SDSU’s New Student Orientation helps students step confidently into college life

SDSU’s orientation program sets students up for academic success and a strong sense of belonging.

Tuesday, July 22, 2025

From advising to belonging, orientation gives students and supporters a confident start to college life. (Andre Young/SDSU)

The first steps of college began early for thousands of incoming SDSU students, who arrived on campus with their families and supporters for a full-day orientation — not for classes just yet, but to find their footing, their resources and their path forward.

This year’s New Student Orientation (NSO) comes as SDSU experiences record-breaking enrollment. The university received more than 123,000 applications, including over 95,000 from first-year students, and anticipates enrolling its largest-ever first-year class this fall. For the first time, total enrollment across the San Diego and Imperial Valley campuses is projected to exceed 40,000 students.

Nearly 20,000 students and family supporters registered for this summer's NSO, a series of daylong events throughout July and August hosted by the Office of New Student and Parent Programs and the Division of Student Affairs and Campus Diversity. Each session groups first-year and transfer students by major, introduces them to campus life through tours and talks led by the SDSU Ambassadors, informs them about university resources, provides academic advising, and helps them finalize fall course schedules.

NSO is designed to set students on a path to success. During the early portion of the event, students hear from deans and other speakers who offer tips on preparation, staying engaged and where to find support, such as the college student success centers.

“New Student Orientation is where students begin to learn what it means to be a successful student at SDSU,” said Frankie Velazquez-Savage, assistant dean of students for Orientation, Transition and Family Programs. “We want every student to leave feeling confident and connected — ready to go to class, get involved, and ask for help when they need it. And embrace SDSU’s rich ecosystem of internships and community learning experiences, use tools like AI wisely, and take care of their overall well-being. These are the building blocks of a successful college journey, and it all starts at NSO.”

“We also remind students that regardless of their background, they belong at SDSU,” said Velazquez-Savage.

That energy wasn’t lost on students like Ryan Hernandez, a Gompers Preparatory Academy graduate and incoming criminal justice major, who left the event feeling inspired and ready to begin.

"The staff really want to help you...they want to see you achieve," said Hernandez. "I’m super excited to start this journey at SDSU. There’s no place I would rather be than here, for sure."

For Bay Area parents Elsa and Sergio Saenz, the event gave them added assurance that their daughter not only has academic resources but also access to top-tier research opportunities.

“We were in the orientation for the college or for the major, and then they mentioned they’re an R1 research institution. I was like ‘Wow, I didn’t know that,'" said Sergio. SDSU is among only 187 universities designated an R1 institution out of the just under 4,000 universities recognized by the Carnegie Classifications of Institutions of Higher Education.

“Our daughter’s goal is to go to graduate school and study speech pathology and she recognizes how competitive it is to get into graduate school,” said Elsa. "When we were in the orientation that started talking about the research opportunities, that was just a highlight.”

For Spanish-speaking parents and family supporters, SDSU offered a bilingual event drawing over 125 attendees, many of them first-generation college students.

Maria Pimentel of Imperial Beach said the bilingual experience instilled more confidence in her daughter’s success and helped her feel better informed about how to support her in becoming a stronger self-advocate.

“I feel proud. Proud and confident,” she said in Spanish. “I feel — I trust — that she’s in a good place. And more than anything, her attitude. She’s felt confident being here. And for me, personally, that’s what matters most, that she feels comfortable.”

“La verdad – y eso sí quiero decirlo – me ha encantado la atención de todos. Tanto de alumnos como del personal; han sido muy, muy atentos,” she said.

For families and students like hers, SDSU’s orientation offered more than information, it created a sense of belonging and a confident first step into college life.

NSO will continue through July 29 for all first-year students and families, for transfer students from July 31-Aug.12, and Aug. 14-15 for graduate students. SDSU's fall semester kicks off with Welcome Week starting Aug. 21, culminating with the Aug. 23 New Student and Family Convocation and Aztec Nights. Classes begin Aug. 25.

Portions of our interviews were conducted in Spanish and translated into English.

Slide show photos by Andre Young/SDSU