New Student Orientation
New Student Orientation is a multi-faceted program that helps prepare students for their transition into the Ringling College Community. This program is a cross-campus collaborative event, organized and sponsored by Student Life, but involves almost every office and department on campus.
The goal of New Student Orientation is to help new students transition to the Ringling College culture and understand the academic requirements. Throughout the phases of New Student Orientation, students receive information about different offices and resources available on campus and have opportunities to meet and connect with peers.
2022 Photo Gallery
2023 New Student Orientation
Dates and information for August 2023 will be posted here as soon as they are available, and the information below will be updated at that time.
Components of New Student Orientation
Starting in June and continuing at the beginning of each month thereafter for later applicants, a New Student Welcome packet is mailed out to confirmed students. This contains information about steps before arrival, information on what to expect, and contact numbers for key offices. If you have confirmed and have not received this mailing, please email nso@ringling.edu.
Students will receive an email sent to their Ringling College account (@c.ringling.edu) on July 20th with a web link to complete the Online Orientation, before arrival. This is a pre-requisite to attend fall classes and mandatory. If you do not receive an email to your Ringling College account, please contact nso@ringling.edu for assistance.
In order to help students and families before arrival, we are offering a What You Need to Know series. Specific details about the webinar series will be sent to the student’s Ringling College email account (@c.ringling.edu).
Due to travel time and additional paperwork requirements, new international students will arrive early and attend a pre-orientation. Details about this can be found on the New Student Orientation Schedule.
An in-depth, in-person, New Student Orientation program is provided on campus for both new students and their families. Orientation at Ringling College is mandatory for all new students. For information and details about this program, please review the New Student Orientation Schedules.
New Student Orientation Directions
Paperwork Before You Arrive
Stay in the know on the go! You can also find the entire schedule, broken down day by day, on our events website and app: Ringlink (via the Corq app). Ringlink and the Corq app also provides information on all of our campus events, clubs, and news, starting with Orientation. Don't miss a thing!
To access Ringlink, go to https://ringling.campuslabs.com. Then log in with your Ringling credentials. Or, you can download the Corq app (iPhone, iPad, iPod Touch, Android, Windows 7, and Blackberry). If you log in with your Ringling College credentials, you'll see you're already a member of Ringlink!
To download Corq, please follow this link on your phone, then search for Ringling College: https://ringling.campuslabs.com/corq/launch
In order to request housing, you must have completed enrollment by setting up your student account and submitting the confirmation fee.
To request housing:
- Check out our residence halls! Most first-year students are housed in Greensboro and Goldstein Halls.
- Complete the online housing contract.
Housing and roommate assignments will be available on August 1st on Self-Service at my.ringling.edu.
Submit your Immunization Packet by Friday, July 29, 2022.
All degree-seeking students are required to submit a copy of the Immunization Packet, which includes documentation of vaccination records signed by a licensed provider by Friday, July 29, 2022. Failure to submit this form in a timely manner could result in your being unable to register for classes. Download the Immunization Packet here.
Questions or concerns? Email healthforms@ringling.edu.
Confirm Your Health Insurance Status by Friday, August 26, 2022.
All students are required to have health insurance coverage. You must either confirm enrollment in the Student Health Insurance Plan offered or provide proof of sufficient coverage by Friday, August 26, 2022 at www.universityhealthplans.com/ringling. After this date, you will be auto-enrolled into the Student Health Insurance Plan and billed accordingly.
Questions or concerns? Email healthinsurance@ringling.edu.
When students arrive on campus for New Student Orientation each fall, they experience various educational and social activities designed to help them successfully transition to Ringling College of Art and Design and become actively involved in the Sarasota community. The Student Volunteerism and Service-Learning staff strive to develop and broaden these types of learning opportunities to help students enhance their leadership skills, build friendships, and facilitate teamwork. As part of the Orientation experience, students participate in a half-day, self-selected community service project on the morning of Saturday, August 20, 2022. Questions? Email: volunteerism@ringling.edu
Sign up here. You can see different site and project details listed below.
