Student orientation or new student orientation, (often encapsulated into an Orientation week, Welcome Week or Freshers' Week) is a period of time at the beginning of the academic year at a university

University

A university is an institution of higher education and research, which grants academic degrees in a variety of subjects. A university is an organisation that provides both undergraduate education and postgraduate education...

 or other tertiary

Tertiary education

Tertiary education, also referred to as third stage, third level, and post-secondary education, is the educational level following the completion of a school providing a secondary education, such as a high school, secondary school, university-preparatory school...

 institution during which a variety of events are held to orient and welcome new students. The name of the period varies by country. The orientation helps new students to organize their classes, acclimate to student life, and introduce themselves to other new students.

Although usually described as a week, the length of this period varies widely from university to university and country to country, ranging from about three days to a month or even more (e.g. four or five weeks, depending on program, at Chalmers

Chalmers University of Technology

Chalmers University of Technology , is a Swedish university located in Gothenburg that focuses on research and education in technology, natural science and architecture.-History:...

). The length of the week is often affected by each university's tradition as well as financial and physical constraints. During this period, students participate in a wide range of social activities, including live music and other performances, sports challenges, stunts, and open-air markets.

Terminology

The week before the term starts is known as: Frosh (or frosh week) in most colleges and universities in the United States

United States

The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

/Canada

Canada

Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...

, others call it by the acronym SOAR for Student Orientation And Registration; Freshers' week in the majority of the United Kingdom

United Kingdom

The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...

 and Ireland

Ireland

Ireland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth...

 and Orientation week or O-week in countries such as Australia

Australia

Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...

, South Africa

South Africa

The Republic of South Africa is a country in southern Africa. Located at the southern tip of Africa, it is divided into nine provinces, with of coastline on the Atlantic and Indian oceans...

 and New Zealand

New Zealand

New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...

. In Sweden

Sweden

Sweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund....

, it is known as nollning (from nolla, "zero", in this case meaning zeroth-year student, i.e., before the first university year starts) or inspark (being "kicked in" to university life). Orientation week is the coming phrase in the United States. Some schools use the acronym WOW for Week of Welcome.

In Canada

Canada

Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...

, first year students are called "Frosh" or "first years." In the United States

United States

The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

, first year university students are typically referred to as freshmen. In Australia

Australia

Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...

 and New Zealand

New Zealand

New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...

 first year students are known simply as "first years", although in some the colleges of the University of Melbourne

University of Melbourne

The University of Melbourne is a public university located in Melbourne, Victoria. Founded in 1853, it is the second oldest university in Australia and the oldest in Victoria...

 and the University of Sydney

University of Sydney

The University of Sydney is a public university located in Sydney, New South Wales. The main campus spreads across the suburbs of Camperdown and Darlington on the southwestern outskirts of the Sydney CBD. Founded in 1850, it is the oldest university in Australia and Oceania...

 they are also called "Freshers". In the U.K. and Ireland

Ireland

Ireland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth...

 first year students are known as freshers or first years. Freshies is also an emerging term in New Zealand

New Zealand

New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...

. In Sweden, the student is a nolla (a "zero") during the orientation period and usually upgraded to the status of an etta (student who is in her/his first college term) at a ceremony involving a fancy three-course dinner and a lots of singing.

Australia

In Australia

Australia

Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...

, some universities require students to arrive at university a week before classes start in order to gain course approval. This also allows students a chance to orient themselves to student life without the pressure of lectures - hence the term Orientation week is used to describe this week of induction into university life.

In Australian universities, such as the University of Melbourne

University of Melbourne

The University of Melbourne is a public university located in Melbourne, Victoria. Founded in 1853, it is the second oldest university in Australia and the oldest in Victoria...

, University of New South Wales

University of New South Wales

The University of New South Wales , is a research-focused university based in Kensington, a suburb in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia...

 and University of Sydney

University of Sydney

The University of Sydney is a public university located in Sydney, New South Wales. The main campus spreads across the suburbs of Camperdown and Darlington on the southwestern outskirts of the Sydney CBD. Founded in 1850, it is the oldest university in Australia and Oceania...

