“WIE Orientation helped me learn more about Illinois, get a feel for Grainger Engineering, and make friends. I felt confident when classes started, and that I had a head start!” – Delanie, Chemical Engineering
The goals of WIE Freshman Orientation are:
- Establish friends for the first week of classes and beyond!
- Connect with awesome upperclassmen for each major for the best tips and advice for college.
- Help incoming freshmen develop essential college skills.
- Introduce students to their department resources and major.
- Teach freshmen about what it means to be a Grainger Engineer!
Get Connected
Before the new school year starts, get connected with upperclassman mentors and other incoming freshmen in your major! You can join our Facebook group and fill out the interest form so that we can connect you in a group chat within your major. For any questions about these opportunities, please email wie@illinois.edu.
Tentative Dates and Registration
- Late August: WIE Freshman Orientation.
- Registration will open for 2020 in late June. Please email wie@illinois.edu for any further questions.
Early Move-In Information
Depending on which residency you are moving into, WIE Freshman Orientation will either be free or a minimal cost thanks to the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign’s Grainger College of Engineering and corporate sponsorship from Texas Instruments, Abbott, Caterpillar, and Mr. and Mrs. Brian and Sophie Leung. Your meals and activities during orientation are free of charge.
In addition, you receive a cool t-shirt! WIE will be crediting each student $60.00 into her student account, to help offset the costs of early move-in. Early move-in for University Housing residents is $60/night. For private certified housing residents, the costs will vary. If you are charged an early move-in fee, your account will be credited the cost of your one day move-in cost up to $60. If in a private certified residence call, please contact them to verify the costs associated with early move-in and to let them know you are moving in early.
Schedule
2020 Tentative Activities
Wednesday, August 21st
- Wednesday afternoon activities will include an introduction to the Women in Engineering program and activities to get to know your major and opportunities at Illinois.
Thursday, August 22nd
- Thursday activities will include an introduction to possible classmates and useful resources of campus. This day will feature workshops on special topics to help you succeed at Illinois. There will also be time available following orientation to continue to socialize with mentors and friends while discussing campus resources and having all of your questions answered.
WIE Mentors and Student Coordinators
You can see the 2020 WIE Orientation mentors and student coordinators here! Read about the amazing activities they are involved in and how much WIE has helped them.
FAQ's
When is WIE Orientation?
WIE Freshman Orientation 2020 will be in late August.
Who organizes WIE Freshman Orientation?
WIE Freshman Orientation is planned by the Women in Engineering staff with support from our current undergraduate women students. The undergraduate students attended WIE Freshman Orientation as incoming freshman and benefited from it so much that they wanted to get involved to make sure that freshman students after them had a similar (or better!) experience.
Who can attend WIE Freshman Orientation?
Any incoming freshman woman into The Grainger College of Engineering, Chemical Engineering, CS+X majors, LAS Physics, or Agricultural and Biological Engineering.
How many students actually attend WIE Freshman Orientation?
Usually, around two-thirds of the women in the freshman engineering class attends WIE Freshman Orientation.
What do freshman do at WIE Freshman Orientation?
At WIE Freshman Orientation, students will have the opportunity to meet other incoming women engineering students through a variety of different activities that will help you learn about Illinois and prepare you to be a successful engineering student! See the schedule for the upcoming orientation above!
How do I register for WIE Freshman Orientation?
Registration will open in late June.
How much does WIE Freshman Orientation cost?
Depending on which residency you are moving into, WIE Freshman Orientation will either be free or a minimal cost thanks to The Grainger College of Engineering and generous corporate sponsors. Your meals and activities during orientation are free of charge. In addition, you receive a cool t-shirt! WIE will be crediting each student $60.00 into her student account, to help offset the costs of early move-in. Early move-in cost for University Housing residents is $60.00. For private certified housing residents, the cost will vary. If you are charged an early move-in fee, your account will be credited up to $60. To determine the specific early move-in fees associated with each residency, check the details here for more information.
When exactly can I move in?
For University Housing, check here. For those in Private Certified Housing, check directly with your housing provider.
Does my residence hall know that I’m moving in early?
University Housing is prepared for any student to move in early, so they will not be surprised if you arrive early. They will tell you that you will be charged for your move-in and you should know that WIE will be covering that cost names of students who register for Orientation during the registration period will be given to campus housing as well as the private certified housing. We recommend calling your dorm’s front desk the second week of August to confirm that you will be arriving early. This can help you ensure that your room will be ready, keys will be available, and housing staff can show you what you need to do!
I will live in a private, certified residence hall. Does my early move-in fee get waived?
The early move-in fees associated with Private Certified Housing varies by residency. WIE will credit your student account for the fees incurred up to a total of $60.00 for the one night to accommodate the early move-in fees. It is your responsibility to cover any cost differences.
I will be living at home, can I still attend Orientation?
Of course! All incoming freshman women into The Grainger College of Engineering, Chemical Engineering, CS+X majors, LAS Physics, or Agricultural and Biological Engineering are welcome to attend.
What if I’m in WIMSE (or another Living Learning Community) or am an International student? How do I choose which Orientation to go to?
While WIE Orientation conflicts with some other orientations such as Living-Learning Communities (LLC) and International Student and Scholar Services (ISSS), please know that you can attend WIE orientation in addition to your LLC or ISSS orientation. We would recommend you attend the other orientation programs through Wednesday evening and then join us for WIE Orientation starting Thursday morning. You will be able to note your participation in the other orientation in your registration for WIE Freshman Orientation.
I already registered to say I was attending WIE Freshman Orientation but I marked something wrong. What do I do?
Don’t worry. If you receive your email confirmation and realize that for some reason there has been a change in your registration, email wie@illinois.edu with your name and what the mistake is and the WIE office will happily fix the error.
How can I get in touch with other women engineering students (current students and new freshmen) before Orientation?
Once you have registered for Orientation, please like the Women in Engineering Facebook page and join the Women in Engineering-Grainger Class of 2024 Facebook group!
Sponsors
