Pre-Orientation Retreat

Pre-O is awesome! Meet new friends, have fun with upperclass student leaders, explore your faith, hike, show off your moves in our dance off, establish a community, and experience campus in an entirely new way.

You get to move into your residence hall three days before the rest of the incoming class. So, you get your choice of bed and avoid moving in with 1,000 other students.

The student leaders are enthusiastic, welcoming and some of the nicest people around. They truly care about and want to support you in your transition to college. It’s super helpful to befriend upper-class students and spend time with them during and after the retreat.

The theme of the retreat is “Belong, Believe, Become.” Pre-O is an ideal way to feel a sense of belonging in the USD and University Ministry communities at the start of your college career. Most students that participate in Pre-O would say they met their best friends on this retreat and found a loving and inclusive community. We will help you settle into college and explore what you believe in. We hope that this will be a great opportunity for you to discover the person you are called to become.

Both opportunities are amazing ways to get to know other students, interact with upperclassman student leaders, and transition to life at USD. Both programs take place right before Ole! Weekend begins.

The Pre-O Retreat is a program through University Ministry. It is led by upperclass students who offer opportunities to explore your faith and spirituality as you transition to USD. This year’s Pre-O Retreat will occur on USD’s campus. So, you’ll have the comfort of staying in your own dorm or residence each night. We’ll gather each morning for a day full of fun! Meals, talks from upperclass students, small groups, a dance off, hiking, free time with new friends, a beautiful outdoor Mass under the stars, and more!

Pre-O adventure is a program through Outdoor Adventures. It is led by student guides who offer outdoor trips. This year’s experience will occur on and around USD’s campus. It might entail hanging outdoors, sleeping in tents, and eating meals prepared outdoors. This is a chance to connect with a small group of students and upperclass leaders while exploring beautiful environments and our natural resources!

This year’s Pre-O Retreat will take place on campus from August 11-13, 2020.

Tuesday, August 11th

Pre-O check-in and move-in 

Meals, witness talks, small groups, time outdoors, skits, music, fun!

Participants sleep in their dorms.

Wednesday, August 12th

A full day of laughter with new friends. Talks, Small Groups, free time, dance off, liturgy under the stars, talent show, and more.

Thursday, August 13th

Retreat concludes.

The Pre-O Retreat is very popular and so we recommend signing up as soon as possible in order to ensure your spot.

Click here to register online. 

The cost of the Pre-O Retreat is $100. Payment is by credit card and is due (in full) at the time of registration. Please review the cancellation and refund policy before registering. University Ministry offers scholarships to students who demonstrate need-based financial aid. Please see the information about financial aid below. 

What’s included in the cost:

Early move in to the residence halls

All meals provided

All activities and retreat supplies

Trained staff and student leaders to facilitate activities

Yes! Partial to full scholarships are available for anyone who demonstrates need-based financial aid. If you would like to request financial aid, please contact University Ministry at universityministry@sandiego.edu prior to registering for the retreat.

Absolutely! Our Pre-O Student Leadership Team is excited to talk with you and answer any questions you may have about the retreat, move-in or the transition to college. Please feel free to reach out to one of our Student Coordinators:

Madonna Connors ‘21

madonnaconnors@sandiego.edu

Kaitlin Solis ‘21

ksolis@sandiego.edu

Students from all faith traditions and backgrounds are most welcome and strongly encouraged to attend the Pre-O Retreat. We strive to provide an environment where all students feel comfortable exploring their faith and what they believe. The retreat is Christian-based and there will be student talks and music that reflect the Christian tradition.

During the retreat there is a beautiful Catholic Mass held under the stars. Student leaders will help explain elements of the Mass so that all students feel comfortable attending and participating.

It is our hope and expectations that students attending Pre-O will be active and engaged participants in small and large group activities. We ask that you come prepared to be open, authentic and flexible. We have high expectations of each of our leaders and participants to foster an environment of inclusivity, compassion and respect for all people, regardless of background. Bring your sense of humor and positive attitude and this is sure to be wonderful three-day start to your college career!

