How StartStrong Will Prepare You for Your First Semester

At Meredith, we want to make sure you start your first semester strong. This is why we offer StartStrong, our pre-orientation program. You’ll have the chance to connect with your new community and set yourself up for a successful transition into college life.

All new first-year students must attend StartStrong, and for good reason! In this blog post, we’ll walk you through what you can expect from StartStrong and how your family members can join this important experience.

What Will I Do During StartStrong?

StartStrong is a way for you to lay the foundation for a successful transition from high school to college. It will provide you with the information and resources to confidently start your first semester at Meredith. You’ll also connect with staff members and other students.

During the day-long program, you will:

• Meet with your enrollment counselor to talk about your fall course schedule
• Discuss your top strengths and how to make the most of them
• Learn more about academic technology at Meredith
• Get your student ID
• Meet the student advisor who will guide you throughout your first year
• Get to know your new classmates!

What Can My Family Do During StartStrong?

StartStrong also offers sessions for your family because your going to college is a significant change for them, too. Don’t worry, though. Although some program sessions are for students and parents, others will be for only students. You’ll still be able to go off on your own and get to know your classmates!

So, what will parents do while their student gets a taste of college life? They will:

• Learn how to help their student successfully navigate the transition to college, especially in the first semester
• Get an overview of student accounting services, and schedule an individual financial aid package discussion
• Connect with many of Meredith’s student services, including tech services, study abroad, disability services, and more

What Should I Do to Prepare for StartStrong?

Step 1: Choose Your Session
Register for a session that works best for you. There are four sessions available:

• Thursday, June 13, 2024
• Tuesday, June 18, 2024
• Monday, June 24, 2024
• Wednesday, June 26, 2024

Register for StartStrong.

Step 2: Consider Attending Summer Symposium

The Summer Symposium is an optional program for incoming students. This two-day experience offers community-building activities and speaker-led sessions centered around topics of culture, identity, advocacy, and social justice to incoming historically underrepresented students who are committed to creating and maintaining culturally inclusive communities.

Learn more about whether Summer Symposium is right for you.

Step 3: Participate in StartStrong!

After registering for StartStrong, the admissions office will confirm your date of participation. From there, you can start hyping yourself up for an exciting day.

We look forward to seeing you soon!