Every summer, UCI’s incoming first-year students receive an early taste of life on campus through the Student Parent Orientation Program (SPOP).
Over the program’s two days, students explore the campus, sign up for classes, partake in workshops and spend a night in the dorms. SPOP is a chance for first-years to socialize with their peers as they collectively acclimatize to the start of their academic future.
SPOP consists of 10 individual programs supplemented by the Spanish-language Programa de Orientación para Padres (POP) and International SPOP (ISPOP) between July 9 and Sept. 18.
During SPOP 10, several participants spoke to New University about their initial experiences with the program and campus on Aug. 22. The common denominator in their responses included praise for both the social aspect of the program and the campus experience.
“I think it’s a fun way to connect with people. Like, before coming in, I was, like, anxious.
Like, how is it going to be? It’s my first time, like, going to college and, like, far from home,” incoming first-year computer engineering student Parth Kansal told New University.
The efforts of SPOP staffers received high regard.
“They’re very, like, enthusiastic and, like, helpful and, like, you know, they make sure that we’re having, like, a good time,” Chance Hoang, an incoming first-year undeclared student leaning towards the biological sciences, told New University.
Many of those planning to live on campus appreciated the practice run of spending a night in the dorms.
“I got an experience of how [staying in the dorms] is, right? You know, like, the bathroom situation, the charging situation, how the dorm actually looks like, you know, where we can put our belongings and all that stuff,” incoming first-year public health student Sid Parvath told New University.
For many students, SPOP was their first experience at UCI, and each interviewee felt the orientation left a good first impression.
Incoming first-year applied and computational mathematics student Andreas Garcia said that he knew nothing about the location, only that the “weather was nice.” Hoang reiterated that the campus is “very welcoming,” and “people here are really diverse.”
Some common concerns amongst SPOP attendees included finding good roommates.
“Like, if you find the right people, they can, like, make your year or the rest of your college life because those are the people you’re going to be [with] in times of trouble and happiness,” Kansal said.
For those moving across the country, dorm life offers a new set of opportunities and challenges.
“Experiencing some more independence will be kind of nice,” incoming first-year computer science student Michael Shi told New University.
Some got an early taste of the harsh realities of dorm life: Garcia accidentally locked himself out of his room and ended up sleeping on the couch.
Orientation is usually held in the Student Center, but because of ongoing construction, this summer’s events took place in several buildings across campus. This resulted in students experiencing a greater part of the campus during their stay.
Participants commented favorably on the campus’ walkability and layout.
“The, like, design is very good. It feels, like, very clean and new. Yeah, it’s definitely one of the best campuses I’ve visited,” Shi said.
Others were already thinking about the rigors of academia.
“The Science Library is really nice. I’m going to be spending some time around there,” Parvath said.
Students highlighted different aspects of class registration, but all found the process itself manageable and well-supported. For some, the process proved surprisingly straightforward.
“I think the variety [of options] was good. The good thing was, like, many classes were, like, reserved for freshmen,” Kansal said, though he was most interested in enrolling in upper-division classes.
Several mentioned the assistance of counselors in forming study plans.
“They actually kind of had us, you know, like, do recommended classes, recommended course schedules, so, [there] wasn’t too much variety for this part,” Parvath said. “I actually like the fact that, you know, they gave us the plan and stuff. It’s pretty overwhelming if you don’t have one of those.”
Two SPOP staffers explained the significance of the program.
“There’s a lot of traditions throughout SPOP that are consistent between each one. And so, like, it’s a nice thing to, like, it’s just a nice commonality or a baseline for a lot of students to start connecting over or even just, you know, start fostering connections between each other. Like, I still have friends from SPOP,” second-year biological sciences student Cobin Ramirez told New University.
Returning SPOP staffer and third-year international studies student Lia Borja agreed that SPOP is foundational to the UCI experience.
“SPOP is basically a way to, like, bring in new students to give them the most authentic and, like, you know, true experience they’re going to have here at UCI,” Borja told New University. “It’s just, like, bringing them a warm and welcoming environment and knowing that we’re, like, support[ing] diversity and equity and inclusion.”
John Trytten is a Features Intern for the summer 2025 quarter. He can be reached at tryttenj@uci.edu.
Edited by Alyssa Villagonzalo, Annabelle Aguirre