Temple University Freshman Orientation: Your Comprehensive Guide to Launching Your College Journey

Embarking on your freshman year at Temple University is an exciting new chapter. Orientation is designed to ease your transition, introduce you to campus life, and set you up for success. This comprehensive guide will walk you through everything you need to know, from pre-orientation tasks to must-attend events.

Pre-Orientation Checklist: Setting the Stage for Success

Before stepping foot on campus, there are a few essential tasks to complete:

Officially Choose Temple: Head to TUportal and check "Next Steps" to ensure you’ve paid your deposit.
Secure Housing: If you plan to live on campus, pay the housing deposit and complete the housing application process through MyHousing on TUportal. Housing selection is on a first-come, first-served basis, so don't delay. Familiarize yourself with the process, including roommate selection, deposits, and dining plans.
Register for Orientation: After choosing Temple and securing housing, sign up for Orientation through TUportal.

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Complete Temple Preview: Before registering for Orientation, complete the online Temple Preview module. This outlines important tasks like submitting your OWLcard photo and completing placement assessments for your classes.
Sign up to Fly in 4: Register for Fly in 4, a free agreement to meet certain checkpoints throughout your time at Temple, like meeting with an academic advisor once a semester and registering for classes early. In exchange, Temple will ensure you complete your degree on time.

Orientation: A Deep Dive

Orientation is your official welcome to Temple. It's where you'll meet fellow new students, connect with current students (Owl team leaders), and register for classes.

What to Expect During Orientation

Information Sessions: Attend presentations covering essential topics like academic advising, student resources, campus safety, and university policies.
Academic Advising: Meet with an academic advisor to discuss your academic goals, explore course options, and plan your schedule. Research classes before you come. By coming into orientation with a list of core and breadth classes you are interested in taking, you’ll be ahead of students who do not. Overall, this could be the difference between you getting into a class or not.
Campus Tours: Familiarize yourself with the campus layout, including key academic buildings, libraries, dining halls, and student centers.
Social Activities: Participate in icebreakers and social events to connect with other new students and build friendships. Get ready for icebreakers! Games range from group to group, but in mine personally, we played a game with our names and food.
Resource Fair: Explore the various student organizations, campus departments, and resources available to you.
OWLcard Photo: Get your official Temple University ID card (OWLcard) photo taken. ID pictures are taken on the second day of orientation. Your ID is something you carry around every single day for four years, so this single photograph is pretty important. From what I’ve heard, it’s close to impossible to get a new picture done. It’s also important to keep in mind that the background for the picture is red… Plan accordingly!

Tips for a Successful Orientation

Arrive Early: Arrive on time for all scheduled events to make the most of your orientation experience. The earlier your orientation date, the better. As a freshman, you can’t select classes until you attend orientation and receive a special code to log in. Therefore, the earlier your orientation date, the earlier you’ll get to pick classes. This is especially beneficial for CST students since those classes seem to fill up fast.
Pack Walking Shoes: A large chunk of your day will be walking to and from different buildings around campus for presentations.Ditch your flats and fancy sandals for a comfy pair of Nikes that have good support.
Be Prepared to Share a Room: You’ll be sharing a room with a random person. Although this can initially be pretty awkward, don’t worry! It’s likely your roommate is just as nervous as you are to be sleeping in a room with someone they don’t know. Break the ice with them by asking about their major, where they are from, or what dorm they’ll be living in in the fall.
Ask Questions: Don't hesitate to ask questions! This is your chance to get answers from professors, deans, advisors, and current students.
Bring Snacks: Lunch is pretty early in the day, as is dinner. I would recommend bringing some granola bars or trail mix!
Dress Comfortably: Just like with shoes, the more comfortable your clothes are, the more comfortable you are going to be. Shorts and a nice shirt or a simple dress are great choices.
Use Your Free Time Wisely: Take part in the Owl Team’s activities! Another great thing to do is take a walk around the dorm. Some freshmen left their dorm doors open, allowing others to drop in and talk. There are also board games in the lobby if you want to get competitive. I definitely recommend either!

Weeks of Welcome: Campus Activities

Weeks of Welcome are several days’ worth of festivities that start the moment you set foot on campus and don’t stop until classes start.

