When I first came to Stevens, my family had me undergo the Pre-Orientation Program offered here at Stevens. It was great. I have a fun time spending an additional week-two weeks getting to know my way around NYC with a bunch of people who were equally new to Stevens.
I always supported this idea, because, for someone to get a little extra time in to form groups and get along with others- that is really valuable.
At least, I thought that way until I met my girlfriend. She didn’t have the free cash my family had and had no choice but to go into Freshman Orientation at the same time as everyone else.
Her experience was different. She found Stevens freshmen, her peers, already coagulating into the groups that were first started in Pre-Orientation. She loathed and hated how a little extra money could affect those formative months in your first years at this Institute.
When I looked at it that way, I was shocked. She was right. I never saw it because I was a part of the system. But she was completely correct – those groups had time to form before the rest of our peers came into the campus. How many students were alienated and friendless in those early months because of the intimidation of already formed groups. What levels of inadequacy and contempt must that have felt that someone with more money but otherwise equal standing, could get a leg up in the social aspect of this school.
How humiliating. How insulting.
Of course, I doubt this rant will affect these programs here at Stevens all too much – the Pre-Orientation programs are probably quite lucrative, and there are reasonable arguments that, for students who have difficulty socializing, the Pre-Orientation programs are a great solution.
But why make an unfair advantage to someone who doesn’t have so many social issues, but just wants to make a few friends early?
Here is my radical proposal: Make Freshman Orientation last a week longer, but ax the Pre-Orientation programs. Give everyone a fair share to make friends and learn about Hoboken and NYC (if they choose to).
It won’t cost that much more – you’re going to raise tuition and room and board anyways, right?
