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CommonVU Orientation is the required orientation program for first-year students. Through a week of activities and programs immediately prior to the start of classes, incoming first-year students are introduced to the living-learning communities of The Ingram Commons, members of the Vanderbilt faculty, academic and support resources, student life, and the Greater Nashville area.
FirstVU is the student-run organization that supports, celebrates, and empowers first-generation students at Vanderbilt. Peer advocates who are also first-generation students lead the group and serve on the FirstVU executive board.
iLEAD is a student organization composed of International Orientation Leaders (IOLs). IOLs provide support, guidance, and fun to incoming international undergraduate students during International Student Orientation.
International Student and Scholar Services (ISSS) fosters the education and development of non-immigrant students and scholars to enable them to achieve their academic and professional goals and objectives. ISSS provides advice, counseling, and advocacy regarding immigration, cross-cultural, and personal matters. ISSS supports an environment conducive to international education and intercultural awareness via educational, social, and cross cultural programs.
International Student Orientation is required for all first-year undergraduate students. International Student Orientation is designed to provide participants with an introduction to the U.S. Higher Education system. International transfer students and domestic students who have been living abroad are also invited to participate. Undergraduate international students will be able to move into their residence halls early at no charge during International Student Move-In Day.
The Martha Rivers Ingram Commons is a residential campus for all first-year students. One campus fosters a common experience that encourages class unity and class identity. Each first-year student is assigned to live in a house on The Ingram Commons, and each has a distinct identity developed by the faculty head of house.
The Road to Vanderbilt is your key information resource for the summer months leading up to the start of your first semester. It maps out the requirements that you must complete prior to arrival, important information about your transition into the university, and the many resources and opportunities Vanderbilt will afford you during your first year on campus.
The Sophomore Experience is a yearlong program for the Class of 2024, designed to provide second-year students with a re-orientation experience, multiple opportunities to connect with faculty, staff and peers, and information on campus and community resources.
The mission of Transfer Connect, the student organization comprised of 20+ Transfer Student Leaders (TSLs), is to offer support, guidance, and community to incoming transfer students throughout their transition to academic and student life at Vanderbilt. This mission is accomplished through the facilitation of Transfer Student Orientation, one-on-one between TSLs and new transfer students, and additional programming open to all transfers.
All new transfer students are required to attend Transfer Student Orientation. Through a week of activities and programs immediately prior to the start of classes, incoming transfer students are introduced to the Vanderbilt community, members of the faculty, academic and support resources, student life, and the Greater Nashville area. The complete schedule will be posted over the summer.
All first-year students will be assigned to one of 93 Vanderbilt Visions groups. These groups—each of which is made up of about 18 first-year students—meet frequently throughout CommonVU Orientation and weekly throughout the fall semester. Visions groups help you form strong connections and support networks with classmates across different houses, schools, perspectives, and geographical backgrounds and assist with your transition to becoming a successful college student. Visions also connects you with a faculty member and an upper-division student peer mentor, called faculty and student VUceptors.
VUcept is a peer mentor organization with over fifty years of experience mentoring new students through their transition to the Vanderbilt community. VUceptors facilitate the development of first-year students (VUceptees) by holding Vanderbilt Visions sessions within the living and learning community of The Ingram Commons and by connecting VUceptees to upper-division students and faculty.
Whether you are a new student or their family, Your New VU will be an information source for the summer months leading up to the start of your first semester. It maps out the requirements you must complete prior to arrival, important guidance about your transition into the university, and the many resources and opportunities Vanderbilt has to offer during your first year.