Ladies and gentlemen of the class of 2006 - bring a blanket!
Sage advice to visiting first years, from the 28 current students who are hard at work this summer as Orientation Leaders. Besides being able to offer the unlikely warnings of impending frostbite from Hereford, even in the middle of the summer, the OLs work hard to make sure all incoming students get an appropriate welcome to the University and leave with all their fears assuaged.
Every summer thousands of incoming University students shuffle onto Grounds for their first informal stay at the University. They're worried about registering for classes, anxious over experiencing a night in a dorm room or nervous about meeting their fellow classmates.
It certainly is a strenuous time, but what about the OLs who must oversee this madness? Apparently they are fine, and having quite a summer to remember here in Charlottesville.
Third-year College student and orientation leader John Petersik has a clear motivation for becoming a leader. "I'm really proud of and impressed by the University and how it's made me feel at home," Petersik said. "I want to help other incoming students find their home here too."
Fourth-year Commerce student Jarrod Cady echoed that sentiment.
"I love U.Va. and the idea of getting paid to spend a summer welcoming people to Grounds was something I couldn't pass up," Cady said.
The OLs, such as fourth-year College student Gretchen Downey, are all quick to acknowledge the joys of getting paid for something they love.
"I cannot think of a better summer job. We always joke when our paychecks come, "'Wait, I'm getting paid for this?'" Downey said. However, the summer orientation program isn't exactly all fun and games for the OLs, who constantly must enter the wonderful world of sleep deprivation.
The first day starts with the uninvited blare of an alarm clock sometime before 7 a.m. so they can meet at the Student Activities Building and prepare to open the doors to incoming students at 8 a.m.
The day then continues with an almost non-stop and dizzying array of meetings, student panels, information sessions, course scheduling workshops, recreational activities and finally some late night relaxing and mingling with all the new students back at Hereford.
The typical day doesn't end until 1 or 2 a.m., and then the OLs must rise again at 7 a.m. to start the lighter - but still busy - second day of orientation.
Of course, the incoming students must go through the same rigorous schedule, but only once. The difficulty for the OLs is to repeat the same process eight times during the summer.
"It's challenging to remain energetic for all the sessions. We go through eight sessions that are exactly the same and we get the same old questions," Petersik said. "It gets kind of tiring but we really try to keep in mind that while this may be our fourth, fifth or eighthtime answering the questions, they are the first time the student is asking them."
Lauren Fritsch, a fourth-year College student, is a Senior Leader who oversees a group of six other OLs. She also finds it difficult to maintain her energy after countless hours of work. "It's a long two days, and sometimes we get really worn out from being 'on' all the time, but I also get energy from the students and their parents - their enthusiasm is so apparent," she said.
That refreshing enthusiasm is useful for Fritsch, who oftentimes stays up later than desired in order to offer her assistance. "Sometimes a first year really needs some help making a schedule, and it's important to serve as a resource for him or her, even if I am tired," she said.
On the surface, some of the rigors of the program make working as an OL appear to be a chore rather than a joy: the early hours, the repetition, the constant questions and problems as well as the nonstop and thoroughly hectic schedule.
But you won't hear any of the current OL's complain about that. Or maybe you will, but that doesn't detract from what they consider to be a fantastic experience. "We complain a lot because it's tiring and gets repetitive, but we're really having a lot of fun," fourth-year College student Dave Algoso said.
A lot of this enjoyment seems to stem from the rewarding nature of the job.
Petersik said he enjoys "really get[ing] to know the incoming students, and show[ing] them that college is going to be a good time."
"I mean, if you can have a great time your first night here when you don't know that many people - imagine what you can do once you've been here a while," Petersik said.
Downey said she believes "it's a great feeling when I can tell a student that they really don't have to take calculus in college, or when we introduce them to someone living in their suite, or when we can simply calm their fears about coming to school. I cannot think of a better summer job."
And of course, summer life for these OL's doesn't consist entirely of meetings and answering questions about the virtues of Old Dorms versus New Dorms. There is a life outside the programs of exciting activities such as rock climbing, swimming, dinners, movies, trips to theme parks and, oh yes, plenty of parties. And because the group quickly grows so close, they enjoy the summer together.
"My fellow orientation leaders are definitely my favorite part of the program. We really have a great time together and they lift me up when I get tired," Cady said. "It's a very dynamic group of people united by a common love for our school. I couldn't imagine not having them there by my side."
The everlasting friendships formed over the summer are something the OLs will always cherish. As second-year Nursing student Rhoda Hernandez observed, "these are the people that see you at 7 a.m. in the morning and still manage to make you smile no matter how grouchy you may be. There's so much love and energy in the group that I had no idea I was in for at the beginning, but these are people that I consider to be some of my closest friends and people I can rely on for anything whether it be advice, a laugh or just a hug."
All of these aspects of the program combine to make it "the best job in the world," Algoso said.
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