On behalf of the New Student Orientation and Student Support Office and the SMU campus, we would like to welcome you to SMU! We are excited to finally meet you in person and assist you with your transition to SMU.

Our office works with all incoming students through a two-step orientation process. We are eager to see you in July for the first step, Academic Advising, Registration, and Orientation (AARO), followed by Mustang Corral in August.

I had the amazing opportunity to be an AARO Leader last year. Through my experience, I can tell you all about what your day will be like when you come to campus this summer. AARO is a great way to create your first SMU connections, and I hope y'all take full advantage of everything we offer!

On Day 1, you will start with a wonderful breakfast and mingling with other new students. For the two days of AARO you will be in a small group with fellow incoming students and your AARO Leader, a current SMU student. (In photo: The AARO Leaders you'll meet.)

The most important advice I can give you about the AARO advising session is to be prepared. It will make the difference between a great visit and one that leaves you nervous about your schedule.

When picking classes, always remember it is first-come, first-served. Being prepared when meeting with your academic adviser will save you the trouble of going through the entire catalog and available classes to pick the ones you want.

As a 2008 AARO Leader, a Mustang Corral director this year and a rising senior, I have seen all sorts of things in the New Student Orientation and Student Support Office and around campus. Students of all kinds come through our campus, and they all have one thing in common: They are excited to start the next part of their lives as college students.

I have a few tips for those excited new students arriving at SMU this August:

We are overjoyed that 1,040 new students have signed up for Mustang Corral so far, and it is only June! Since its inception in 1990, Mustang Corral has become an SMU tradition that just keeps growing. Last year, about 81 percent of new students attended, and this year we are expecting at least 90 percent.

Here is some more information about the event:

New and exciting at Mustang Corral this year is an inspirational speaker, Dr. Bertice Berry. Not only is she a well-known speaker, but she also is the author of six best-sellers, including I'm On My Way But Your Foot Is On My Head, Redemption Song and The Haunting of Hip Hop. She has had appearances on "The Oprah Winfrey Show," "The Tonight Show with Jay Leno" and ABC's "20/20."

I think that Dr. Berry has a remarkable story to share with you, as an incoming student. She has overcome a great deal of adversity and challenges. She will touch on controversial subjects that affect SMU and all of society. This will definitely be an eye-opening experience, and I am excited to be a part of it!

Dreams From My Father: A Story of Race and Inheritance is a New York Times best-selling memoir by U.S. President Barack Obama. SMU's Common Reading Selection Committee selected Obama's novel for the 2009-10 academic year.

What a busy summer it has been in our office so far! Each year we host The Encore Series, a set of programs and events to continue orientation of new students throughout the year. This year is extra busy, as we are working to expand the events that we do and improve on the traditional ones.

Here is a brief overview of some of our upcoming events: