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New Student Orientation Experience

Congratulations on being admitted to UW-Eau Claire! We are excited to officially welcome you to the Blugold family, and are here to help you navigate through the initial steps of becoming a Blugold. If you have questions or concerns about the following items, please reach out to our Orientation Team at 715-836-5053 or orientation@uwec.edu

NOTE: Components of New Student Orientation outlined below are required for all incoming first-year students. Information below is applicable to Fall 2024 admits. Spring 2025 admits will being receiving information in November of 2024.

Preparing for Orientation

Registration for orientation (called Blugold Experience Day) will open for fall admits on March 15, 2024.

There are a lot of items to complete before you arrive to in-person orientation this summer. Be sure to complete the checklist below before you come to campus to ensure a successful day!

1. Continue to work on your new student checklist as outlined by UWEC Admissions.

Have you activated your UW-Eau Claire account and paid your enrollment deposit? Applied for financial aid? Filled out required forms? View your progress and check out additional items here.

Note: some checklist items may overlap between the list from Admissions and our list for Orientation - just extra messaging to make sure we get things done together on time and completely!

2. Activate your UW-Eau Claire account.

If you have not activated your UW-Eau Claire account, or need to reset your password, visit myusername.uwec.edu. You will need your username and Campus ID number, which can be found in your admit letter or application acknowledgment email.

3. Register for Blugold Experience Day - your in-person orientation.

IMPORTANT: Registration for Summer Blugold Experience Days for fall 2024 admits will open on March 15, 2024 at around 8:00 am.

Blugold Experience Day is our in-person, on campus orientation program, required of all new first year students. Students only need to attend 1 date - and you can choose from the dates below (first come, first served once registration opens on March 15, 2024).

During Blugold Experience Days, students and their guests can tour our beautiful campus and residence halls, connect with staff, faculty, and other Blugolds, dine on campus, attend a live resource fair and other sessions, check out places in the community, and much more! Students will also select their fall class schedule on these days. Programming is subject to change by semester, and registration is required. 

To review frequently asked questions and more detail to prepare for your day, go to the Blugold Experience Day webpage. Summer 2024 dates are: June 18-21, June 24-28, July 8-12, July 16-19, August 15.

To register (on or after March 15, 2024):

  • Go to MyBlugoldCamps.
  • Log in using your username and password created during the admission process when you activated your account.
  • After logging in, select the “Admissions" tile.
  • Choose “Orientation” and check for your name at the top of the screen.
  • Follow the steps to complete your registration.
4. Complete your placement tests.
**IMPORTANT: Placement exams are unavailable until March 15th for new students. Beginning March 15th, fall 2024 admits can begin registering for and taking their placement exams. 

Placement exam scores provide your academic advisor with the best well-rounded understanding of your academic preparedness in certain subject areas, and are thus extremely important to the success of your advising and registration meetings. Without placement exams or your PAS (see next step) completed before your orientation day, you may run the risk of not being able to sign up for certain classes and/or delay confirming your schedule until scores have been received.

All students are required to take placement tests, and we have online, unproctored options for testing. We strongly recommend students register using their UWEC email account, and you can complete that registration here, beginning on or after March 15, 2024.

*Important: when registering for placement exams, make sure to select Test A for Math specifically (this is the online version).

  • You will need to log in with your campus credentials to complete the registration form before taking the exam. Within two business days of registering (but more likely within a few minutes), you will receive an email from Meazure Learning with a username and password for accessing the exams.
  • All students are required to complete the Math and English tests. If you have had two or more years of French, German or Spanish, you should also take the placement exam for that language. Click here for more information regarding your placement test.
  • Please note that it takes at least two weeks for tests to be scored and sent to UW-Eau Claire. We highly recommend that you take them as soon as you can, to ensure you're able to register for your classes on time.

If you have questions about testing, would like to know more, or need testing accommodations, please contact academictesting@uwec.edu

5. Complete your Pre-Advising Survey (PAS).

This form is crucial to the success of your advising and registration meeting, as it helps our advising staff assess your academic preparedness and provide potential class selections based on your interest areas. This questionnaire must be completed before your advising meeting on your scheduled orientation date. Complete your PAS now.

*IMPORTANT: Please use Chrome or Edge as your browser when completing this form. If you save your form without submitting it, you will need to log back into BPLogix to complete the form - you can do that here: https://eform1.uwec.edu/. (when you get into BPLogix, go to 'tasks')

6. Complete online photo submission for your Mobile Blugold ID.

"UW-Eau Claire - we are a MOBILE FIRST campus"

Students are required to select and upload their own photo and copy of drivers license or government issued ID for their Blugold photo ID. 