, the final night is usually celebrated with a large-scale event such as a famous band playing at an entertainment venue on campus. This is generally followed by continued partying and drinking, especially among students living in residential college

Residential college

A residential college is an organisational pattern for a division of a university that places academic activity in a community setting of students and faculty, usually at a residence and with shared meals, the college having a degree of autonomy and a federated relationship with the overall...

s such as Janet Clarke Hall and Ormond College.

The Adelaide University O-Week http://www.adelaide.edu.au/student/new/oweek/timetbl/auu.html runs from Monday to Thursday in the week before lectures begin. During O-Week sporting clubs and societies set up a variety of tented areas where clubs display their activities. The Adelaide University Union

Adelaide University Union

The Adelaide University Union was founded in 1895. The AUU currently funds six affiliated bodies. These include the Adelaide University Student Representative Council , Student Care, the Clubs Association , the Roseworthy Agricultural Campus Student Union Council , and the Waite Institute...

 coordinates a variety of events centering around beer, bands and barbecues on the lawns near the Union complex. A major event for the week is the O-Ball (live entertainment and licensed areas) which takes place in the Cloisters (Union House). The O-Ball attracts many thousands of revellers, not all of whom are Adelaide University students. In recent times Sports and Clubs have sought to distance themselves from the student union and student association controlled activities and have set themselves up on the Maths lawns.

The Australian National University

Australian National University

The Australian National University is a teaching and research university located in the Australian capital, Canberra.As of 2009, the ANU employs 3,945 administrative staff who teach approximately 10,000 undergraduates, and 7,500 postgraduate students...

 has a full week (Sunday to Sunday) http://sa.anu.edu.au/events/o-week of events, parties and social activities open to all students of the university, organised by the Australian National University Students Association. The residential colleges often have their own "O-week" activities catered primarily for residents as well as "Toga Night" held at Burgmann College

Burgmann College

Burgmann College is a residential college affiliated with the Australian National University in Canberra. Established in 1971, it is the only Australian college to combine undergraduate accommodation with a substantial postgraduate student body. It houses 351 students, roughly one-third of whom are...

 open to students from all residential colleges.

Canada

In Canada

Canada

Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...

, the nature and length of orientation week varies considerably between Universities. For instance, Ottawa

Ottawa

Ottawa is the capital of Canada, the second largest city in the Province of Ontario, and the fourth largest city in the country. The city is located on the south bank of the Ottawa River in the eastern portion of Southern Ontario...

, has two universities within its urban centre; the University of Ottawa

University of Ottawa

The University of Ottawa is a bilingual, research-intensive, non-denominational, international university in Ottawa, Ontario. It is one of the oldest universities in Canada. It was originally established as the College of Bytown in 1848 by the Missionary Oblates of Mary Immaculate...

 and Carleton University

Carleton University

Carleton University is a comprehensive university located in the capital of Canada, Ottawa, Ontario. The enabling legislation is The Carleton University Act, 1952, S.O. 1952. Founded as a small college in 1942, Carleton now offers over 65 programs in a diverse range of disciplines. Carleton has...

, both with orientations spanning over approximately 7 days. At The University of Ottawa, Frosh Week is Called 101 week. At Carleton University there exist multiple orientations, SPROSH (Sprott Frosh), ENG Frosh, Radical Frosh, and lastly the largest, CUSA/RRRA/SEO Frosh.
In the province of Quebec

Quebec

Quebec or is a province in east-central Canada. It is the only Canadian province with a predominantly French-speaking population and the only one whose sole official language is French at the provincial level....

