The Elon Bound Virtual Pre-Orientation program is scheduled to go live on Wednesday, May 18, and will walk students through necessary topics such as the core curriculum, registering for classes and what to expect from their Elon experience and how to make sure it is as meaningful as possible.
Elon University is launching the new Elon Bound Virtual Pre-Orientation program, a new digital platform that promises to help increase engagement with new students. Designed to prepare them for the university and boost their excitement about arriving at Elon, the new program was developed by the Office of New Students Programs and Undergraduate Admissions in partnership with the First-Year Experience Committee, University Communications and Information Technology after months of benchmarking and research.
“The program is a game-changer for the new Elon student experience,” said Emily Krechel, director of new student programs. “It allows us to engage students across the world in pre-orientation content that will enable them to successfully and smoothly transition into our community in August.”
With changes to new student advising and registration, Elon Bound Virtual Pre-Orientation has also created a pathway to prepare students for the next big steps of advising and then registering themselves for their fall classes.
“This program enables us to proactively work with students and help them build a firm foundation to then build upon after joining our community. We’re eager to see its impact on their experience,” Krechel added.
The Elon Bound Virtual Pre-Orientation program, which is scheduled to go live on Wednesday, May 18, will walk students through necessary topics such as the core curriculum and registering for classes. The program includes important information for students about what to expect from their Elon experience and how to make sure it is as meaningful as possible.
Through the seven modules — Starting Your Journey, Living Our Values, Thriving at Elon, Finding Your Community, Exploring Resources for Success, Mapping Your Academics and Becoming a Phoenix — students are given valuable information to hit the ground running for their undergraduate experience.
The deadline to complete the pre-orientation is July 1, and it is required for all incoming first-year and transfer students in order to register for their classes. However, students can revisit the site throughout the summer and early into their fall semester to refer to the various topics covered.
The goal of the site is to reduce the number of students whose motivation to attend college dips following high school graduation, with the program providing Elon a way to connect with students earlier and more personally. Another goal of the site is to increase Elon’s already above-average freshmen-to-sophomore retention rate.
“We want to lay the groundwork early to get them excited and informed about what it means to be a part of our community. You do that in the summer with the hope that when they get here in August, they already know the basics to get them started … and they transition a lot more smoothly,” Krechel said.
The orientation takes approximately two hours to complete and features overviews of various aspects of campus life from current Elon students. The original print version of the Elon Bound guide will continue to be mailed to incoming students, however, the previous Elon Bound website has been merged into the New Student Programs website.
“This is only the beginning and will lay a firm foundation for a wonderful in-person orientation experience before the academic semester begins,” says President Connie Ledoux Book during the opening of the virtual pre-orientation to incoming Elon students.