Off to a great start.

Please plan on attending Arrival Day activities. Parents, please plan to be on campus from 8 a.m. until 4 p.m. Students, you will be busy all day, so plan accordingly!

*Please note this is a tentative schedule and may change.

8–9 am, Orientation Check-In
Alvord Theatre, Ponzio Campus Center

8 am–12 pm, Residence Hall Move-In
Assigned Residence Halls
After you check in for Orientation, head to your assigned hall.  Residential Life will check you in.

8 am–12 pm, Taking Care of Business
Ponzio Campus Center
All student services offices are open to take care of personal and academic needs. You will receive a checklist at check-in to make sure you don’t miss anything.

11:30 am–1 pm, Lunch
Cafeteria, Ponzio Campus Center
Join your fellow new students and families for a picnic lunch.

1–2 pm, Welcome to Northland
Alvord Theatre, Ponzio Campus Center

2-2:30 pm, Meet & Greet Trip Leaders
Follow Your Leader
Meet the others in your trip and ask all those questions you have been waiting to ask.

2:30–3:30 pm, Students: Outdoor Orientation
Follow Your Leader
Get to know your trip-mates!

2:30–3:30 pm, Parents: Q & A Session
Alvord Theatre, Ponzio Campus Center

3:30–4 pm, Goodbyes!

4:30 pm, Dinner with Trip Leader
Ask your trip leader

Your first day on campus is a busy one. We can’t wait to have you moved in and on campus. Get the first-year and transfer student arrival dates and a full schedule of events.

Welcome Week schedule coming soon!

Northland’s Outdoor Orientation program is unique because of our dedication to student leadership, the variety of trip locations, and our commitment to sustainability. We offer a wide range of experiences appropriate for novices to experienced outdoor enthusiasts.

All OO experiences are student led. We have a fabulous group of competent leaders that undergo group facilitation, backcountry skills, and wilderness medicine training. Each year the trips are different, as student leaders are responsible for creating new experiences for each incoming class.

See 2020 Outdoor Orientation experiences »

Making a smooth transition to college life is an important step in achieving success at college and at Northland College. The First Year Experience course will get you started on the right path by connecting you to the richness and diversity of college life.

This semester-long course is taken during your first semester at Northland College. It is designed to help you build connections with peers and professionals on campus, learn college‐level academic expectations, develop a sense of personal and social responsibility, and cultivate a sense of place on campus and in the Chequamegon Bay area. All students will be automatically enrolled in this course when registering for your first semester of classes. Transfer students, transferring at least 24 credits, are not enrolled in the course unless requested.

Each course section has fourteen to eighteen students and an upper-class student mentor.  You will have opportunities to get to know your fellow classmates and participate in a variety of planned events and activities both on campus and in the local region.

The goals of the FYE course are:

• Assist students in making a smooth transition to college life
• Help students develop a sense of belonging at Northland College
• Equip students with the tools to be successful in their academic, social, and personal lives
• Prepare students to be successful in their classes by familiarizing them with the structure, culture, and resources
• Build our students’ competence and confidence in the use of self-reflection as a tool for growth in their personal, social, and academic lives
• Cultivate students’ abilities to think critically about academic content in order to be productive scholars in their academic pursuits
• Teach students to value diverse experiences and perspectives, and to voice their own ideas in diverse contexts