Every year, the Office of New Student Orientation & Academic Initiatives (NSOAI) hosts New Student Orientation (NSO). Our staff is committed to creating a smooth transition to Penn and providing the most exciting and academically enriching time for new Quakers.
NSO 2024 included academic programs as well as cultural and social events that explore Penn, Philadelphia, and much more! In addition, Penn Spirit Day was added to the calendar this year to celebrate Penn’s traditions and build the sense of belonging for new students.
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NSO 2024 Recap
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Demographics
Members of the Class of 2028
International Students
First Generation and/or Limited Income (FGLI) Students
Transfer Students
Exchange/IGSP Students
* These demographics do not include graduate and/or professional students. However, NSO offers programs to the graduate and professional students in collaboration with the Graduate Student Center. Like most statistics, these numbers don’t paint a full picture. Our new Quakers have a broad spectrum of identities that we honor and celebrate!
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The NSOai Team
NSO Staff Team
Every year, the one-of-a-kind NSO experience for new Quakers is made possible through the joint efforts of many individuals, including the valuable partnership and support of over 100 campus and academic partners at Penn.
The NSOAI team is composed of 4 professional staff members, and an intern team of 9 undergraduate Penn students. Together, they oversee NSO from planning to execution to assessment.
Professional Staff
The Office of New Student Orientation & Academic Initiatives (NSOAI) provides enrichment programs for undergraduate students from the beginning and throughout their Penn experience.
The NSOAI team consists of four professional staff:
David Fox, Director
Troy Majnerick, Associate Director
Andrea Naughton, Assistant Director
Alex Yu, Assistant Director for Communications & Events
NSOAI Interns
Every year, NSOAl brings in 8 – 10 interns to help make NSO an amazing experience for new Quakers. They are a crucial part of NSO.
This year’s intern team consisted of 9 talented undergraduate students:
Events Track:
Faruq Adger C’ 25
Nia Matthews W’ 27
Noah Milad C’ 26
Communications Track:
T Fong C’ 27
Thu Le C’ 26
Sneha Sebastian C’ 25
PHINS Track:
Veronica Marlotte C’ 25
Ariana Hidalgo C’ 26
Yuliya Solyanyk, C’27
NSO PHINS Team
NSOAI also has an instrumental orientation leader program — Peers Helping Integrate New Students (PHINS). The mission of PHINS has been to build a strong foundation for first-year students equipped with essential resources and information for a successful start. Initially established in 2004, this year we celebrated 20 years of PHINS!
PHINS Coordinators
PHINS Coordinators are leaders of PHINS team. According to our survey this year, 90% of the PHINS Coordinators said that they are extremely likely to recommend a friend to be on the PHINS team!
PHINS Coordinators
of PHINS Coordinators are international students
of PHINS Coordinators are transfer students
Undergraduate Schools Represented
The NSO at Penn was great! You could see how big the university’s and involved volunteers’ efforts were and I appreciate that a lot!
– Member of the Class of 2028
PHINS
This year, we selected 153 PHINS Orientation Leaders representing all 4 undergraduate schools. The PHINS were trained to aid new Quakers with their academic, cultural, emotional, and social adjustment to life at Penn. PHINS led 120 groups of students during orientation this year.
PHINS Orientation Leaders
returning staff members
PHINS Shifts
of PHINS identify as FGLI students
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NSO Events
NSO 2024 ran from Wednesday, August 21 to Monday, August 26, with move-in from Saturday, August 19 to Wednesday, August 21.
We hosted specific population programming for International, First-Generation and/or Limited-Income (FGLI), and Exchange/IGSP students from Monday, August 19 through Wednesday, August 21, and Transfer students from Monday, August 19 to Saturday, August 31. We also work with the ClassBoard to host Second-Year Student Orientation to welcome students back to campus from Sunday, August 25 to Saturday, August 31.
Take a look at some NSO facts & figures!
Mandatory Events
Total NSO Events
Specific-Population Events
Penn Violence Prevention Consent Circles
of Students Rated Their NSO Experience as “Above Average” or Excellent”
Events for Penn Parents and/or Family Members
Signature Events
Penn Spirit Day
NSO’s Penn Spirit Day brought together all new Penn undergraduate students on Thursday, August 22. The full day programming incorporated the voices of multiple Penn campus partners and providing a fun and memorable experience for the students prior to their classes beginning.
Penn Spirit Day consisted of 5 highlight events throughout the day: Welcome to Penn, Class Photo, Building Penn Community, Highball to Hey Day, and An Evening at the National Constitution Center.
Individual Campus Partners Participated
Highlight Events
Attendees
Total Hours of Full-day Programming
My favorite part of NSO was the extremely welcoming faculty and traditions Penn holds.
– Member of the Class of 2028
New Student Resources Fair & Campus Express Center
The “one-stop shop” for essential resources and services for both undergraduate, graduate, and professional students, which took place on Tuesday, August 20, and Wednesday 21.
Here are some facts & figures about the event:
Campus Partners Participated
Hours of Services
Attendees
of Students Rated the Event as “Above Average” or “Excellent”
Most of the NSO events were super engaging and fun… [they were] interactive while still being informational.
– Member of the Class of 2028
An Evening at the Philadelphia Museum of Art
This is the NSO gala event that everyone talks about! Rated as the #1 favorite event during NSO, New Quakers enjoyed a fun and inspiring evening on August 24 at this full-facility rental of the Philadelphia Museum of Art, a world-class art museum.
Beverages, snacks, dinner, and dessert were offered to students as they toured the various galleries and exhibitions the PMA had to offer.
Attendees
of Students Rated the Event as “Above Average” or “Excellent”
My favorite part of NSO was the Philadelphia Art Museum activity. Being able to walk freely and admire the beautiful pieces of art was truly a dream come true.
– Member of the Class of 2028
NSO Preceptorials
NSO Preceptorials are not-for-credit educational sessions showcasing the cultural, social, and intellectual richness of our shared community. This year’s NSO Preceptorials were held on Saturday, August 24.
Offerings
Registrations
Preceptorial Hosts from Offices, Departments, and Student Groups
of Preceptorials Were Led by Student Groups
My favorite part of NSO was having the [opportunity] to meet students from all over the place. Whether they were from different colleges, majors, cohorts, or even houses. NSO gave its students the change to interact with one another and find who they truly bonded with.
– Member of the Class of 2028
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