Looking forward to serving our community with you,
Rachel Levey-Baker, Director of Student Volunteerism and Service-Learning
Susan Saulnier, Coordinator of Student Volunteerism and Service-Learning
InStride Equestrian Therapy
The goal of InStride is to improve the physical and/or neurological status of individuals with physical and mental disabilities through Hippotherapy. Riders with cerebral palsy, multiple sclerosis, muscular dystrophy, autism, traumatic brain injury, and learning disabilities have benefited from participation in the InStride therapeutic riding program. They currently serve over 100 children and adults with disabilities from Sarasota, Manatee, and Charlotte counties. Lend a hand to assist this important community resource!
***Project is outside with paved and non-paved paths***
Students will not work with the horses but may get to visit with them. Volunteers will work on:
- Deep clean w/ spray with hose & wash down both patios’ walls, tables and items on patios with simple green, wipe down/dry
- Rake all around front of barn – remove debris from barn yard entrances all the way out to pathways
- Weed & mulch beds out in front of barn
- Weed dressage arena and hand rake corners and edges inwards so that Steve can smooth and level and groom with dragon fly
- Scrub water troughs
Please bring a filled water bottle, wear closed-toe shoes and bring a hat.
Selby Gardens’ Historic Spanish Point Butterfly Garden and Beautification
Selby Gardens’ Historic Spanish Point campus is a 30-acre sanctuary on Little Sarasota Bay in Osprey that focuses on both local history and native nature. While strolling the picturesque HSP campus—one of the largest waterfront preserves showcasing native Florida plants in the region—visitors can explore ancient peoples, pioneer history, the Palmer Legacy, and native plants.
***Project is outside with paved and non-paved paths.***
Main projects include:
- Helping revitalize the butterfly house and garden
- Removing spent plants
- Removing and adding soil
- Mulching
Please bring a filled water bottle, sunscreen, bug spray, wear closed-toe shoes and bring a hat.
Pre-School Makeover @ Little Disciples with Early Learning Coalition
The Early Learning Coalition of Sarasota County is the community’s one-stop resource for information about early learning experiences in Sarasota County.
This project is primarily an outdoor playground makeover with tasks including cleaning playground equipment, cleaning toys, assembling toddler playground equipment, painting wood structures, cleaning out and organizing outdoor storage shed, laying mulch, painting and decorating drama theatre stage and seating, creative painting on concrete pad including hopscotch, possible creative painting inside classrooms as well.
***Project is outside with paved and non-paved paths***
Please bring a filled water bottle, sunscreen, bug spray, wear closed-toe shoes and bring a hat.
Early Learning Coalition Book Project
The Early Learning Coalition of Sarasota County is the community’s one-stop resource for information about early learning experiences in Sarasota County.
Through its leadership and a focus on its mission to prepare children for lifelong success through quality early learning, the ELC of Sarasota County works collaboratively to ensure that:
- All children receive high-quality care and learning
- All families have the support they need for their children to succeed
- All children are ready for their academic and lifelong success
***Project is outside with paved paths***
Students will be asked to help apply stickers to about 7,000 books that will be given to children and families at Early Learning Coalition’s Storybook Street: a literacy-meets-the-arts event that will take place in November. This is an outdoor event where tables will be set up outside in the ELC office courtyard. Please bring a filled water bottle, sunscreen, and wear closed toe shoes.
Pinecraft Park Trail Clean Up and Painting- Sarasota County Parks and Recreation
Sarasota County Parks, Recreation, and Natural Resources have more than 45 parks that will inspire kids of all ages to swing, jump and climb the day away. Pinecraft Park offers birding, canoe and kayak launch, picnicking, playground, restrooms, shelter/pavilion, and wildlife viewing.
