Key changes for 2024 and schedule highlights
The Office of Graduate Education (OGE) is excited to share more information about the new, centralized graduate student orientation program in August 2024. We aim to provide incoming graduate students with a focused and comprehensive introduction to their academic journey at MIT.
Key changes
- Leadership transition from Graduate Student Council: The planning and execution of Orientation has shifted from the Graduate Student Council (GSC) to the OGE. This transition supports a streamlined approach and consistent messaging each year.
- Orientation Planning Committee: The Orientation Planning Committee is composed of representatives from various student-facing departments and from the GSC. Their collaborative efforts will enhance the overall experience for incoming students.
- Sub-committees in action: Several sub-committees are actively working to create engaging sessions. These sub-committees focus on critical aspects such as academic resources, campus life, and career development.
Highlights of the Orientation schedule
- Welcome Luncheon with President Kornbluth: This long-standing Orientation tradition will kick off the week with remarks from President Kornbluth to welcome our new graduate students.
- “Choose your own adventure”: Students will have the opportunity to participate in concurrent sessions hosted by DLCs in their own spaces. This will allow students to absorb more in a smaller group setting, and visit various offices and resources.
- Highlighted resources: Students will hear from the Chancellor, Vice Chancellor, GradSupport team, IDHR, current students, and the Graduate Student Union, who will welcome students to our community and share information critical to their success.
- Graduate Resource Fair: An interactive fair will showcase campus services, as well as graduate-specific and all-student organizations. Students can network, ask questions, discover a greater number of valuable resources, and collect fun swag.
GSC’s continued involvement
While the Graduate Student Council (GSC) no longer leads the orientation, they remain actively engaged. Two GSC Orientation liaisons contribute valuable feedback and are organizing social events to foster connections among students.
We look forward to welcoming our new graduate students to campus on August 25, 2024.
