New and returning students arrived on Pratt’s campus eager to decorate their rooms, meet roommates and friends, gain familiarity with buildings and landmarks, and begin new chapters during move-in and orientation week. From informational sessions and meet-and-greets to group trips, tours, and other fun activities, students spent the week traversing the campus and the broader city, while preparing for the exciting semester ahead.
This year’s student body comes from almost every US state and from countries around the world, with more than 23 percent identifying as the first in their family to attend college.
President Frances Bronet, Vice President for Student Affairs Delmy M. Lendof, and representatives from student life and other areas kicked off orientation week with a warm welcome in Memorial Hall, introducing students to the many resources and opportunities available at Pratt.
Ongoing sessions throughout the week shared information on the basics of campus life, covering topics such as health care, counseling, public safety, food service, taking public transit, and how to get involved in city life. Campus tours took students to the Learning/Access Center, ARC, library, cafeteria, and academic buildings, helping students internalize the campus layout. Academic meetings with departments provided opportunities to meet professors, participate in workshops, and get a feel for the classroom experience. Specialized sessions for incoming international, transfer, graduate, and other students helped them learn how to make the most of their educational experience at Pratt.
“The communication with the RAs and hall directors has been really helpful,” said Alice Chen, BFA Art and Design Education ’27. “I learned not only about technical but also interpersonal resources.”
Venkatewara Appalabattula, MSIXD (Information Experience Design) ’25, said that orientation week made him confident that if he “just gets in touch with a professor or someone who knows the campus, they’ll guide me to the right place.”
Midway through the week, President Bronet and students took a sunrise stroll to the Brooklyn bridge, the crisp air giving a hint of the fall weather and the semester to come.
The importance of working together was front and center as students put their emerging understanding of the campus to the test through Pratt Quest, a fun scavenger hunt that led groups through buildings and across lawns. Students puzzled over clues with their new friends, ventured down hallways, chatted with staff and faculty, and raced to complete the quest in time.
Field trips took groups to different parts of Brooklyn and Manhattan including the Brooklyn Botanic Garden, Williamsburg, Chinatown and Tribeca, Koreatown, SoHo, DUMBO, the Chelsea High Line, Little Island, and Coney Island. Dedicated trips to the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum, Metropolitan Museum of Art, New Museum, Whitney Museum of American Art, MoMA, and Frick Collection showcased the city’s world-class artistic offerings. Early morning dance classes and cultural experiences gave students a sense of the endless opportunities that exist in New York.
Orientation week included plenty of amusement on campus. Students grooved at a silent disco, socialized at a Student Union block party, tried their luck in a “casino,” played board games and sports, and expressed their creativity during craft night with knitting, origami, jewelry making, and more. There were also zine-making workshops, an escape room, and juggling classes. In between, people laughed, shared stories, and got to know one another as the newest members of the Pratt community.
“Being at Pratt and living on campus for the first week has been really helpful in getting a sense of what it’s going to be like for the rest of the year,” said Yasmin Goshen, BFA Communications Design ‘27.
As students prepare for the first week of classes, the friendships, connections, and insights they made during orientation week will fuel their academic journeys.
