Welcome to Campus Activities!

Dear new Hoya families,

It is an honor to be among the first to welcome you to the Hilltop! While the campus is serene and peaceful now, my colleagues and I in the Center for Student Programs spend the summer preparing for the weeks in August and September when Copley Lawn is teaming with new and returning Hoyas excited about the promise of another school year.

New students often find that getting acclimated to campus means finding organizations to join and co-curricular opportunities to explore. These avenues lead to new friendships and allow students to shape the campus and make it their own. Here’s a quick preview of what’s to come for your new Hoya this fall as she or he begins co-curricular life on the campus:

Welcome Week begins just as New Student Orientation ends, which provides a seamless transition to a week of activities for all Hoyas to experience the best of Georgetown. The hallmarks of the week include a major speaker, Community Resource Expo, the Student Activities Fair, Community Service Day, a Late Night entertainment event and dozens of small receptions, socials, meetings and workshops where students can meet people who share common interests and experiences. (Also, free food is in abundance during Welcome Week!

The Student Activities Fair is the best time to learn about the clubs and organizations and consider how to get involved on campus. Each organization hosts a table on Copley Lawn and hopes to recruit new members to carry on that group’s traditions and start new ones. The day is full of music and dance performances (with information about group auditions), colorful table displays, and of course, free food.

Weekend social life includes a variety of events sponsored by What’s After Dark, the late night programming initiative that ensures that the Hilltop is as vibrant on Saturday night as it is on Monday afternoon. Concerts, dance parties, off-campus trips, comedy shows and free movies are just some of the events that bring the campus to life after hours. New Hoyas can never claim to be bored.

Washington, DC is an engaging place to attend college; we offer many different programs that help students explore the gifts and resources of the city. Students can kayak on the Potomac River, climb rocks at nearby parks or hike the local trails with Georgetown Outdoor Education. The Big Hunt is a city-wide scavenger hunt held in October where teams of new students compete for prizes by visiting sites around the city. Not only is this a great way to meet people and explore lesser-known areas, but new Hoyas become experts in the local public transportation systems. Finally, for the culturally inclined student, Georgetown Program Board hosts outings to local theater and music performances, with deeply discounted tickets. Past trips have included shows like Wicked and Rent for tickets as low as $20.

As you undoubtedly know, Georgetown students are leaders in every sense of the word. Our students are committed to building traditions, challenging assumptions, demonstrating and honing their many skills and advocating for positive change on campus and in the world. Many students choose to do this through co-curricular involvement in organizations that complement their classroom interests. Our robust political groups, debating societies, social justice organizations, cultural groups, club sports teams and performance troupes offer something for everyone, whether your Hoya has been practicing since she was 5 or decided last week that this is his or her favorite new passion.

A word of advice: all students encounter the moment when they find they are “overcommitted” and the convergence of classroom work, co-curricular responsibilities, and social commitments throws a wrench in their plans. Learning to prioritize and make careful choices about how to spend the most precious resource – time – is one of the best ways to build resilience and a sense of competency. When this happens to your Hoya, our advising strategy is to ask questions that help refine priorities and to recommend steps that can help your student achieve balance and build skills to manage multiple demands. It is also our goal to help students reflect openly and honestly on the deeper meaning of their commitments and how to best demonstrate these commitments in ways that are personally fulfilling. As we engage each Hoya as a whole person, we recognize the unique interests, aptitudes, and abilities that each contributes to the vibrant and active life on campus.

Congratulations on beginning this path with your student. We look forward to welcoming you in person in August.

Best wishes,

Erika Cohen Derr

Director, Center for Student Programs