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SOAR is Northwest's Summer Orientation, Advisement, and Registration program for incoming freshmen. In a nutshell, SOAR is a day for students to get acquainted with the campus, meet other new students, and meet with an academic advisor to get their schedule. There is a wide variety of activities going on throughout the day.
All incoming freshmen are expected to attend SOAR unless there are extenuating circumstances (distance, travel abroad, family obligations, etc.). Nearly all students attend and find it very beneficial in preparing to start school, not to mention, fun.
We offer a parent orientation and encourage parents to attend SOAR with their students, but of course not all are able to come. It is a good time for parents to get their questions answered and learn about resources at Northwest to help them help their students.
There is no charge for students to attend SOAR. For Parents and other guests, there is a small charge to cover programming.
If you do not attend the entire day, you will not have the opportunity to meet with an advisor and get your schedule, as that happens at the end of the day. This day is set up just for you, and we want you to benefit from all aspects of it.
There are several hotels in Maryville that can accommodate you and your family. We encourage you to make reservations early when you receive your SOAR date to ensure that you get a room. Some hotels offer discounts to Northwest families, so you might want to mention that you are coming for Orientation.
In March, if you've been accepted, you'll receive an invitation to SOAR and inside will be directions for signing up. If you have not been accepted by March when the first invitation goes out, you'll receive one with your acceptance letter.
We have taken all the guesswork out of this. When you return your SOAR card to us, we get to work on a schedule tailor made just for you. Each academic department has created an Optimal Course Schedule that outlines classes that they would like their majors to take in the freshmen year. Along with these suggested schedules we also look at your ACT scores and interest inventory, any college credit you may already have, if you have special scheduling considerations such as athletics, and the selections you've made on your SOAR registration. With all this information we create your schedule before you even arrive.
We hope this will be the perfect schedule for you, but don't worry if it needs adjusting. You will meet with an advisor in your general academic area who will give you your schedule and help you make any necessary changes.
We understand that summer is a busy time of the year, so we offer 7 different days to choose from in June. If you cannot attend any of those days, we will send you your schedule and other information in late July. Schedule adjustments can be made over the phone or at Advantage in the fall.