At colleges, a new freshman rush

Orientations are spiced up to build spirit, ease transition

Incoming students played Twister at Wentworth Institute of Technology. The orientation also included a carnival. (Aram Boghosian for the Boston Globe)

Amherst College's freshman orientation is an eight-day extravaganza, an array of activities from mountain hikes and whitewater rafting to cooking and ballroom dancing. Tufts University's six-day calendar of events runs 35 pages, a smorgasbord of coffee klatches, carnivals, and scavenger hunts. Northeastern University's "Welcome Week," which spans 11 days, features tours of Fenway Park, rock concerts, and shopping trips to Target and Bed Bath & Beyond.

College orientations were once staid relatively short affairs, a stern slate of placement tests, long registration lines, and even longer speeches. Aside from an ice cream social or cookouts on the quad, students were expected to move in, get registered, and start classes in relatively short order.

Now, first-year students arrive on campus to a new level of fanfare, greeted with a welter of events designed to build school spirit and ease the often bumpy transition to college life. While the traditional information and advising sessions remain, they are increasingly taking a back seat to a frenetic schedule of social outings, from harbor cruises to yoga classes and comedy shows.

"We schedule them morning, noon, and night," said Allen Hart, dean of new students at Amherst College.

Libby Collins, a freshman at Simmons College from Shirley, said the past few days of orientation, which began early Saturday morning, had been a blur. Collins said she was tired from all the activity, including karaoke and night kickball, but she had made a lot of friends and already felt at home.

"When you look at the schedule and see '12:30, 1, 1:30, 2,' everything can seem a bit overwhelming," she said. "But it's been instrumental in learning about the college and becoming part of the community."

The steady expansion of back-to-school events reflects a broader campaign among colleges to offer students top-flight amenities, including plush dorms and state-of-the-art athletic facilities. The effort seeks to give schools a competitive advantage and make students happier with their experience, with the potential of more generous donations after graduation.

Colleges and students alike have spurred the move to elaborate, event-driven orientations. Schools say they believe the intensely scripted approach, which sometimes gives students several simultaneous activities to choose from, makes a strong first impression, dazzling new arrivals and their parents with a whirlwind of meet-and-greets.

Many of these students have had busy schedules in their childhood and are accustomed to dashing from one event to the next. They arrive on campus anticipating a dramatic and memorable start to their college years.

"From soccer to swimming lessons to camps, most students have had very structured experiences," said Andrew Shepardson, dean of student affairs at Bentley College, whose "First Week" booklet is 36 pages long. "They expect that to continue."

Like many colleges, the Waltham school offers a range of personal interest workshops, including "Forget the Freshman 15: Staying Healthy and Safe in the College World" and "How To Avoid the Financial Aid Emergency Room."

Such sessions help settle students' nerves over college life, administrators say.

"This generation wants to know upfront what they can get from the experience," said Peter Fowler, assistant dean of students at Wentworth Institute of Technology, whose orientation this summer featured a magic show and a carnival.

Colleges also relish the chance to put their best foot forward and introduce students to everything they have to offer - from academic programs to social and extracurricular opportunities. The thinking, said Amherst's Hart, is "Let's get them before they become jaded by the upperclassmen."

Team-building activities such as camping and hiking have become routine at orientations as a way of fostering class unity. Administrators also hope the surplus of social activities will help students form friendships and settle in quickly.

"We want to make sure they are constantly feeling welcomed," said James Ryan, co-director of Tufts' freshman orientation.

While that may sound like pampering, research has consistently shown that students who feel connected and engaged to their college community fare better academically and socially, administrators say.

"Those first few weeks and months are absolutely pivotal for what they do over the four years," said Father Joseph Marchese, director of the first-year experience at Boston College. Marchese said orientation marks the college's first chance to introduce students to the school's culture and explain what is expected of them.

With many enrollment tasks dispensed of online over the summer, orientation organizers are downplaying nuts-and-bolts requirements. But college officials insist orientations are not just fun and games.

Nearly all include a range of discussions about such issues as public safety, plagiarism, relationships and sex, and stress and depression. Colleges also offer academic advising sessions and informal talks with professors to help students feel connected.

Tufts senior Shawna Russo, one of three orientation coordinators at the Medford campus, said the demanding schedule hurls students into college life headfirst.

"There are students who say 'Enough is enough,' " she said. "We realize we are pushing a lot on them, but we want them to have a full picture of what Tufts has to offer."

Peter Schworm can be reached at schworm@globe.com.