Alpha Lambda Delta and Phi Eta Sigma are national honoraries for academic excellence during a student’s first year of college. First-year students who meet the membership requirements are invited to join in the spring of their freshman year or the fall of their sophomore year. Like all honoraries, ALDPES is built around the traditions of academics, leadership, and service. This organization provides unique leadership positions for first- and second-year students and serves as a stepping stone to other areas of involvement on campus.
Buckeye Adventures are wilderness exploration programs for incoming first-year students that provide participants an opportunity to make friends, have fun, and challenge themselves in an outdoor setting. Previous trips have included whitewater rafting and hiking in West Virginia, caving and canoeing in Kentucky, and kayaking and rock climbing in Maine. Trips for incoming freshmen and transfer students occur during July and August before students start their first year.
Each summer, the first-year class forms what may be the largest book club in the nation: the Buckeye Book Community. Students get their reading assignments at orientation, complete the reading at their leisure over the summer, and return to campus prepared to discuss and analyze what they have read—and often meet the authors. Past selections include Elizabeth Moon’s The Speed of Dark, Homer Hickam’s Rocket Boys, Eric Scholosser’s Fast Food Nation, Barbara Ehrenreich’s Nickel and Dimed, and Elie Weisel’s Night.
The First Year Experience office hosts a series of lunches throughout autumn quarter for first-year students who came to Ohio State from out of state or internationally. These lunches are designed to connect students with other first-year students as well as faculty and staff from their home state or country.
Buckeye Welcome, the official welcome for Ohio State for new transfer and campus change students, occurs during autumn and winter quarters when the university welcomes its largest numbers of new students. At this event, entering students meet university administrators and upper class students and connect with other new Buckeyes. University traditions are taught and shared, such as the singing of the Ohio State alma mater, “Carmen Ohio.” Buckeye Welcome is the first of many memorable moments for new students at Ohio State!
Camp Buckeye is an exciting three-day, off-campus retreat that gives incoming freshmen the chance to make friends, participate in team challenges, and get helpful hints about starting strong at Ohio State. Students bond with their small group while completing the Amazing Race and adventure challenges, grow close during late-night conversations around the campfire, and have fun at social events. Camp Buckeye occurs the week before autumn courses begin. Incoming freshmen may sign up for this trip in the spring and summer prior to their first year.
CABS is the Ohio State bus system that has routes throughout campus. It is free to all passengers.
Carmen is Ohio State’s online course management system. Professors can use Carmen to post a class syllabus, Powerpoints, and other course materials. In addition, professors can host online discussions, allow students to submit papers into a “dropbox” online, and give students access to view grades and course progress. Not all courses and professors use Carmen. Your professors will share their expectations regarding the use of Carmen at the beginning of the course. Visit the web site to learn more and to complete a tutorial.
The First-Year Connections Team is a group of second-year students enthusiastic about Ohio State and the continued success of first-year students. Connections Team members serve as an extension of the FYE staff and have a unique opportunity to develop professional public speaking and event organization skills.
Convocation is the official welcome to Ohio State for new freshmen on the Monday of Welcome Week. Students hear from the president and top administrators, experience their first academic procession, and learn some of the history and traditions of Ohio State, including the words to the Ohio State alma mater, “Carmen Ohio.” Convocation is one of many memorable moments for new students at Ohio State!
COTA is the Columbus bus system that has routes throughout the city of Columbus. Ohio State students pay $9 per quarter as a part of their tuition and fees that allows them to have unlimited rides on COTA by showing their BuckID card. COTA provides easy access to downtown, local shopping, and campus area activities.
This is the office on campus dedicated to helping new freshmen, transfer, and campus-change students make a smooth transition to Ohio State. There are many people on campus who work hard to make sure our students are successful. If you have any questions, get in touch with us at , and we can point you to the right resource on campus!
A complement to the required college survey course, Success Series seminars address typical challenges that students face. Each autumn, more than 300 thematic seminars are taught by campus experts, community leaders, and nationally known personalities on themes including academic engagement and exploration, alcohol and drug awareness, anxiety and mental health, current issues, diversity, financial and debt management, health and wellness, leadership, and sexual health.
Per policy at Ohio State, a Rank 1 student (who has earned less than 45 hours) who earns a D+, D, or E in a class may retake the class and have the original grade eliminated from his/her GPA. Each college has a different policy for Freshman Forgiveness, so please consult with your academic advisor for more information.
Each residence hall complex has a full-time, professional hall director who is assigned to work with students and staff in their respective buildings. Hall directors have earned their master’s degrees in higher education, college student personnel, or a similar program and are charged with creating an educational community in the residence halls. The assistant hall director is a graduate student who lives in the residence hall and assists the hall director with hall responsibilities.
The Leadership Collaborative is a year-long leadership development program designed to give 70 incoming Columbus campus freshmen the opportunity to become future university and community leaders. The LC begins with a four-day, three-night leadership development conference prior to the start of fall quarter, where LC students lay a foundation that they build on throughout the year. Interested students apply for the program in May of their senior year of high school.
When most of us think of doctors, we think of people who have earned a medical degree, such as a family physician or a surgeon. This degree is called an MD and stands for the Latin words Medicinae Doctor meaning “Teacher of Medicine.” At Ohio State, students will be working with doctors because their professors on campus are also doctors. College professors have earned their doctor of philosophy or PhD which is the highest academic degree offered in many fields.
Orientation Leaders are undergraduate students who play an integral role in introducing new students to Ohio State by serving as mentors and sharing their experiences as successful students. Throughout the summer, OLs assist incoming students and their families in a variety of capacities, all to make the newest members of our community excited and prepared to come to Ohio State.
As a part of Welcome Week each year, first-year students are treated to an evening with a Columbus-area orchestra at Picnic with the Buckeyes. Past picnics have featured Columbus favorites like the Columbus Jazz Orchestra and the Columbus Symphony Orchestra. This outdoor event is a great opportunity for the campus community to come together to celebrate the start of a new school year.
“Rank 1” is a term used at the university to identify any student who has earned between zero and 45 hours of credit at Ohio State. Rank 2 students have earned between 46 and 90 hours of credit, Rank 3 students have earned between 91 and 135 hours of credit, and Rank 4 students have earned 136+ hours of credit. “First-year” is a term used to identify a student who is experiencing the first year at Ohio State. Freshmen, transfer students, and campus-change students can all be “first-year” students. Often, first-year students can be rank 1, 2, or 3, if they earned AP, IB, or transfer credit.
An RA is an upper class student who lives on a residence hall floor, builds an educational community, and serves as a resource to students in the residence halls. As an incoming student, your RA is the first person who can answer many of your questions about how to get around campus, where to buy books, where to eat on campus, etc. .
Most entering first-year students will enroll in a one-credit-hour survey course their first quarter at the university. This course is designed to introduce students to Ohio State, their majors or colleges, our library system, how to schedule for classes, and how to conduct other university business. Many students attend success series events as a requirement for their survey course. Entering students will register for their survey class at orientation.
A TA is an undergraduate or graduate student who assists a professor in teaching a class. A TA receives compensation through a stipend or tuition reimbursement. Often a TA will lead the recitation or lab section of a course.
Buckeye Mail allows students to check their Ohio State e-mail accounts online from anywhere in the world. Students will need to log in with their Ohio State username and password. To manage your Ohio State e-mail account, including activating your Buckeye Mail account or changing delivery options, visit the .
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