By Mark Kerr, Senior Communications Officer

More than 1,000 first-year students and their family members will flock to campus over the next few weeks for the third annual Summer Orientation to Academics and Resources (SOAR).

Students and family members visit the Queen's University International Centre information table during a previous edition of the Summer Orientation to Academics and Resources.

“We are excited to welcome incoming students and their families to Queen's. Feedback from previous years has shown us that SOAR helps first-year students with their transition to university life,” says Ann Tierney, Vice-Provost and Dean of Student Affairs.

SOAR, which kicks off July 4, continues to grow in popularity. As in previous years, participants will spend a day on campus, learning about academic expectations, learning strategies, course selection and registration, career exploration, residence life, health and wellness, and common student transition issues. There is a student services resource fair during lunch and optional campus tours. Academic advising is available for Arts and Science students and workshops for Commerce, Engineering and Nursing students have been arranged.

The Student Experience Office is working to improve SOAR based on feedback, adding an additional Saturday to respond to the demand for weekend sessions and giving this year’s participants more opportunities to interact with upper-year students.

“Past SOAR participants have indicated that they are eager to connect with current students and hear about their experiences and the ways they got involved at Queen’s,” says Tim Tang, Manager, Student Experience Office. “Incoming students also benefit from meeting professors, staff and students in their faculty and hearing what kind of electives they might be able to take to support their career and academic goals.”

Other new additions this year include a question and answer panel discussion with representatives from Health, Counselling and Disability Services, Student Academic Success Services, and upper-year students, as well as more targeted parent-specific information.

To register, visit the SOAR website.