Highlights from Graduate Student Orientation:
The first day (August 15) of the orientation was designed specifically for international students. The director of OIE (Office of International Education) kicked off the day by throwing a soft plush ball around the audience in the McConomy Auditorium, asking whoever got the ball to stand up and say where he or she came from, and then the rest of the audience who came from the same place would also stand up. Although the director had pointed out that "India, PR China, Korea and Canada are top senders of grad students to CMU", it was still a stunning scene to see when the students from India were called up -- almost half of the audience stood up.
The Ice Cream Social in the evening of the first day was where the international students met their local counterparts. Considering the long queue in which students were waiting to get a cup of ice cream, it was not hard to understand this was one of the most popular events during the four-day orientation. The only problem was, however, the shortage of ice cream.
President and Provost's addresses were arranged in the morning of the third day. President Cohon talked about the history of the university and what made it so unique. I could not help noticing that he used organizational words in his speech to guide the audience.
I must confess that free breakfast and lunch were the true incentives for me to attended the orientation, since I had done the mandatory immigration check-in session in the beginning of ACC program. Among the free meals, the Etiquette Lunch on the third day was clearly the most welcomed one. Mr. Josephe Rudman, a staff at Physics Department, guided us through a delicious four-course meal with the necessary etiquette such as: Always carry two handkerchiefs -- one for yourself and the other for someone else; Wipe your mouth with your handkerchief instead of the napkin that you put on your lap.
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