Overall, first-year students say they are reacting positively to their first week at Brandeis. Although the first week can be both tiring and overwhelming, many students with whom the Justice spoke say they found the Brandeis community to be both welcoming and helpful. Among many of the services provided to first year students during the first week of school, an informal Justice survey found that first-years found the assistance of Orientation leaders and community advisors during move-in to be most helpful.

"I was surprised how helpful and welcoming everyone was," Lynn Lohnas '07 said. Orientation leaders were among the group of students that helped first-year students move their bags, refrigerators, computers, televisions and other items into dorm rooms.

"I think move-in went incredibly well," Rachel Levin '07 said. "It ran smoothly, people knew what was going on. Everyone was such a big help."

Community advisors (CAs - formerly known as RAs) and orientation leaders welcomed new students to their residence halls and made themselves available to answer questions during opening Sunday.

First-year students had mixed reactions to different aspects of Orientation. Some students said they appreciated all of the scheduled events. "There are lots of events, which is good because it kept me busy so I didn't miss home too much," Marina Virnik '07 said.

Other students appreciated the events, but said they felt that the amount of events crammed into the first two days of orientation was daunting. "Orientation was a little overwhelming during the first two days. There were lots of activities all together ... I was tired," Levin said.

First-year students said they found the speakers at orientation to be engaging, and Dr. Maura Cullen was a favorite among many. Many students also said they found the large icebreakers at orientation to be repetitive and "cheesy," while others said they thought they were cute and somewhat fun. While some students stated they did not spend much time with their AIDE groups, others found them to be helpful.

"I like the AIDE groups. They're a good social foundation," said Albert Cahn '07, who also participated in the Mosaic program. "I'm really glad I did Mosaic. I also got here early so it wasn't as hectic," he said.

"AIDE groups give you a chance to interact with and be in constant communication with the same people right away," Levin said. "I really liked the AIDE groups; we're all friends now."

Although Orientation was helpful during the first week at Brandeis, all fears have not yet been put aside.

"I still have a lot of adjusting to do, but orientation definitely helps," Lohnas said.

"The orientation activities were good in a social way," Cynthia Munoz '07 said.

Many first-year students said they are fearful of the workload at Brandeis and are uncertain about how they will manage their time.

"I was scared, but now I feel relieved because my professors were interesting," Munoz said about her first day of classes. Many first-year students said they thus far found the professors to be nice, and genuinely invested in their students.

Some first-years noticed a difference between high school and college classes immediately. "It's kind of nice to hear - here is the class, this is what we will do - I didn't feel that time was wasted today," Levin said.

First-year students were most impressed by the Brandeis community as a whole. "Everyone makes themselves available if you need help," Levin said.

"Everyone is very open and friendly, based on a real respect for one another; there hasn't been a person here I haven't wanted to sit down and talk to," Alex Kent '07 said.