.
- Guests are allowed to accompany students but should follow any move-in guidance provided to the student or publicized at check-in. Any questions about the move-in process should be directed to housing@hampshire.edu.
Commuter / Off-Campus Student Residents
All new commuter and off-campus students (students not living on campus) are strongly encouraged to arrive on campus for Orientation Registration. After registration students are invited to participate in the Orientation Welcome and Dinner, followed by optional evening social activities. The formal required orientation activities will begin the next day. More details will be updated here and emailed to students directly before Orientation.
Orientation Schedule
A schedule for fall 2024 New and Transfer Orientation will be made available here in June. Students will be notified of schedule changes as needed.
New and Transfer Student Orientation is a multiple full-day and evening experience and encompasses move-in, Orientation Registration, and a welcome dinner as well as various orientation activities and important information sessions that occur during the Orientation program.
Orientation is a multi-day event that includes daytime and evening activities, sessions, and events each day starting Thursday, August 29, and ending at the end of the day on Tuesday, September 3. Domestic new and transfer students, along with international students, participate in new and transfer student orientation activities.
Family Orientation
Please save August 29-30, 2024 for move-in and Family Orientation. We will post more complete information regarding our fall 2024 Family Orientation as it becomes available here.
To ask questions about Family Orientation or to sign up to receive updates, please get in touch with the Alumni and Family Relations office at family@hampshire.edu or 413.559.6638. Be sure to include your student’s name in your message.
PRE-ORIENTATION OUTDOOR EXPERIENCES
Hampshire's Outdoor Programs, Recreation, and Athletics (OPRA) is offering pre-orientation camping trips! These trips are a great way to meet fellow incoming new students and begin to develop an on-campus community before orientation even starts.
All trips will run from August 24-28. Offerings include a backpacking trip, a canoe camping trip, and an outdoor adventure sampler trip. All groups will head off campus, explore natural spaces, sleep in tents, and cook together over camping stoves. For more information and to sign up visit their site or click the button below.
For further questions reach out to Leigh Eubank at Leop@hampshire.edu or Michelle Dedischew at Mldop@hampshire.edu. The deadline to sign up is July 31!
Course PRE-REGISTRATION & ADVISING WORKSHOP
To pre-register for courses, all incoming students must sign up for a virtual Pre-Registration and Advising Workshop with the CASA!
Hampshire's advising deans will introduce you to Hampshire’s academic advising, the course catalog, class registration and pre-registration, and what to expect in your first year at Hampshire. You’ll leave the workshop with a clear idea of the course catalog, a list of the courses you’re interested in, and the knowledge you’ll need to pre-register for courses. Course registration for incoming first-year students begins on July 8 and ends on July 19.