Spring START 2025 Options

Virtual START Information

Virtual START will be completed through Canvas, an online course management system that supports online learning and teaching. Once registered,  you will be added to either our first-year or transfer student virtual canvas page. Starting at 10AM on the first day of Virtual START, you will want to log into Canvas using your Oregon State (ONID) username and password. Once you've logged in you'll need to accept the course invitation to access the correct orientation page and begin working through the modules. 

Once you've completed all of the START Canvas modules, including your college's materials, you will be able to meet with an advisor, register for classes, and prepare for winter term. Your college's module will provide specific information about how to schedule a meeting with your advisor to register for classes. This meeting will happen during the three scheduled advising days. 

Although all of your orientation content can be completed on your own time, that doesn't mean we aren't here for you! If you run into any issues while completing your orientation, you can email our office at [email protected] or call us at (541) 737-7627. You can also talk to us live using our website chat widget. Our live chat hours are 9 am-5 pm Monday-Friday and 10 am-2 pm on Sundays. 

During your orientation, you also have the option to meet and interact with our START staff. Our START leaders are here to meet with you one-on-one over Zoom for any questions you might have about Oregon State. You will have the opportunity to schedule a meeting with one of our START leaders when you begin working through your orientation modules.  

You will have 5 days to complete the START materials in your own time. There is about half a day's worth of material so you can spread out the content however you'd like over the course of those five days. To ensure you can learn about campus, meet with an advisor, and register for classes, be sure to complete virtual START fully. This means completing all of the required modules by 5:00 pm PST on the fifth day of virtual START. If you do not complete all of the orientation modules by this date, you will lose access to the Canvas page and will need to complete START at a later date. 

Each academic college does its advising process differently. Some will have students sign up in advance before START, while others will sign up at the end of their virtual session. Your college's module in Canvas will provide specific information about how to schedule a virtual meeting with your advisor to register for classes. While much of the course is asynchronous and self-paced, please note that you will have specific live sessions with your advisor on one of the last three days of the course timeframe.

Great question! There are multiple ways for families to engage with us and get all of their questions answered.

Guests are welcome to view our virtual family offerings on our website, including live panels with campus partners, recorded videos of those panels, and family-specific drop-in Q&A sessions. This is a great place to find out some basic information about START. To attend these sessions, registration is not required.

We will also be offering two live drop-in Parent and Family Q&As where our knowledgeable START Leaders will be answering any lingering questions that families might have. Guests are encouraged to drop by our Zoom room with any quick questions. The Zoom information for these sessions is provided on our Parent & Families Virtual START Panels webpage

Lastly, if you'd like to stay involved with us and the Oregon State community throughout the school year, there are many options for parent and family programming. You can find more information about engagement opportunities here!

Be assured that you will not miss out! The Canvas page has a multitude of resources that you can look through- going even more into depth than our in-person sessions! You, along with many other incoming students, cannot attend in-person START or visit campus, so you will not alone in experiencing campus for the first time when classes begin! You will have lots of time to explore Corvallis once you get here.

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student working on their laptop
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START Welcome presentation in LINC 100

In-Person START Information

Based on which orientation you attend, in-person START is a one or two day event. The first day is dedicated to information sessions where students and their families receive necessary information about OSU. The second day  allows students to meet with their advisor in person and register for classes.

Students and parents will have sessions together and separately. For example, when students attend college-specific sessions to get information about advising and other academic aspects, parents are often in sessions with information on transitions in the family and parent experiences. 

While bringing guests is encouraged, it is up to you if you’d like to bring guests to your START session. Any guests that do attend will have a different schedule than you. There will be panels that you and your guest(s) will attend together, others will be attended alone- meaning while you are learning one thing, your guest(s) are learning another. Please note that there are fees for all guests that attend.

Parking passes are sent out 7 days in advance, to both students and any guests registered. If it is out of that time frame, please check back in within that 7-day period. Parking passes will be sent to the email address you used to register for START- please remember to check your spam folder if you cannot immediately locate it. Once you receive your parking invitation, you will fill it out using the details of your vehicle, including the license plate number. These passes are free and can be redeemed at any point during the 7-day period.

There is time allotted for you during your START day to meet with your College and register for classes with your advisor!