, because of the CEGEP

Cégep

CEGEP is an acronym for , which is literally translated as "College of General and Vocational Education" but commonly called "General and Vocational College" in circles not influenced by Quebec English. It refers to the public post-secondary education collegiate institutions exclusive to the...

 system, "froshies" are of legal drinking age. Therefore, Frosh activities in Quebec contain organized pub crawls and drinking games. Moreover, the proximity of the two Ottawa universities also allows them to take advantage of the drinking age in neighbouring Gatineau

Gatineau

Gatineau is a city in western Quebec, Canada. It is the fourth largest city in the province. It is located on the northern banks of the Ottawa River, immediately across from Ottawa, Ontario, and together they form Canada's National Capital Region. Ottawa and Gatineau comprise a single Census...

, Quebec. The University of British Columbia

University of British Columbia

The University of British Columbia is a public research university. UBC’s two main campuses are situated in Vancouver and in Kelowna in the Okanagan Valley...

 cancels the first day of class for all students, and hosts an orientation day for all new students, called Imagine Day. As of 2007, the faculty of science also holds an annual, day-long Science Frosh event for approximately 300 first-year students and the commerce faculty holds a 3 day-long frosh weekend before classes begin. The University of Toronto

University of Toronto

The University of Toronto is a public research university in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, situated on the grounds that surround Queen's Park. It was founded by royal charter in 1827 as King's College, the first institution of higher learning in Upper Canada...

 has a number of different "Frosh Weeks" organized concurrently by different student groups within the university; including the societies of the different colleges, professional faculties (including perhaps the most well known organized by the University of Toronto Engineering Society, Skule (engineering society), in which 'F!ROSH' and 'F!ROSH Leedurs' dye their bodies purple) and the University of Toronto Students' Union. However, Queen's University

Queen's University

Queen's University, , is a public research university located in Kingston, Ontario, Canada. Founded on 16 October 1841, the university pre-dates the founding of Canada by 26 years. Queen's holds more more than of land throughout Ontario as well as Herstmonceux Castle in East Sussex, England...

, McGill University

McGill University

Mohammed Fathy is a public research university located in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. The university bears the name of James McGill, a prominent Montreal merchant from Glasgow, Scotland, whose bequest formed the beginning of the university...

 and Western have ranked in the top three for consecutive years. McMaster University also organizes many events during what they term as "Welcome Week", including concerts by artists such as Alexisonfire

Alexisonfire

Alexisonfire was a five-piece, Juno-nominated post-hardcore band that formed in St. Catharines, Ontario, Canada in 2001. The band consisted of George Pettit , Dallas Green , Wade MacNeil , Chris Steele , and Jordan Hastings .They describe their music as "the sound of two Catholic high-school girls...

. The week strongly encourages solidarity, first with members of one's own residence (or for off-campus students, the SOCS ( Society of Off Campus Students)), and later the members of a student's faculty. University of Guelph

University of Guelph

The University of Guelph, also known as U of G, is a comprehensive public research university in Guelph, Ontario, Canada. It was established in 1964 after the amalgamation of Ontario Agricultural College, the Macdonald Institute, and the Ontario Veterinary College...

 holds many orientation activities for its incoming students. The main event is the pep rally in which students from each residence perform a dance on the football field. The Guelph Engineering Society also hosts a series of special events for Engineering Frosh including frosh olympics, beach day, and a havenger scunt

Finland

In Finnish

Finland

Finland , officially the Republic of Finland, is a Nordic country situated in the Fennoscandian region of Northern Europe. It is bordered by Sweden in the west, Norway in the north and Russia in the east, while Estonia lies to its south across the Gulf of Finland.Around 5.4 million people reside...

 universities, the student organizations for each department independently organize orientation activities for the new students in their respective departments. New students are often assigned in groups to an upperclassman tutor and participate in many activities with their tutoring group. New students may be referred to as piltti (child), fuksi (freshman), fetus or other names according to their major subject. Activities for new students may include "orienteering", pub crawls, sporting events, swimming in fountains or other forms of "baptism", sitsit

Sitsit

Sitsit in Finnish or sits in Finland-Swedish, is a traditional academic student feast organised in some universities in Finland, particularly in Åbo Akademi, University of Turku, Helsinki University of Technology, University of Helsinki and Tampere University of Technology. They are also organised...

 parties and saunas. It is also considered important for the new students to participate in the regular activities of the student department organizations.