Once admitted, students will receive an email (usually within a few business days) from our Blugold Card Office outlining the process for online photo submission. Simply upload your photo and a picture of your government-issued ID to move forward with this option. Once this has been complete, you can expect an email from Blugold Card Services with more information about how to download your mobile ID.

If you have any questions or concerns about this process, reach out to 715-836-4070. More information can be found here: https://www.uwec.edu/blugold-card/.

7. Review helpful materials on how to use advising platforms and address holds.

You can login to CampS to familiarize yourself with the platform and look through your academic holds before your orientation day (videos/links provided below). You'll officially remove these holds and learn more about the academic (and student life) process during orientation, so don't worry about completing them beforehand - this is just to help you prepare to ask questions and address concerns with your advisor while on campus.

CampS is the platform you will use to sign up for classes, update your contact information, view your grades, and much more! Feel free to jump back to these videos for future semesters; note - some videos do not have sound. 

Class search and registration tools:

Understanding some academic holds and learning how to remove them:

Below are also some additional tips to using CampS:

  • It is easier to view and navigate CampS using a laptop or computer than it is using a mobile device. 
  • Once you're in CampS, you'll find that there are many ways to complete tasks. We find it is usually easiest to complete all of your tasks by starting in the "Tasks" tile, which can be found under the 'Main Menu.'

Helpful tip: More information on your advising support and major options can be found on our website: https://www.uwec.edu/academics/academic-support/arcc/advising/. We recommend reviewing this information before your day of orientation so you can be prepared with your questions to ask!

After Orientation, and As You Begin Your Semester

9. Attend Blugold Welcome Events!

Blugold Welcome is every incoming Blugold's official, interactive, engaging welcome to campus. Our fall schedule kicks off with move-in and continues through the second week of classes, and our spring schedule occurs the weekend before classes begin. Each year, there are a variety of activities and social get-togethers to connect all incoming Blugolds with campus and the surrounding community, with lots of free food and UWEC swag!

Our fall 2024 schedule will be released in May 2024 - bookmark our page to stay updated on the latest event information!

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AND, make sure to download Blugold Connect+ - our online engagement community platform and app for all UWEC students. Get involved by joining organizations and clubs that you are interested in. Check out events happening around campus, keep up with the latest news, and stay connected to your peers as well as your organizations - ALL RIGHT AT YOUR FINGERTIPS!

Download the Blugold Connect+ app TODAY - available on both the Apple Store & Google Play!

10. Complete your online EDI trainings (there are 3).

To create a safe and inclusive campus experience, all new students must complete 3 trainings: Alcohol.edu, Sexual Assault & Sexual Harassment Prevention, and Diversity & Inclusion. You can expect an email from edi@uwec.edu ahead of your first semester, and can reach out to that same email with any questions.

Failing to complete these trainings may prohibit you from registering for your second semester, so be sure to get them done early on in your first semester.

11. Continue to check your UWEC email (set up on your phone for easy access!)

It's important to routinely check your UWEC email, as it is the main way faculty and staff will communicate with you. You can expect to receive information about advising and registration, upcoming campus events, ways to get prepared for the semester, and more.

It is highly recommended that all students set up email on their phones to ensure timely updates and information. Both processes (for iOS devices and Android devices) are linked below:

Students on campus mall

I love being a Blugold because from the minute I started my freshman year, the Eau Claire campus felt like home! The professors here at UWEC want students to succeed, and I have felt supported and challenged to be the best student I can be. There are so many opportunities being a Blugold has to offer, and I have taken full advantage of them — studying abroad, becoming an RA, and volunteering as a campus ambassador.

Abby Stangler Elementary Education

Apps for Blugolds 

UW-Eau Claire offers free apps to all Blugolds, each offering unique benefits and helpful ways for you to stay connected. 

Navigate Student | Navigate includes important academic reminders, to-do's, schedules and upcoming deadlines specific to you. It is also the primary way to schedule appointments with faculty and staff.

Handshake | Used heavily by our Career Center and employer partners, Handshake allows you to explore work-study opportunities and part-time jobs, discover internships, apply for jobs, and read company reviews — all in one spot.

Blugold Connect+ | Blugold Connect+ was created to provide more of a “one-stop shop” for making connections on campus. The highly intuitive, multipurpose student experience app/platform will maximize ways for students to get connected prior to arriving on campus, throughout their college journey and beyond. Read more about this app's features here. This will be the primary way you hear about student organizations, and major events that happen on campus.

Each of these apps are free, and can be found in the Google Play Store or in the App Store.

  • Questions

    Need help? We're here! Please email orientation@uwec.edu and someone will get back to you shortly.