Year in Review: Orientation at AUP

AS WE MOVE QUICKLY TOWARDS A NEW YEAR, WE ARE TAKING A MOMENT TO LOOK BACK AT SOME OF THE HIGHLIGHTS OF 2018 WITH OUR SERIES A YEAR IN REVIEW. the AUP Campus never feels more alive than During those few weeks in September when we welcome new and returning global explorers to aup. with the stress of finals looming and a holiday break around the corner we wonder where this semester has flown.

With September 2 quickly approaching, there was a flurry of last-minute activity on AUP’s campus. Staff and faculty were preparing to welcome one of the largest incoming classes in AUP history. Over 600 students arrived on campus from all over the globe, representing 61 nationalities and speaking 53 languages – an incredible reflection of our diverse AUP community.

Orientation is a week-long affair that includes activities designed to help both students and their families prepare for life in Paris and the upcoming academic year. Alongside information sessions on topics such as “Your AUP Degree” and “The Culture of AUP,” students have the chance to meet their peers at social events, and to have one-on-one meetings with their advisor to ensure they are prepared for the first week of classes.

It is always a joy to take students and families on tours through Paris, and to help them discover their new neighborhood and the city that we consider our extended backyard. All incoming freshmen are assigned a student advisor to accompany them throughout orientation and provide support during their first year at AUP. It is a tradition that often leads to long-lasting friendships and provides a unique peer contact point that helps with life as a student and being a resident in France. This year, our team of dedicated student advisors immersed their students in a vast variety of spectacles available in the capital: from learning the metro system and sunning on the Place des Vosges, to a tasting at the chocolate museum on Grands Boulevards, and an evening taking in the vibrant crowds around the Canal St Martin, our freshmen got a sneak preview of what they can expect of their time at AUP.

As our new students were busy launching themselves into a new year in Paris, over 250 family members joined us for AUP’s parent orientation. This orientation offers families the chance to get acquainted with our academic programs and to learn more about the resources available to our students. Families have the chance to meet with faculty, staff and leadership to ask any lingering questions they may have or just connect socially. After a campus tour, all parents were invited for a lively cocktail reception teeming with excitement for the beginning of a new semester.

This year, like most years, orientation was a truly special event during which the entire AUP community came together on campus to celebrate a new incoming class and ring in the academic year. We were excited to welcome one of the largest incoming classes in recent history and are proud that so many Global Explorers choose AUP as their stepping-stone to the world.