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Foundation students get tips at orientation

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Friday, July 7th, 2017

Classes began this week at Pennsylvania College of Art & Design with the highest student population since 2012 returning to campus.

Last week, during Foundation Orientation, a panel of returning students offered advice to new students on how to make the most of their time at PCA&D. Here are some of their words of wisdom by Julya Nichols, senior Photography major, Noah Miller, junior Digital Media major, Brigitte Errickson, junior Fine Art major, Peri Penrod, senior Illustration major and Casey Capece, senior Graphic Design major.

Plan

  • Casey: “Make a planner. Check your syllabus and mark down all your project dates. Pin them to your wall!”
  • Brigitte: “Use Google Calendar.”
  • Peri: “Multi-tasking is a lie!”

Study habits

  • Julya “Have a specific place to do your work.”
  • Peri: “Never work in your bed! Separate your workspace from your sleep space.”
  • Casey: “Flash cards are amazing because we are all visual learners.”
  • Noah: “Find a place to study. Mean Cup is a nice café to study in.”

Liberal Arts

  • Noah: “Don’t forget your Liberal Arts Classes! Smaller classes allow you to branch out into different things, such as Linguistics or Theatre.”
  • Julya: “No matter what major you are, it applies to you!”
  • Peri: “Art History and Liberal Arts classes are important. You get tolearn from the masters and be influenced by current artists.”

Favorite Annual Events:

  • Brigitte: “The Halloween Dance –food, candy and costumes—builds community!”
  • Peri: “It’s fun to draw on the tables during the Thanksgiving and Valentine’s Day Lunches.”
  • Julya: “End of the year Picnic and the annual softball game. You get to hang out with friends and talk to the professors.”

Professional development:

  • Julya: “PCA&D offers a lot of opportunities to build your resume, like curating your own show. Lancaster City offers opportunities too.”
  • Peri: “There’s so many galleries around. You can submit art to galleries and student fees are less.”
  • Noah: “Look into internships. Every summer, not just before your senior year, when its required.”
  • Julya: “Lots of students land jobs through their internships.”

Things to look forward to

  • Casey: “Looking forward to the NYC Pub Crawl with the Society of Publications. We get to talk to creative directors and designers at the big publications.”
  • Julya: “Senior Show!”
  • Peri: “Artist talks are really great.”
  • Brigitte: “Second the artist talks! My favorite was John Bisbee.”

Foundation Orientation was led by Dean Edonick and Jane Higinbotham, Director of Student Life, assisted by Student Orientation leaders Austin Lord, Dyneisha Gross, Kathryn Mikus, Larissa Ramey, Zoe Bittner, Sarah Garrett and Lauren Duffy. The two-day event also included presentations and activities to assist the incoming class in their transition to college life in a variety of areas.

  • Information Fair and Bingo was held. Participating organizations included Lancaster County Library, Friendship Heart Gallery, Auntie Anne’s, Jimmy John’s, The Fridge, Central Market, Lanco Federal Credit Union, Mental Health America, B&T Sportswear, Canteen, Lancaster Office of Promotion, YWCA, and Lancaster Gallery.
  • Pam Haddard LCSW, Counselor at PCA&D, presented UStudio and other opportunities for maintaining and improving mental health.
  • Orientation Leaders led the student on a scavenger hunt across campus
  • Matt Weaver and Rich Karb, Compass Mark, facilitated conversations based on skits acted by the Orientation Leaders to help students to understand the influence of alcohol and other drugs.
  • Jessica Edonick, Dean of Student Services, Dan Freiler, Director of PCA&D’s Physical Plant, David Aichele, Lancaster City Alliance, and Lt. William Hickey, City of Lancaster Police Department, Presented “Personal Safety On and Off Campus.”
    • Anna Henderer, AIM to Impower, presented yoga techniques as a way to relax and reduce stress.
    • Amanda Scheler, AVP Campus Relations and Manager PNC Bank, presented “Managing your Financial Future.”
    • PCA&D faculty members Jeremy Waak, Matt Chapman, Justin Phillips, Aaron Thompson and Linda King Brown, explained classroom and studio expectation in a Mock Classroom session.
    • Justin Brown, of West Chester University, facilitated a very informative, engageging and interactive Diversity Awareness Program.

    Sponsors of Orientation were Auntie Anne’s, Distinctive Affairs Catering, Simply from Scratch Catering, Canteen, Prince Street Café, House of Pizza, The Fridge, and the Spice and Tea Exchange.