Indonesia

Hazing

Hazing

Hazing is a term used to describe various ritual and other activities involving harassment, abuse or humiliation used as a way of initiating a person into a group....

 is a main aspect in Freshmens' (or OSPEK for University Orientation and MOS for Middle School or High School). A typical orientation may consist of verbal harassment as well as initiation leading to humiliation. A typical OSPEK week lasts for three to five days and at times inclusive of a trip to a remote area. OSPEK in Indonesia has event organizers that consists of seniors, instead of an educational board run event. What makes orientation in Indonesia distinctive to other countries would arguably be the freshmens' requirement to wear unusual accessories (i.e. Freshmens were asked to wear hats made of bird's nest, necktie

Necktie

A necktie is a long piece of cloth worn for decorative purposes around the neck or shoulders, resting under the shirt collar and knotted at the throat. Variants include the ascot tie, bow tie, bolo tie, and the clip-on tie. The modern necktie, ascot, and bow tie are descended from the cravat. Neck...

 made of folded paper, and bring sack instead of rucksack). Harsh physical punishments were not uncommon during the Suharto era, and mass media continues to report inhumane activities during those orientation that led to a few cases of death. Nowadays orientation is more tolerable as physical abuse is forbidden but it is still criticized by many psychologists and people as 'too much' because of excessive verbal harassment like shout to the juniors and wear unusual accessories is still practised in Middle school or High school orientation. And it is also still criticized by many parents for being economically inconvenient. The reason cited by psychologists is that OSPEK is often used as a tool of revenge done by the board of organizers for what the seniors did to them during their freshman year. And because of this there are so many people who think if ospek or mos is unnecesarry. The 'cruelty' of ospek and mos varies between universities and schools in Indonesia.

New Zealand

As in Australia

Australia

Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...

, in New Zealand

New Zealand

New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...

 students have a week to orient themselves to university life before the start of formal classes. This orientation week is a time for many social events, and is often a reason for alcohol fests. Flat warmings are often held within the time limit to couple the alcohol oriented event with the general party week.

In New Zealand's main university towns such as Dunedin

Dunedin

Dunedin is the second-largest city in the South Island of New Zealand, and the principal city of the Otago Region. It is considered to be one of the four main urban centres of New Zealand for historic, cultural, and geographic reasons. Dunedin was the largest city by territorial land area until...

 and Palmerston North

Palmerston North

Palmerston North is the main city of the Manawatu-Wanganui region of the North Island of New Zealand. It is an inland city with a population of and is the country's seventh largest city and eighth largest urban area. Palmerston North is located in the eastern Manawatu Plains near the north bank...

 (where students make up around one fifth of the population) orientation week leads a wide range of events. Many top overseas and local bands tour the country at this time, and the orientation tour is one of the highlights of the year's music calendar. The University of Otago

University of Otago

The University of Otago in Dunedin is New Zealand's oldest university with over 22,000 students enrolled during 2010.The university has New Zealand's highest average research quality and in New Zealand is second only to the University of Auckland in the number of A rated academic researchers it...

 in the Scottish

Scotland

Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...

-settled city of Dunedin traditionally holds a parody of the Highland Games

Highland games

Highland games are events held throughout the &Highland games are events held throughout the &Highland games are events held throughout the &(-è_çà in Scotland and other countries as a way of celebrating Scottish and Celtic culture and heritage, especially that of the Scottish Highlands. Certain...

 called the Lowland Games, including such esoteric events as porridge wrestling.

Student pranks were once common during orientation week, but have fallen out of favour in recent years. Until recent years, many halls of residence also inducted new residents with "Initiation" (a form of hazing

Hazing

Hazing is a term used to describe various ritual and other activities involving harassment, abuse or humiliation used as a way of initiating a person into a group....