Additionally, all participants will be asked to abide by safety procedures, which will be communicated prior to arrival. These will include practicing social distancing, wearing a face mask, and more.

Retreatants will stay in their dorm room or residence. You can plan to meet us each day based on the schedule we provide. At the end of a fun day, you’ll return to the comfort and convenience of your own space.

San Diego is generally very hot during the month of August. In the past, temperatures on the Pre-O Retreat have ranged from 85-95 degrees. Although our buildings are air-conditioned, we spend a great deal of time outside. Please be prepared for hot temperatures and dress comfortably. Please bring sunscreen, sunglasses, a hat and a refillable water bottle. For a complete list of what to bring, please see the packing list.

It is prohibited to use alcohol or illegal drugs during the retreat. Please notify Aly Monteleone (amonteleone@sandiego.edu) about any prescription medications that you are taking in advance so we have that information in the unlikely case of an emergency.

Here are the two general options:

1) Loved ones arrive with their student and help them check-in/move-in before the Pre-O Retreat. In order to prioritize the safety of everyone, Residence Life invites those moving onto campus to have up to two (2) support people with them in the halls.

If you choose this option and are from out-of-town, we suggest arriving in San Diego on Monday, 8/10. Unfortunately, students cannot move into their rooms until 8/11, but it's helpful to be at USD first thing on the morning of move-in. Most families and their student stay in a nearby hotel on the night of Monday, 8/10. While we’re still waiting on guidance from Residence Life and the State of California, it’s likely that move-in will occur between the hours of 9:00am-1:00pm on Tuesday, 8/11. Students and their two support members can begin to settle into their dorm during this time. University Ministry hopes to host a Welcome Pizza Party for the Pre-O participants and their families to share time all together shortly after move-in concludes. (Details will be available early August). The retreat itself will conclude around 1:30pm on Thursday, 8/13.

Loved ones who choose this option often elect to stay in San Diego for the two days their student is at the retreat and vacation or continue to get their students’ dorm room set-up. Students may start sleeping in their residence hall starting the evening of Tuesday, 8/11 after moving in for the retreat. General move-in for the rest of the incoming class begins later that week, on 8/14. Parents and students then participate in the Ole! Weekend activities.

2) Student arrives to USD for Pre-O Retreat and family arrives after for Ole! Weekend.

If you choose this option, we suggest that the student flies into San Diego the morning of Tuesday, 8/10 in between 8:00am-11:00am. One of our University Ministry staff makes rounds picking up Pre-O students from the airport and transports them safely to campus. We have well-marked University of San Diego vans that we use to transport. If you choose this option, we ask that you email your flight information to Aly Monteleone, at amonteleone@sandiego.edu before August 1, 2020. The parents generally arrive on the afternoon/evening of Thursday, 8/13 or the morning of Friday, 8/14 in time for the Ole! Weekend activities.

If a student is flying into San Diego independently, we suggest arriving on Tuesday, August 11th between 8:00-11:00am. One of our University Ministry staff members will pick you up from the airport and transport you safely to campus in a USD-marked vehicle. If you choose this option, we ask that you email your flight information to University Ministry, at universityministry@sandiego.edu before August 1, 2020.

We ask that international students coordinate their arrival with the International Center. Unfortunately, the dates of the Pre-O Retreat and International Student Orientation may overlap slightly. If this is the case, you will need to attend the International Student Orientation. Please consider joining University Ministry’s First-Year Retreat, which will take place in September.

Unfortunately, the dates of the Pre-O Retreat and SSS Summer Bridge may overlap. If this is the case, we recommend that you attend Summer Bridge, and join us for University Ministry’s First-Year Retreat in September.

Please feel free to contact us if we can be of any support in answering further questions. We truly look forward to meeting you and welcoming you to USD and the University Ministry community!

University Ministry
5998 Alcala Park
San Diego, CA 92110
(619) 260-4735
universityministry@sandiego.edu

Pre-O Student Coordinators:

MaDonna Connors ‘21
Valencia, CA
madonnaconnors@sandiego.edu

Kaitlin Solis ‘21
Sacramento, CA
ksolis@sandiego.edu