January New Student Orientation FAQs

Registration FAQs

Do I need to sign up for a January NSO experience? 

Only one orientation experience is offered for students admitted for the Spring semester.  You must first submit your Advanced Enrollment Deposit to Michigan State to be placed into the orientation. If you have a conflict, please contact us. Note that participation in NSO is a requirement for course enrollment.

What should I do if I have questions about Orientation Registration?

If you have questions about orientation registration, check out our Orientation Registration FAQs page for more information. If your question is not answered on this page, please contact us.

How do I know if I am exempt from participating in the January orientation?

We have listed our exemption criteria on our website. If you still have questions, please contact us.

Program Specific FAQs

Who is the January New Student Orientation for?

Our January New Student Orientation (NSO) experience is designed to welcome all students beginning in the Spring semester and their family/caregiver(s) to the MSU Community. First-Year, Transfer, and International students all come together to participate in this orientation experience with the opportunity to engage with information and resources geared towards their individual needs.

Where can I find information about the January New Student Orientation experience? 

You can find the most accurate information on our website on our Upcoming Programs pages. Visit the First-Year, Transfer, or International tabs at the top of our page to find information about your upcoming program.

Where can I find any communications about the January New Student Orientation experience?

You can find all of our January Communication information we have sent to your MSU email & homes on our website.

What will my January New Student Orientation experience be like?

Your January New Student Orientation experience will take place in phases. Some parts will take place virtually and asynchronously prior to January. You can complete steps 1-3 online at Desire2Learn and logging in with your MSU NetID and password. The other parts will take place virtually but synchronously January 5-7, 2021. See below for an outline of the steps.

Step One: Spartan Essentials – Available on December 1, 2020 and must be completed by December 28, 2020 at 8:00 pm EST.

Step Two: Preparing for Advising – Available on December 7, 2020 and must be completed by December 28, 2020 at 8:00 pm EST.

Step Three: Becoming a Spartan – Available on December 28, 2020 and must be completed by January 11, 2021 at 8:00 pm EST.

Step Four: Orientation Group Meetings – occurring virtually but synchronously on January 5-7, 2021.

Step Five: Academic Advising & Course Enrollment – occurring virtually but synchronously on January 5-7, 2021.

 

Are there any opportunities for me to connect with other new students outside of my Orientation Group?

As a part of the January NSO experience,  we are offering an opportunity to connect with other new students if you choose to do so on Monday, January 4th and Friday, January 8th, 2021. These optional affinity spaces will be available for you to meet and interact with other new students who may share your identities and hear about MSU resources to help support you.  These are optional, and participants must pre-register to participate. The Zoom meeting link and password will be emailed to you upon registration. View our affinity spaces and register on our Upcoming Programs pages for First-Year, Transfer, and International students.

General January NSO FAQs

What if I signed up for an in-person program and the University is closed? 

Please note that in the unlikely event of a university closure due to inclement weather, registered students and family/caregiver(s) will receive an email message with updates and more information would be available on our website.