, though considerably milder than the rituals found among American college fraternities).

Although officially designated as a week, in several New Zealand universities and polytechnics orientation week stretches to over ten days.

Sweden

Most Swedish universities have some kind of nollning ("zeroing"). This is most extensive at the technical faculties and at the student nation communities of Uppsala

Uppsala University

Uppsala University is a research university in Uppsala, Sweden, and is the oldest university in Scandinavia, founded in 1477. It consistently ranks among the best universities in Northern Europe in international rankings and is generally considered one of the most prestigious institutions of...

 and Lund

Lund University

Lund University , located in the city of Lund in the province of Scania, Sweden, is one of northern Europe's most prestigious universities and one of Scandinavia's largest institutions for education and research, frequently ranked among the world's top 100 universities...

. Since student union

Students' union

A students' union, student government, student senate, students' association, guild of students or government of student body is a student organization present in many colleges and universities, and has started appearing in some high schools...

 membership is mandatory in Sweden (until July 2010), the nollning is usually centrally organized from the student union with support from the universities.

At the old universities, these traditions have often turned civilized after a dark history of hazing. Today, many student unions have strict rules against inappropriate drunkenness, sexual harassment and other problems which might have occurred in the old days.

At the technical faculties, the people who organize the nollning play roles in a theatrical manner and often wear sunglasses and some form of weird clothes. Most senior students who are mentors during the nollning wear their student overall

Student overall

-History and use:Particular boilersuits or "student overalls" are widely used for specific events at universities and polytechnics in Sweden and Finland. Typically, the overalls are procured by the student associations of faculties or programmes...

s or the b-frack (a worn tailcoat

Tailcoat

A tailcoat is a coat with the front of the skirt cut away, so as to leave only the rear section of the skirt, known as the tails. The historical reason coats were cut this way was to make it easier for the wearer to ride a horse, but over the years tailcoats of varying types have evolved into forms...

). This kind of well-organized nollning has developed at KTH and Chalmers and spread to the rest of the country. Nollning is often thought to be most advanced and organized at the Uppsala Institute of Technology at Uppsala University

Uppsala University

Uppsala University is a research university in Uppsala, Sweden, and is the oldest university in Scandinavia, founded in 1477. It consistently ranks among the best universities in Northern Europe in international rankings and is generally considered one of the most prestigious institutions of...

 and Linköping Institute of Technology

Linköping Institute of Technology

The Institute of Technology at Linköping University or Linköpings tekniska högskola is the faculty of science and engineering of Linköping University, located in Linköping and Norrköping in Sweden. Since its start in 1969 LiTH has had close ties with the Swedish transport and electronics industry...

 at Linköping University

Linköping University

Linköping University is a state university in Linköping, Sweden. Linköping University was granted full university status in 1975 and is now one of Sweden's larger academic institutions. Education, research and PhD training are the mission of four faculties: Arts and Sciences, Educational...

. Incidentally, Linköping is also the university that has the most widely spread use of student-overalls.

Nollning is also arranged at many of the Gymnasium

Gymnasium (school)

A gymnasium is a type of school providing secondary education in some parts of Europe, comparable to English grammar schools or sixth form colleges and U.S. college preparatory high schools. The word γυμνάσιον was used in Ancient Greece, meaning a locality for both physical and intellectual...

s.

In 2007 a 16-year-old girl nearly died during her nollning. When she was found she had a blood alcohol level of 3.64 permille

Permille

A per mil or per mille is a tenth of a percent or one part per thousand. It is written with the sign ‰ , which looks like a percent sign with an extra zero at the end...

