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.
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 University of South Florida email address to access the sessions. Click here for further instruction on creating your USF NetID and email account.
Spring 2025 Orientation Schedule*
Log into the opening session by 2:50 P.M. (EST) to enjoy Welcome videos!
***Please do not log onto the other sessions until five (5) minutes before the time of each session.***
| Time | Event/Links (coming soon) |
|---|---|
| 3:00 P.M. (EST) |
Opening Session |
| 3:30 P.M. (EST) | Library Resources for Graduate Students |
| 4:00 P.M. (EST) |
Understanding Student Health & Wellness Services |
| 4:30 P.M. (EST) | Financial Aid Session |
| 5:00 P.M. (EST) | Break |
| 5:10 P.M. (EST) |
Breakout Sessions (select one)
|
| 6:00 P.M. (EST) |
Closing & Final Q&A (Optional) |
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, click here.