Mid-August will see the next generation of Spartans arrive on campus, bringing an all-new energy and enthusiasm to Greensboro. But even before they take their first class, UNCG is already preparing them for bright futures ahead at SOAR (Spartan Orientation Advising and Registration).
SOAR by the Numbers
The mission of SOAR is to make students and their families feel welcomed, informed, and supported as they join the UNCG community. SOAR registrants included first-year students excited to immerse themselves on campus, transfer students ready for a new college vibe, and online students who joined virtually to learn all they could about UNCG. Each session offered a schedule for students and a concurrent program for their family members.
Most sessions were in June, but there’ll be one more virtual SOAR session for transfer students and one more in-person SOAR session for first-year students in August, so the numbers below will continue to (ahem) soar.
1.5 – SOAR is a full day, plus another half-day, for first-year students, which allows them to spend a night in the residence halls on campus.
3 – The number of sessions that transfer students attended, including 2 virtual and 1 in-person program.
9 – The number of in-person programs that first-year students attended in June.
182 – The number of fully online degree-seeking students who completed online orientation.
727 – The number of transfer students who attended SOAR in June.
1,947 – The number of family members who attended SOAR in June.
2,184 – The number of first-year students who attended SOAR in June.
SOAR Favorites
So far, ten in-person SOAR programs have been conducted on campus this summer. As we’ve watched new students experience campus life for the first time, certain sessions stood out as the most popular.
L1GHT the G: An interactive session lit up the EUC Auditorium as students answered questions with glowsticks that represented how much they have in common with their fellow classmates.
Small Group Sessions: Informal meetings between a small group of attendees and their SOS (Spartan Orientation Staff) leaders allowed incoming students get to know each other, reflect on information learned in the larger sessions, and participate in Q&A with current students serving as SOS leaders. This is where incoming students can calm any of their anxieties and begin to form Spartan camaraderie.
Family Sessions: Family encouragement, understanding, and support is important when students are transitioning to college. Family members appreciated the sessions tailored to them with information about resources and ways they can support their students and contribute to their academic and personal growth. They also enjoyed connecting with other Spartan family members. In “Letter to Your Spartan,” they wrote a thoughtful letter that their student will receive around midterms, celebrating their accomplishments and wishing them well.
SOAR-ing Más Alto
This year, UNCG became the first institution in North Carolina, and one of the first nationwide, to offer real-time and live Spanish translation services to family members attending SOAR. In the past, many students would skip their student sessions to help translate for relatives attending the family sessions. As a minority-serving institution with the highest Hispanic and Latinx enrollment in the UNC System, this effort proves UNCG’s commitment to serving its diverse student body and their families.
This summer, 83 SOAR guests utilized these services, which accounts for 5% of all SOAR guests. Survey responses included praise for this service: “I was impressed by the fact SOAR was being inclusive with Hispanic families. I appreciate that! Thank you so much.”
Hispanic families found a greater sense of belonging at SOAR, anxious students found confidence, and everyone left with new support systems, friends and connections. UNCG couldn’t be happier to have these students and their families join our community of Spartans.
Story by Becky Deakins, University Communications.
Photography by Sean Norona, University Communications.
Videography by David Lee Row and Grant Gilliard, University Communications.