.http://www.dn.se/DNet/jsp/polopoly.jsp?d=1298&a=690850 The Stockholm Municipal Commissioner for Schools Lotta Edholm wants to be able to move the responsible to other schools. Common crimes during nollning is alcohol peddling, illegal threats, sexual harassment and assault and battery.http://www.dn.se/DNet/jsp/polopoly.jsp?d=1298&a=691093 Minister for Schools Jan Björklund

Jan Björklund

Jan Arne Björklund is a Swedish politician. He is the leader of the Liberal People's Party and serves as Minister for Education and Deputy Prime Minister in the Swedish government.- Education and military career :...

 demand action from police, teachers and parents.http://www.dn.se/DNet/jsp/polopoly.jsp?d=147&a=690607

Thailand

In Thailand, the activity is commonly called Rubnong (รับน้อง) translated as welcoming of freshman. It takes place in the first week or month of the academic year at universities, and also present in some high schools. The activity purpose is to adapt new students to university culture. Activities include games entertainment and recreation, these let the newcomers get to know other members of the university and reduce tension in the changing environment. Sometimes it includes alcohol. The main object of the rubnong is to let juniors carry on the universities' tradition and identity and to bind together the new generation into one. Long-term activity often includes seniors taking freshman or older years to meals and meetings, usually the most senior pays for it all.

United Kingdom and Ireland

As well as providing a chance to learn about the university, Fresher's week allows students to become familiar with the representatives of their Student Union

Student union

Student union may refer to:* Students' union, or student government in the U.S., a student organization at many colleges and universities dedicated to student governance...

 and to get to know the city or town which is home to the university, often through some form of pub crawl

Pub crawl

A pub crawl is the act of one or more people drinking in multiple pubs or bars in a single night, normally walking or busing to each one between drinking.-Origin of the term:...

.

Live music is also common, as are a number of organized social gatherings especially designed to allow freshers to make new friends and to get to know their course colleagues. Because of the intensity of activities, there are often many new friendships made, especially in group accommodation, some which do not last past Freshers Week and others that last for the whole University career and longer.

Typically a Freshers' Fair for student clubs and societies is included as part of the activities to introduce new students to facilities on offer, typically outside their course of study, such as societies, clubs, sport, etc. The various societies and clubs available within the University have stalls and aim to entice freshers to join. Most campuses take the opportunity to promote safe sex to their students and sometimes offer leaflets on the subject and free condom

Condom

A condom is a barrier device most commonly used during sexual intercourse to reduce the probability of pregnancy and spreading sexually transmitted diseases . It is put on a man's erect penis and physically blocks ejaculated semen from entering the body of a sexual partner...

s, as well as promoting the Drinksafe campaign. The aim is to lower the rate of sexually transmitted disease and to reduce the level of intoxication commonly witnessed in Freshers' Week.

United States

Freshmen is the traditional term for first-year students arriving at school, but the slang term 'frosh' is also used. Lasting between a few days and a week, the orientation is their informal introduction and inauguration to the institution. The first-year students are led by fellow students from upper years over the course of the week through various events ranging from campus tours, games, competitions, and field trips. Despite the fact that most first-year students are below the legal drinking age, heavy drinking and binge drinking

Binge drinking

Binge drinking or heavy episodic drinking is the modern epithet for drinking alcoholic beverages with the primary intention of becoming intoxicated by heavy consumption of alcohol over a short period of time. It is a kind of purposeful drinking style that is popular in several countries worldwide,...

 may occur outside the orientation curriculum.

In many colleges, incoming freshmen are made to perform activities such as singing of songs, engaging in group physical activities, and playing games. These activities are often done to help freshmen make friends at their new establishment, and also to bond with each other and the upperclassmen.

Some programs require their organizers to sign waivers stating they will not be under the influence of any substances over the course of the week as they are responsible for the well-being of the students. Most programs have one final party on the final night to finish off the week of celebrating, in which the organizers join in.

Although it has been officially banned at many schools, hazing

Hazing

Hazing is a term used to describe various ritual and other activities involving harassment, abuse or humiliation used as a way of initiating a person into a group....

is not uncommon during the week. This can be anywhere from the organizers treating the first years students in a playfully discouraging manner to forcing them to endure rigorous trials.