Signature Weeks of Welcome Events

DBMD Welcome Picnic: The Welcome Picnic is one of the events held by Global Programs. As a student in the Dual Bachelor’s Master’s Degree (DBMD) program, this day is all about gathering with fellow new DBMD students. It's also an excellent opportunity to get to know the Global Programs staff.
City Bus Tour: Global Programs prepares a City Bus Tour for international students to explore Philadelphia. This was one of my most anticipated events, to be honest, because it offered the chance to see all the famous sights while traveling on a double-decker bus - a truly cool experience! While taking in the gorgeous city views of Philadelphia, there's a knowledgeable tour guide who shares the city's history and development.
Bell Tower Takeover: There were stands and a plethora of activities in front of the Student Center, along with some fantastic giveaways for students.
TempleFest: Temple University has more than 300 student organizations on campus, and Templefest is the perfect opportunity for new students to explore and get to know all these organizations. The entire campus came alive with vibrant stands, and there were students everywhere you turned. The atmosphere was brimming with energy, with music and performances happening all around. There were so many options for students to choose from.
CollegeFest: In addition to the welcoming events at Temple, the city of Philadelphia also organized a special welcome event for all college students in the city. CollegeFest featured giveaways, free public transportation, and free entrance to over 30 Philadelphia museums! My friends and I visited the Philadelphia Museum of Art, the Barnes Foundation, and the Franklin Institute.
IKEA Trip: Forgot a mirror? Power strip? Giant stuffed shark? Fear not, because we’re making an IKEA run! Grab all your dorm essentials in one place-with transportation provided.
Hypnotist: Follow the swinging watch to a hypnotist show! Meet new friends during this hypnotically entertaining evening.
Choose Your Own Adventure: Mini golf or casino games? It’s up to you during this night of nonstop fun at the Student Center! Bring your new friends or fly solo to meet your new flock.
Convocation: Weeks of Welcome reach their peak during Convocation, a ceremony celebrating YOU! It’s the kickoff to your academic career as a Temple student, and it’s also the ONLY time your entire cohort will be together until Commencement. New students will proceed to the event with their classmates following their school/college meeting. It’s a great way to meet your classmates, hear from Temple leadership and celebrate being an Owl! Plus, it ends with a pep rally-esque blowout to hype up everything cherry and white.
Comedy Nest: Get ready to giggle with comedian Chico Bean! Laughing together is the perfect way to kick back with your new friends and decompress from all the chaos of moving into your new home.
TU Palooza: Join your new peers for this legendary campus carnival, complete with games, prizes, snacks and lots of fun.
Fab Drag Bingo: Play some bingo for a chance to win fabulous prizes with even more fabulous drag queens. Enjoy this quintessential part of Philly culture with some of Philadelphia’s top drag acts and your new besties.
Tha’ Cookout: Meet representatives from IDEAL, Temple's Office of Institutional Diversity, Equity, Advocacy and Leadership, at their annual cookout. Learn about diversity and inclusion groups and activities here at Temple, grab some food, and snag some signature swag items while you’re at it!
Get Ready for Class: Stop by the student center to meet with an Owl team leader (remember the kind folks who helped you during Orientation?), walk through your schedule and ask any questions you may have.

Beyond Orientation: Thriving at Temple

Orientation and Weeks of Welcome are just the beginning. Here are some tips for making the most of your Temple experience:

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Get Involved: Explore the over 300 student organizations on campus and find your niche.
Attend Campus Events: Take advantage of the many cultural, social, and academic events happening on campus throughout the year.
Utilize Campus Resources: Familiarize yourself with the various support services available to students, including academic advising, tutoring, counseling, and career services.
Stay Connected: Follow Temple's social media accounts to stay up-to-date on campus news, events, and announcements.
Be Aware of TUalerts: If something happens on or near campus that could be a potential threat to your safety, we want to tell you about it ASAP.
Be a Night Owl: Now that you’re a college student you need to understand the importance of free food-it’s everything, it’s life. That's why we have Night Owl Events every Friday night at the Student Center. There’s also live performances, prizes and more.
Attend Football Games: You’ll get one free ticket to every home football game―as long as you get it before they’re gone.

Resources for Parents and Families

Temple University recognizes the important role that parents and families play in student success. A virtual Parent and Family Orientation experience provides resources to help you and your student navigate the transition to Temple.

Key Resources

Temple Preview: Review the same online pre-orientation experience your student is required to complete.
Spotlight Series: Posts highlighting important campus resources available to view in the Orientation Hub.
Ask the Experts Webinars: Questions are put to representatives from offices within Temple and resources are highlighted within those departments.
Family to Family Panel: Learn more about what it’s like to be a family member or supporter of a Temple student from members of our Temple Family Council.
Ask an Owl Panel: We try to centralize resources for parents, families, and support systems to help make your transition to Temple University as seamless as possible.
Temple Parent and Family Experience Portal: Can't find what you're looking for?
Temple Campus Resources: Visit to learn more about various campus resources and departments here to support you and your student or take a peek at our helpful list of common words and phrases used in the Temple Community.
Helpful Temple Words & Phrases

FERPA and Access to Your Student's Records

As required by the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) of 1974, Temple University cannot disclose a student's education records without the written consent of a student or without proof that the student is the tax dependent of the parent.

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