UG’s orientation for new, continuing students starts today

This year, the University of Guyana (UG) is expected to welcome over 3500 freshmen, who will join over 8000 continuing students.
The virtual orientations for new students of the Turkeyen and Berbice Campuses and the Institute for Distance and Continuing Education (IDCE) will run from today, Monday, August 28 to Friday, September 1.
The virtual sessions will be held from Monday to Thursday and these will be followed by face-to-face campus tours and engagements with the heads and other officers of the various academic units on Friday.
A brief welcome and introduction to the university will be held for all students prior to the start of the virtual sessions at 9:00h today.
Meanwhile, orientations for continuing students will run from Wednesday, September 6 through Friday, September 8. Campus tours and face-to-face engagements with academic units are also being organised.
The Uniform Resource Locator (URL) for the orientation sessions hosted by the respective academic units will be available to students directly from their Student Record Management System (SRMS), the University’s Registry, or their Academic Departments.
Students should also receive emails directly with the necessary login information for them to register for the orientation sessions.
The orientation sessions are aimed at providing a step-by-step introduction to all of the systems, policies, personnel, and resources that students need to navigate the university. This will be particularly important for students to start their classes seamlessly.
Sessions also address programme-related queries and concerns and provide the necessary support and guidance to students to ensure their time at the university is smooth, enriching, and fulfilling as far as possible. During orientation, students are also introduced to the rules, regulations, lecturers, specific processes, given a tour of the physical and online classrooms, and how to read and calculate their grade point average (GPA) and academic profiles.
They are also made aware of the special services and opportunities available to them during and after their studies. Classes for most new and continuing students will begin on September 4.
It is to be noted that some classes for new students in some disciplines such as in the College of Medical Sciences will begin two weeks later since these students require their Caribbean Examinations Council (CXC), General Certificate of Education (GCE), and Caribbean Advanced Proficiency Examination (CAPE) results in order to be admitted.
The university was able to facilitate provisional admission for some disciplines ahead of their examination results being released by the CXC.
Meanwhile, applications, registration, and admission are still ongoing. The university will continue to offer its students three attendance options — face-to-face, online, or blended learning formats. The mode of delivery will depend on the discipline being taken by students.
Faculties and other academic departments will continue to advise their respective students directly about the options available to them.
Though many programmes are at capacity, students who have applied and have not yet heard from the university or who wish to register for programmes that aren’t at maximum are encouraged to apply or complete pending applications or registrations, as registrations will be ongoing into late September for conditionally accepted students.
The university’s traditional ceremonial opening will also be held in a blended mode on Friday, September 1, at 17:00h at the George Walcott Lecture Theatre (GWLT), Turkeyen Campus.