International Student Pre-Orientation Program (ISPOP)

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We're excited for you to be on campus for the International Student Pre-Orientation Program (ISPOP)!

In August, we hosted virtual sessions with various campus partners to introduce campus information and resources. If you missed or want to review any sessions, they were recorded, captioned, transcribed, and are available asynchronously on our Canvas course site. A Canvas tutorial is available, and your International Student Mentors are open to your questions about navigating the platform.

This in-person ISPOP component is focused on opportunities for you to connect with and build community together. We hope you take advantage of this time to spend with your fellow international '25s! Eager to catch up with your International Student Mentor (ISM) and peers? Mentor Connections continue in person as an opportunity for you to engage with one another, talk about sessions, and ask your questions.

The 2021 International Student Mentoring and Pre-Orientation Programs Team is thrilled to have you join us and to connect with you throughout the week!

The full schedule is below and is also available as a downloadable ISPOP PDF.

8:30 am to 7:00 pm | ISPOP21 Check In and COVID-19 Arrival Testing
Hitchcock Tent, Tuck Drive

Check in with staff from the Office of Pluralism and Leadership (OPAL) to receive your ISPOP21 materials, DartCard (student identification card), and residence hall room key. Complete your Day Zero testing before moving on with the day!

8:00 am to 4:30 pm | Mail/Parcel Pick Up
Hinman Mail Center – Hopkins Center for the Arts

After checking in to ISPOP21 and receiving your DartCard, you'll be able to go to the Hinman Mail Center and pick up anything you mailed to campus.

9:00 am to 4:00 pm | Computer Store Pick Up
Computer Store – McNutt Hall, Basement

Did you order a computer through the Dartmouth Computer Store? Remember to stop by and pick it up! Staff from Information, Technology, and Consulting (ITC) will be available during ISPOP21 to help you get it all set up.

7:00 am to 6:00 pm | Breakfast, Lunch, and Dinner!
Class of 1953 Commons

Hungry after the traveling and moving into your room? Stop by for a meal at the Class of 1953 Commons – your DartCard is already loaded with your meal plan!

6:00 pm | ISPOP21 Opening Night
Collis Center, Common Ground

Welcome to Dartmouth – we're SO excited to meet you in person! To start off the 2021 International Student Pre-Orientation Program, join us for a welcome event to meet all your mentors and your fellow international '25s over arts and crafts, board games, and snacks. You'll even have a chance to make s'mores – graham cracker + marshmallow + chocolate – melted together into sweet, gooey goodness!

8:30 am | ISPOP21 Check In and COVID-19 Arrival Testing
Hitchcock Tent, Tuck Drive

If you arrived after testing closed on Tuesday, August 31, you will need to stop by the Hitchcock Tent to check in with staff from the Office of Pluralism and Leadership (OPAL) to receive your ISPOP21 materials, DartCard (student identification card), and residence hall room key. Complete your Day Zero testing before going to breakfast!

9:00 am | Breakfast
Class of 1953 Commons

Find the Mentors and your fellow International '25s if you're in search of breakfast buddies! If you need to retrieve any parcels from the Hinman Mail Center or your new computer from the Computer Store, this is also a time to do so.

MENTOR GROUPS: Hana, Jaime, Joanna, Kevin, Kristabel, Omala, Sanne, Vy

• 10:00 AM | Office of Visa & Immigration Services (OVIS) Check-In & Associated Session
  Moore Hall, Filene Auditorium (B13)

  Checking in with the Office of Visa & Immigration Services (OVIS) is a REQUIRED session. Any conflicts with this session must be immediately shared with OVIS by emailing Visa.And.Immigration.Services@Dartmouth.edu.
   

• 12:00 noon | Explore Hanover & Campus: Scavenger Hunt
  Meet on The Green

  You may have been on a formal or informal tour and perhaps explored Hanover, so you might already know your way around. Test your knowledge through this Scavenger Hunt, designed and led by your International Student Mentors, and win prizes.

MENTOR GROUPS: Ananya, Fulya, Grace, Lekina, Lorraine, May, Paulina

• 10:00 AM | Explore Hanover & Campus: Scavenger Hunt
  Meet on The Green

  You may have been on a formal or informal tour and perhaps explored Hanover, so you might already know your way around. Test your knowledge through this Scavenger Hunt, designed and led by your International Student Mentors, and win prizes!
   

• 12:00 noon | Office of Visa & Immigration Services (OVIS) Check-In & Associated Sessions
  Moore Hall, Filene Auditorium (B13)

  Checking in with the Office of Visa & Immigration Services (OVIS) is a REQUIRED session. Any conflicts with this session must be immediately shared with OVIS by emailing Visa.And.Immigration.Services@Dartmouth.edu.

2:00 pm | Lunch
Class of 1953 Commons

Explore the lunch options at '53 Commons, meet some international students outside of your mentor group, and chat with another member of the International Student Mentor team! If you need to retrieve any parcels from the Hinman Mail Center or your new computer from the Computer Store, this is also a time to do so.

3:00 pm | Mentor Connections No. 3
Mentor Choice!

We're thrilled you're on campus! This is an opportunity to meet your International Student Mentor and others in your Mentor Group in person. Check in with your Mentor for a specific meeting location.