The attitude of the events also depends on the school. Many colleges encourage parents to come to the first day to help new students move into their dormitory

Dormitory

A dormitory, often shortened to dorm, in the United States is a residence hall consisting of sleeping quarters or entire buildings primarily providing sleeping and residential quarters for large numbers of people, often boarding school, college or university students...

, fill out paper work, and get situated. Some schools view their week as an initiation or rite of passage while others view it as a time to build school spirit and pride. In towns with more than one university, there may be a school rivalry that is reflected in the events throughout the week.

At most schools, incoming freshmen arrive at the school for a couple of days during the summer and are put into orientation groups led by an upperclassman trained for the position. Their Orientation Leader will take them around campus, do activities with them, have discussions with them, help them register for the next semester's classes and make them feel comfortable about coming to school in the fall.

United States Transfer Student Orientation

After first-year students have completed some time at their university, they may find that they did not make the right choice, miss being close to home, or simply want to attend a different institution. When this occurs, they may transfer to another university, usually after their first year.
Many universities will hold another student orientation similar to freshman orientation for these transfer students. Freshman orientation lasts a few days or a week, on the other hand, transfer student orientation will typically last between one and three days. Transfer orientation’s purpose is to acquaint transfer students with their new university. This usually includes campus tours, introducing transfer students to their adviser or perhaps a few of their teachers, and filling out paperwork for proper enrollment. At some colleges, transfer orientation is mandatory for all transfer students.
Unlike freshmen, transfer students are already familiar with the independence of college life. Therefore their orientation focuses mostly on becoming familiar with the layout and policies of their new institution, providing information about essential campus resources, and getting acquainted with other transfer students so they may make friends at their new university. Transfer students may engage in games, conversations with University faculty, and discussions with current students to make acquaintances and learn more about the university.

Denmark

At Roskilde University in Denmark, orientation week (In Danish rusvejledning) normally last from 1 week and a half up until two whole weeks. During the period 14 teams consisting of 12-16 tutors each takes care of an individual house in which the new students have been allocated. There's normally 1 house of Natural Sciences, 4 of Social Studies and Economics, 4 houses of Arts and Language and 2 of technology and design. Each type of house has an International line as well, where the courses are taught in English instead of danish. Usually these lines represent the international students of the university.

Each tutor group spends 14 weeks (and 3-5 days of preeducation in the spring semester) living on campus before the arrival of the new students (also called ruslings). These periods usually involve heavy amounts of drinking, partying and sexual activity among the tutors themselves. However most festive activities including alcohol only occurs until after 4 pm, due to the alcohol policies of the university. Because of this policy, most of the daily activity is spent on planning and preparing activities for the new students.

When the students arrive all tutor groups welcomes the ruslings with the infamous Marbjergmark show. Usually a display of wacky sketches such as naked people playing chess, smashing rotten eggs at bystanders or themselves or guys chasing midgets with a butcher's knife (to name a few examples).

During the two-week period the tutor group teach and introduce the new students to life at campus. Both the social and educational aspects. As it is with the tutors, festive activities takes place after 4 PM, and educational activities will be held during the day.

The two-week period ends in a four-day period in which the house will leave campus to varied destinations. During these days mostly social activities are held, including the more secret hazing rituals of the university.

The tutors uphold a strict set of rules to maintain a safe and pleasant tutorship to prevent harmful and humiliating hazing rituals. Examples are the presence of minimum two sober tutors at each party (In Danish Ædruvagter). Also it is strongly discouraged to engage in sexual relations to new students. Also it is generally not seen as appropriate to force people to drink alcohol through various games and activities. Furthermore the university dictates that each tutor must be taught basic first aid, as well as a couple of courses in conflict management and basic education psychology.

At DTU(Danish Faculty of Technology and Engineering), Copenhagen Business School and Copenhagen University similar periods are held. They however vary, and are significantly shorter than the overall orientation period spent on Roskilde University.