Orient Me Please

Had such a wonderful, informative Orientation session @ Ole Miss yesterday and today!  Very, very organized and my head is overloaded with meal plans, text books, dorms, alcohol awareness, etc.  We got on campus Tuesday night and had incredible filet's and smashed potatoes at our favorite place on the square.  I had a dorm room to myself while T shared a room with a girl from St. Louis.  Only 1 girl showed up in the room next door so T and her roomie dragged the other girls mattress in their room so she didn't have to be alone. 

I have always felt pretty good about T's decision to go to Ole Miss and Orientation just confirmed she made the right choice.  It truly felt like one big family from the minute we got our dorm keys.  They had greeters out front of the Residential Dorms, music blaring, tote bags for the parents, backpacks for the students filled with a campus calendar, maps, pens, a coffee mug, a travel mug, orientation schedule, etc.  The Orientation leaders were extremely honest, upbeat and very helpful and had lots of advice for the incoming freshman from managing your money, to calling your parents regularly, to volunteering and being open minded. 

The students broke off into small groups while the parents attended information sessions.  We had a meet and greet w/ the dean of Journalism and had a great lunch in Johnson Commons.  T and I had about an hour to spare before our next session so we walked over to Bishop and she introduced herself to the newspaper's editor in chief and the TV Station manangeer.  They gave her a tour of the facilities and took her name and # so she can start broadcasting right away.  One of them even left her a message saying it was nice to meet her and please call if she had any questions.  One of the things that amazed me the most about Orientation was everyone we spoke with, whether it was the Dean of Students, the Dean of the Journalim school, everyone gave us either their home # or their cell phone #.  They truly care about each student and are really there to help not only with the transition from high school to collge, but throughout their time @ Ole Miss. 

The parents ended the day with a double-decker bus ride around campus and an ice cream social.  There were a lot of parents (and students) who had never been on campus (one girl was from Manhattan Beach, California; another girl was from Seattle, Washington; and a boy was from Connecticut.  Obviously, lots of kids from MS, a bunch from Memphis, a lot from St. Louis, a girl from Arizona and a couple from the Chicago area, but T and I were the only ones from AL.  The kids ended their night with a comedy troupe and a dance party at the Student Union. 

Today's sessions were a little more serious and touched on disciplinary actions, alchohol awareness, finances, etc.   Again, I feel very, very prepared and very confident about sending my child off to college in the Fall (well, move-in day is mid-August). 

After Send-Off we stayed for a short sorority meeting and T and I walked over to her dorm to check out her room.  Although she couldn't get into her exact room, they did have several rooms open and decorated for us to look at.  She's in a traditional dorm, it's a little older and a little smaller than some of the other newer dorms but she's still incredibly excited and she really lucked out.  Her dorm is very convenient to the Student Union, the Grove and her Journalism building.  Before we headed home we stopped in to visit the lax coach and then walked from the Athletic Office to the football stadium.  Can't wait for that first game! 

T had an absolute blast during Orientation.  In fact, she had so much fun she was named MVP at today's send-off!  That  kid makes the best of every situation and participated in everything, asked questions and was enthusiastic.  We always joke around that she could have fun at a funeral.