4:30 pm | Being Safe & Secure on Campus
Collis Center, Common Ground

What if you're locked out of your room? Seen those blue lights on campus and wondered what they're for? How can you prevent a bicycle from riding away on its own? What is a "Good Sam"? Keiselim Montás, Director of the Department of Safety and Security (DoSS), will answer these questions and more.

5:30 pm | Welcome Cookout
Moore Lawn Tent

And here, we've got Texas-style barbecued goods – including meat, vegetarian, and vegan options! Enjoy an outdoor community dinner with other International '25s.

7:00 pm | Game Night
Collis Center

More opportunities to socialize with other students, including board games, video games, trivia, and more! Also, a chance to sign up for tomorrow's Campus Drop-Ins – check with your Mentor for additional details.

If you need to retrieve any parcels from the Hinman Mail Center or your new computer from the Computer Store, this is also a time to do so before they close at 4:00 pm.

BREAK | Prepare for the Banquet & Talent Show

A break to relax, settle into your room, do some last-minute rehearsing for the Talent Show, perhaps put on your favorite outfit (casual, stylish, or dressy - you decide!). Come as you are, performer or spectator and regardless of outfit!

5:30 pm | International Student Banquet & Talent Show
Hopkins Center for the Arts, Alumni Hall

The final dinner of the program is with your fellow '25s and some of the most wonderful friends of International Student Pre-Orientation Program, paired with arguably the most beloved memory of all Dartmouth international students: The ISPOP Talent Show. Play the piano? Able to wiggle your ears? Have a bad joke to tell? All are welcomed and encouraged to participate in this showcase of your international student peers! Sign up in advance to perform: http://dartgo.org/25talent           

8:00 pm | Outdoor Movie: Onward
Kemeny Lawn

Enjoy a free screening of Disney and Pixar's Onward (2020) with your peers and the Mentors – we'll have popcorn and picnic blankets for this outdoor movie!

8:30 am | Day 3 Testing
Hitchcock Tent, Tuck Drive

Stop by the Hitchcock Tent for your Day Three test if you completed a Day Zero arrival test on Tuesday, August 31.

9:00 am | Breakfast
Class of 1953 Commons

Find the Mentors and your fellow International '25s if you're in search of breakfast buddies!

10:00 am | Money: The Big Green
Black Family Visual Arts Center, Loew Auditorium

A must-attend session for those interested in or with questions about finances, student bills, taxes, and employment authorization as a Dartmouth student. Tyler Bergmeier (he/him), Senior Assistant Director of the Office of Financial Aid; Keri Ketcham (she/her), Associate Director of OVIS; Kari Jo Grant (she/her), Senior Program Manager of Human Resources & Student Employment; Sherice McCarthy-Hill (she/her), Director of Payroll; and Kathy Page (she/her), Director of Campus Billing and DartCard Services, will review what you need to know about money matters.

11:40 am | Dining on Campus
Black Family Visual Arts Center, Loew Auditorium

How does the Dining Plan work? What options are there for different dietary needs? Jon Plodzik (he/him), Director of Dining with Dartmouth Dining Services (DDS), will tell you all about the DDS offerings and answer your questions.

12:00 noon | Mentor Connections No. 5
Mentor Choice!

All good things must come to an end, and unfortunately, ISPOP21 is one of them. Before you go off to enjoy New Student Orientation, one more meeting with your mentor group to answer any lingering questions and set a date for the next meet-up to keep in touch.

Core Staff
international.student.advising@dartmouth.edu

Amanda Wong (she/her)
Program Coordinator for Community and Leadership Development
amanda.wong@dartmouth.edu

Alex Bramsen '22 (she/her)
International Student Mentor Co-Coordinator
alexandra.l.bramsen.22@dartmouth.edu

Lucy Ruji Shao '23 (she/her)
International Student Mentor Co-Coordinator
ruji.shao.23@dartmouth.edu

International Student Mentors

• Ananya Vaidya '23 (she/her)
• Fulya Dal '22 (she/her)
• Grace Qu '22 (she/her)
• Hana Ba-Sabaa '22 (she/her)
• Jaime Chuidian '23 (he/him)
• Joanna Olagundoye '24 (she/her)
• Kevin Ding '23 (he/him)
• Kristabel Konta '24 (she/her)
• Mark Lekina Rorat '24 (he/him)
• Lorraine Liu '22 (she/her)
• May Khine '23 (she/her)
• Omala Snyder '24 (she/her)
• Paulina Marinkovic Camacho '23 (she/her)
• Sanne Schouten '23 (she/her)
• Vy Nguyen '24 (she/her)

Our Canvas course site hosts the recorded sessions from Fall 2021 term along with other informative resources. A Canvas tutorial is available and your International Student Mentors are open to your questions about navigating the program and the platform.

We welcome you to reach out to us at International.Student.Advising@dartmouth.edu with your questions at any time.

The following are links to important information for international students preparing to attend Dartmouth. You will receive more detailed information after you arrive.  

Visa and Immigration Services

• Office of Visa and Immigration Services (OVIS)

Travel Resources

• Dartmouth Coach (Private bus service direct to Hanover, NH)
• Greyhound Bus Line (National bus service with terminal in White River Junction, VT)
• Amtrak (Train service with station in White River Junction, VT)
• Advance Transit (Local community bus service)

After Your Arrival

• New Student Orientation
• Incoming Students Frequently Asked Questions
• Undergraduate Housing
• Student Organizations (on Engage)