The China Gateway hosted pre-departure orientation (PDO) sessions for students admitted in 2020 and 2021 in collaboration with the offices of International Affairs, Student Academic Success and Student Life. Three hundred and forty nine students and parents attended PDO this year, with 174 people attending virtually and 175 people attending in-person in Beijing and Shanghai.

During the PDO sessions, university leaders delivered welcoming messages, including Vice Provost for Global Strategies and International Affairs Gil Latz, Senior Vice President for Student Life Melissa Shivers, Dean of Undergraduate Education and Senior Vice Provost for Student Academic Success Beth Hume. Students and their families learned about academic expectations, campus involvement, cultural adjustments, health and safety, vaccinations and many useful resources at Ohio State. 

“PDO has become a tradition for welcoming Chinese students and families to the Buckeye family, and we hope to continue this tradition virtually and face to face,” said Phoebe You, director of the China Gateway.

At the in-person PDO sessions, alumni and parents volunteered to discuss their academic and cultural experiences at Ohio State. Twenty student volunteers supported the in-person PDO sessions by answering questions from students and parents using their own personal experience. 

A mother of an incoming freshman said, “We received several offers from many U.S. universities, and Ohio State is the only one hosting a program like this, and we felt much more comfortable of sending our daughter to Ohio State.”