Orientation

New Graduate Student Orientation

Sponsored by the Office of Graduate Studies for all new students, Orientation brings together faculty, staff, and current students who will share information and advice to ease your transition and enrich your graduate experience at USF. Please make every effort to attend. A flexible schedule is designed to share important information across several topics.  

Welcome to USF

Registration Information:

All newly admitted graduate students receive an email from the Office of Graduate Studies with information about registering for Graduate Student Orientation. A detailed schedule and link(s) will be subsequently emailed to you upon successful registration.

Please note that these virtual orientation sessions will be produced through Microsoft Teams, so you will be required to utilize your ßÙßÇÂþ»­ email address to access the sessions. for further instruction on creating your USF NetID and email account.

FALL 2024 ORIENTATION SCHEDULE*

DAY ONE: Thursday, August 15, 2024
Time Event/Links
3:00 P.M. (EST)

Opening Session

3:50 P.M. (EST)

Break

4:00 P.M. (EST)

Library Resources Overview (All Students)

4:30 P.M. (EST)

Library Breakout Sessions with Librarians

(Please select section for your college major**)

  • College of The Arts
  • College of Education
  • College of Business
  • College of Engineering 
  • College of Marine Science
  • College of Behavior & Community Sciences
  • Department of Psychology
  • Department of Economics
  • USF Health
  • School of Advertising & Mass Communications
  • School of Humanities
  • School of Social Sciences
  • School of Natural Sciences
  • School of Geosciences
DAY TWO: Friday, August 16, 2024
Time Event
3:00 P.M. (EST)

Financial Aid Session

4:00 P.M. (EST)

Understanding Student Health & Wellness Services

4:45 P.M. (EST)

Break

5:00 P.M. (EST)

Breakout Sessions (Select one)

  • Academic Sink or Swim: Strategies to Develop Properly as a Scholarly Writer

  • Thriving as an International Student 

  • Building Resilience for Graduate School

Click to Read Session Descriptions

6:00 P.M. (EST)

Graduate Student Panel Discussion

Session recordings will be uploaded to the Orientation Videos webpage during the first two weeks of the semester.

*Sessions are subject to change.

Breakout Session Descriptions

Academic Sink or Swim: Strategies to Develop Properly as a Scholarly Writer
Unfortunately, many master’s and doctoral-level students start graduate school unprepared to meet faculty writing and research expectations.  The lack of writing proficiency and understanding of how vital writing is to graduate program success among entering graduate students frustrates faculty and students across all disciplines, often becoming a lethal combination for failure in programs.  This session, facilitated by writing coach and editor Dr. Vernetta Williams, features a panel of graduate students from STEM, Health and Social Science, and Humanities who share top strategies for ensuring that new graduate students enter their programs with critical knowledge that will provide academic vigor and confidence as they plunge into graduate studies.  

Thriving as an International Student
This session aims to provide our international graduate students with tips and techniques on how they can be successful at USF, adjust to the academic demands, and manage the cultural adjustment process.
 
Building Resilience for Graduate School 
"In an ever-changing world, we are faced with challenges that may test our resolve and ability to stay resilient in the face of these challenges and changes. As a graduate student, you will be balancing a wide variety of responsibilities and expectations, which can come with its own unique set of situations to navigate successfully. In this session, you will learn about the link between wellness and academic success. You will become familiar with strategies and tools to support your well-being and promote self-care. You will also be provided with services and resources available at USF to assist you in your academic and personal success."


ORIENTED: AN OVERVIEW OF THE GRADUATE STUDENT JOURNEY

The Office of Graduate Studies is pleased to provide students with ORIENTED, a tool to orient students to various aspects of the Graduate Student experience.

Campus Tours

Interested in seeing more of campus? The Office of Admissions offers in-person, self-guided, and virtual tours of all three campuses! Click here for details.

For immediate 360 virtual tours,