***Project is outside: Painting Pavilion and invasive removal on non-paved paths.***
This clean-up involves removing invasive and exotic plants and trees, removing debris.
Please bring sunscreen, bug spray, closed-toe shoes, a full water bottle, and bring a hat/sunglasses. We suggest wearing long socks or light weight pants and a lightweight long-sleeved top.
Siesta Beach Clean Up- Sarasota County Parks and Recreation
We will be helping Sarasota Parks and Recreation with the cleanup of Siesta beach and park. Siesta Beach was voted #2 for TripAdvisor’s Traveler’s Choice, top 25 Beaches in the United States (both first and third beaches are in Hawaii)*
This clean up with involve removing litter and marine debris from our beach.
***Project is outside with paved and non-paved paths.***
Please bring sunscreen, closed-toe shoes, a full water bottle, and bring a hat/sunglasses.
Ted Sperling Park @ South Lido Key with Sarasota County Parks and Recreation
Sarasota County Parks, Recreation, and Natural Resources have more than 45 parks that will inspire kids of all ages to swing, jump and climb the day away. South Lido Beach is located at the southern tip of Lido Key. It offers an exceptional beach experience, picturesque views, picnic tables, and a playground; No Lifeguards are on duty. This park provides unique opportunities for visitors to enjoy natural Florida beaches. They are contiguous sections of a 100-acre property that interacts with four bodies of water; the Gulf of Mexico, Big Pass, Sarasota Bay, and Brushy Bayou. Because of their convergence, currents run swiftly in some areas of the shoreline. This area is posted NO SWIMMING.
***Project is outside with paved and non-paved paths.***
This clean-up involves removing invasive and exotic plants and trees, removing debris and litter, carrying and loading bags of debris.
Please bring sunscreen, bug spray, closed-toe shoes, a full water bottle, and bring a hat/sunglasses. We suggest wearing long socks or light weight pants and a lightweight long-sleeved top.
Orange Blossom Community Garden and Sunshine Community Compost
Join us to help prepare Orange Blossom Community Garden for the Fall planting season. Over the summer, the garden overgrows quite a bit because many gardeners pause their growth through the summer heat season. Students who join this workday will be working with Orange Blossom Gardeners and Sunshine Community Compost, which helps with some of the garden’s compost projects.
***Project is outside with non-paved paths. This site may not have access to restrooms.***
Activities may include:
- Mulching garden pathways
- Clearing out and reorganizing the overgrown composting area
- Sifting compost
- Painting signs
- Cleaning up the tool sheds
- Seeding new food plants or transplanting seedlings into larger pots
- Helping individual gardeners to prepare their space by weeding, mulching, or prepping beds
- General garden tidying
Please bring sunscreen, bug spray, closed-toe shoes, a full water bottle, and bring a hat/sunglasses. We suggest wearing long socks or light weight pants and a lightweight long-sleeved top.
FAQs
Yes.
Yes, definitely. This is the time for you to ask questions pertaining to your unique arrangement and meet your fellow students and faculty. Come and find out what services are available to you!
No.
Parking at Ringling College is free. Fill out a Parking Pass Request Form with Public Safety or on the website and apply the parking sticker to your vehicle.
Note: First-year residential students may not bring a vehicle to campus unless an exception for extenuating circumstances has been approved. To request, contact studentlife@ringling.edu.
First-year commuter students may certainly bring a vehicle to campus.
You will attend information sessions, activities, and events designed to familiarize you with campus life and introduce you to your new surroundings. You will meet other new students, as well as current students, faculty, and staff. We will answer your questions and connect you to the right people and places to make your transition as seamless as possible.
Check Self-Service (your student login portal) on August 1st for your housing assignment.
After move-in on August 17, we have sessions scheduled for family members on August 18 and 19, culminating with the President’s Reception. Most family members typically depart on the evening of August 19 or morning of August 20, but Sarasota is a great community and some do stay for an extended period of time.
