Though they haven’t yet started their classes, thousands of first-year students are visiting campus this summer to get a jump-start on the school year. They’re taking part in the Summer Orientation to Academic and Resources (SOAR), a program designed to ease the transition to university life for both incoming students and their families.

Hosted by the Student Experience Office, part of the Division of Student Affairs, SOAR provides introductions to new academic expectations, on-campus resources, tips and information about living in residence, campus tours, academic advising and course selection information, and much more. There’s also programming aimed at parents to help them support their student’s move to university.

 “SOAR is a key opportunity to bring the incoming first-year class to Queen’s and speak with them and their families about some of the common transition issues they may face,” says Arig al Shaibah, Assistant Dean of Student Affairs (Student Life and Learning). “Students will get a chance to become more acquainted with the campus, our faculty and staff members, as well as their peers. Parents will learn more about all the resources available for their students and how to best support their transition from afar.  ”

This year, SOAR won’t just be for the students coming to Queen’s Kingston campus because for the first time, it will also have programming for students attending the Bader International Study Centre (BISC) at Herstmonceux Castle in England. Students studying abroad will be given tailored information about what preparations to make and what to expect when they arrive to study at the 15th-century Tudor castle.

Another new change at SOAR this year is an expansion to the time that incoming first-years get to spend with upper-year students. This will help new students build connections with each other, while asking their upper-year peers about campus life and their personal experiences coming to Queen’s.

Among the student volunteers working at SOAR this year is Tamarra Wallace (ArtSci’16) who attended the orientation session herself before first-year. A History major now going into her fourth year of study, Ms. Wallace still remembers her experience at SOAR.

“It was a really fun day. It was the first time I came to Queen’s, so it really helped me get a sense of the campus and community,” she says. “SOAR made for a nice transition from life at home to a new experience at school. The academic advice I got from an upper-year was really helpful too; she encouraged me to take a wide variety of courses and really helped me find out what I wanted to study.”

Ms. Wallace’s reason for wanting to work with SOAR this summer is simple. “I want to share the good experience I had at SOAR with incoming students. This is the perfect way to do it.”

SOAR is collaborative effort between Student Affairs and the various undergraduate Faculty Offices. The program runs from July 3-18 with specific dates for students in Arts and Science, Engineering, Commerce and Nursing.

Participants can register on the Student Experience website.