{"id":10208,"date":"2025-04-23T16:40:23","date_gmt":"2025-04-23T16:40:23","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/dornsife.usc.edu\/psyc\/?page_id=10208"},"modified":"2026-03-13T18:04:51","modified_gmt":"2026-03-13T18:04:51","slug":"phd-onboarding-orientation","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/dornsife.usc.edu\/psyc\/phd-onboarding-orientation\/","title":{"rendered":"New Student Orientation &amp; Transitioning"},"content":{"rendered":"\n\n\n\n            \n  \n    \n\n\n\n\n\n\n<div\n  class=\"cc--component-container cc--stacking-cards \"\n\n  \n  \n  \n  \n  \n  \n  >\n  <div class=\"c--component c--stacking-cards\"\n    \n      >\n\n    \n            <div class=\"header-container\">\n            \n                                \n<div class=\"f--field f--description\">\n\n    \n  <p>As a PhD student, attending orientation is an important first step in beginning the program. Orientation provides essential information about program expectations, research requirements, funding structures, and departmental resources. It is also a valuable opportunity to meet faculty, staff, and fellow cohort members while gaining a clearer understanding of academic milestones and institutional policies.<\/p>\n<p>Beyond formal orientation, our program offers additional events throughout the academic year to help students acclimate socially and professionally. These may include faculty talks, graduate student panels, Dornsife PhD academy, workshops, and social gatherings. Engaging in both required and optional activities allows new PhD students to feel more integrated, supported, and confident as they begin their academic journey.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<\/div>\n                    <\/div>\n    \n            <div class=\"cards-container\">\n            \n                <div class=\"card\">\n\n                    <div class=\"title-description\">\n\n                                                      \n<div class=\"f--field f--cta-title\">\n\n    \n  <h3>\n          Program Orientation\n      <\/h3>\n\n\n<\/div>\n                        \n                                                        \n<div class=\"f--field f--description\">\n\n    \n  <p>A\u00a0<strong>mandatory<\/strong>\u00a0in-person PhD Program Orientation will be held on the<b> first-day of classes, on Monday, August 24, 2026<\/b>. It typically starts at 8:30 AM and ends at 2:30 PM.<\/p>\n<p>On the <strong>following Friday<\/strong>, a part two of orientation with GASP is usually held from 1:30 &#8211; 6:30 PM.<\/p>\n<p>Students will be notified of the final agenda dates and times via email.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<\/div>\n                        \n                    <\/div>\n\n\n                    \n                        \n                            \n<div class=\"f--field f--image\">\n\n    \n    \n    \n    \n    \n    \n              \n      <img decoding=\"async\"\n                            src=\"https:\/\/dornsife.usc.edu\/psyc\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/81\/2023\/09\/USC_DCLAS_Core_101g_Special_Collections_Library_120221019_25-768x432.jpg\"\n          srcset=\"https:\/\/dornsife.usc.edu\/psyc\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/81\/2023\/09\/USC_DCLAS_Core_101g_Special_Collections_Library_120221019_25-1280x720.jpg 1280w,https:\/\/dornsife.usc.edu\/psyc\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/81\/2023\/09\/USC_DCLAS_Core_101g_Special_Collections_Library_120221019_25-768x432.jpg 768w\"          sizes=\"(min-width:1024px) 23vw, (min-width:768px) 39vw, 83vw\"\n        \n                  role=\"none\"\n        \n        \n                                      \/>\n\n    \n    \n  \n  \n\n<\/div>\n\n                    \n                <\/div>\n\n            \n                <div class=\"card\">\n\n                    <div class=\"title-description\">\n\n                                                      \n<div class=\"f--field f--cta-title\">\n\n    \n  <h3>\n          Teaching Assistantship\n      <\/h3>\n\n\n<\/div>\n                        \n                                                        \n<div class=\"f--field f--description\">\n\n    \n  <p>Additionally, if you are going to be a\u00a0<b>Teaching Assistant<\/b>\u00a0for your first-year in the program, you will need to attend a\u00a0<b>mandatory<\/b> TA orientation with Dornsife remotely over zoom in mid-August.\u00a0 Dates will be released soon by Dornsife at a later date via email.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<\/div>\n                        \n                    <\/div>\n\n\n                    \n                        \n                            \n<div class=\"f--field f--image\">\n\n    \n    \n    \n    \n    \n    \n              \n      <img decoding=\"async\"\n                            src=\"https:\/\/dornsife.usc.edu\/psyc\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/81\/2024\/08\/USC_DCLAS_Exploring_Culture_Through_Film_Anthropology_Class_20221020_14-768x432.jpg\"\n          srcset=\"https:\/\/dornsife.usc.edu\/psyc\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/81\/2024\/08\/USC_DCLAS_Exploring_Culture_Through_Film_Anthropology_Class_20221020_14-1280x720.jpg 1280w,https:\/\/dornsife.usc.edu\/psyc\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/81\/2024\/08\/USC_DCLAS_Exploring_Culture_Through_Film_Anthropology_Class_20221020_14-768x432.jpg 768w\"          sizes=\"(min-width:1024px) 23vw, (min-width:768px) 39vw, 83vw\"\n        \n                  role=\"none\"\n        \n        \n                                      \/>\n\n    \n    \n  \n  \n\n<\/div>\n\n                    \n                <\/div>\n\n            \n                <div class=\"card\">\n\n                    <div class=\"title-description\">\n\n                                                      \n<div class=\"f--field f--cta-title\">\n\n    \n  <h3>\n          Online Orientation\n      <\/h3>\n\n\n<\/div>\n                        \n                                                        \n<div class=\"f--field f--description\">\n\n    \n  <p>Students may choose to complete the <strong>optional online<\/strong> <a href=\"https:\/\/gradadm.usc.edu\/graduate-orientation\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Welcome Experience<\/a> modules as an introduction to their graduate career at USC. This is held by USC&#8217;s Office of Orientation Programs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<\/div>\n                        \n                    <\/div>\n\n\n                    \n                        \n                            \n<div class=\"f--field f--image\">\n\n    \n    \n    \n    \n    \n    \n              \n      <img decoding=\"async\"\n                            src=\"https:\/\/dornsife.usc.edu\/psyc\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/81\/2025\/02\/image-1-768x432.jpeg\"\n          srcset=\"https:\/\/dornsife.usc.edu\/psyc\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/81\/2025\/02\/image-1-1280x720.jpeg 1280w,https:\/\/dornsife.usc.edu\/psyc\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/81\/2025\/02\/image-1-768x432.jpeg 768w\"          sizes=\"(min-width:1024px) 23vw, (min-width:768px) 39vw, 83vw\"\n        \n                  role=\"none\"\n        \n        \n                                      \/>\n\n    \n    \n  \n  \n\n<\/div>\n\n                    \n                <\/div>\n\n            \n        <\/div>\n    \n\n  <\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n  \n    \n\n\n\n\n\n\n<div\n  class=\"cc--component-container cc--rich-text \"\n\n  \n  \n  \n  \n  \n  \n  >\n  <div class=\"c--component c--rich-text\"\n    \n      >\n\n    \n      \n<div class=\"f--field f--wysiwyg\">\n\n    \n  <p style=\"text-align: center\">Return to <a href=\"https:\/\/dornsife.usc.edu\/psyc\/psycphd-onboarding\/\">PhD Onboarding Homepage<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<\/div>\n\n\n  <\/div><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"","protected":false},"author":918,"featured_media":0,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-10208","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v27.1.1 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>New Student Orientation &amp; 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