Welcome to AARO — Orientation for new and transfer students

Orientation sessions for new students, transfer students and international students are held between June 28 and August 5. For details, please select whether you are an incoming first-year student, international student or a transfer student.

Learn more about this year's Common Reading selection: The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks by Rebecca Skloot. Also, learn more about being a new student at SMU.

AARO: First-year students

AARO is the first part of the orientation process designed to assist you in making a comfortable transition to University life at SMU. It is a two-day program for First-Year students who will be enrolling in Fall 2011at SMU.  Sessions are designed to offer information to assist you in your transition to Southern Methodist University.  Programs provide academic requirements and expectations, campus resources, involvement opportunities and the chance to meet current students.  During your AARO session, you will also meet one-on-one with an academic advisor and register for fall classes. 

You cannot register for orientation until your admission deposit is paid, and your final transcript from previous colleges and universities has been received and processed by the Division of Enrollment Services.  This process takes a minimum of two weeks.

Each of the 11 AARO sessions will accommodate approximately 130 new students and their family members. All new students, including those from the Dallas-Fort Worth area, are required to stay overnight in Boaz Hall. Staying on campus provides an opportunity to experience residence hall living at SMU and to interact with the upperclass orientation student leaders also living in Boaz Hall. Breakfast, lunch and dinner will be provided on the first day and breakfast and lunch on the second day.

Check-in for AARO will be held at 8:00 a.m. on the first day of each session. Activities will conclude at 5 p.m. on the second day, so please make travel plans accordingly. Confirmation of your assigned date will be emailed to your SMU email address upon receipt of your orientation registration. Please verify this information carefully. Students who arrive late, or arrive on an incorrect session date, cannot be accommodated.

After you have paid your deposit to SMU, New Student Orientation and Student Support will mail you a save the date card with information on the two-step orientation process at SMU.  An AARO Information Brochure will also be mailed to each deposit-paid student when online orientation registration is live. Please read the entire brochure before attending AARO.

Please DO NOT make travel arrangements until you have registered for orientation and received a confirmation email for your AARO session.  Registration for AARO will be available at the end March for students who have paid their deposit.

We encourage all family members to attend AARO with their students.  In addition to attending some of the academic sessions with your students, we have planned some specific activities for parents and families.  The registration fee for family members is $60 each and covers the cost of meals and program materials.  There is limited on-campus housing available for family members for $45 per night.  We encourage family members to make a reservation at our host hotel:

Hilton
Dallas – Park Cities
5954 Luther Lane
Dallas, TX 75225
214-368-0400
Click Here to Make a Reservation

2011 AARO Sessions: 

AARO Fees:

* Please note that if you register a guest for an AARO session and they do not show up, you will still be charged for the guest.  If you have registered a guest and they will no longer be able to attend the session with you, please cancel the their registration online or with our office in order to avoid being charged.

Honors Students:

All honors students receive an invitation to join the Honors Program.  Upon acceptance of the invitation, students are assigned an academic advisor who works specifically with honors students. This is the advisor you will meet with at your AARO session.

AARO: International students

All students studying in secondary schools outside the United States, including U.S. citizens, are recommended to attend International AARO on August 15.  If you are unable to attend the International AARO, you may select any of the July sessions that is conducive to your travel arrangements.  Parents and family members are encouraged to attend AARO with their students.  There is parent/guest fee of $60.  All students who attend International AARO will be required to attend Mustang Corral, August 18-20.

AARO: Transfer students

AARO is the first part of the orientation process designed to assist you in making a comfortable transition to life at SMU. Transfer AARO is a one-day orientation program for transfer students enrolling in Fall 2011.  Programs provide academic requirements and expectations, campus resources, involvement opportunities and the chance to meet current students.  During your AARO session, you will also meet one-on-one with an academic advisor and register for fall classes. Check-in for AARO will begin at 8:00 a.m. in the main level of the Hughes-Trigg Student Center.  

You cannot register for orientation until your admission deposit is paid, and your final transcript from previous colleges and universities has been received and processed by the Division of Enrollment Services.  This process takes a minimum of two weeks.

Bring The Family!

We encourage all family members to attend AARO. In addition to attending some of the academic sessions with your students, we have planned some specific activities for parents and families.

Transfer AARO Sessions

Session 1	July 1
Session 2	July 13
Session 3	July 28
Session 4	August 3

AARO Fees

Parent/Guest

$30