Columbia College Orientation

Attend one in-person event. Go Columbia Orientation Days are led by Student Orientation Leaders and held throughout the summer months to provide new students with our most interactive and personalized connections, initial campus experiences, and a campus tour! Email claimjumpers@yosemite.edu to learn more.

Our in-person Orientation days are designed to connect you with campus life and the people that are here to help you succeed. As an attendee of orientation, you will receive FREE giveaways, lunch, and increase your priority registration level to help get the classes you want!

Click this Starfish link to sign up for Summer Orientation. This will lead you to a scheduling screen where you will select "Orientation" as your appointment reason, and then expand the calendar dates to include May and August. Click the time slot and continue. Once you can see the scheduled appointment be sure to click “Confirm” in the bottom right to sign up. You will receive a confirmation email with more details once you have signed up!

If you need assistance with registration, please call 209.588.2194 and our Student Ambassadors will be happy to help. We look forward to seeing you this Summer!

Go Columbia Days for Summer 2024: May dates are designed for our local high schools to bring their first-time freshman onto campus and August dates are open to all new and continuing students.

High School Dates: May 14th, 15th, 21st and 23rd
Students are encouraged to sign-up with their High Schools to attend these days in May

Open to ALL new Students: August 6th and 7th

Sign up by clicking here or call (209) 588-5111

If you cannot attend a Claim Jumper Day prior to your first semester, consider adding a GUIDE 8 or GUIDE 18 course in your first semester to receive the same credit for completing orientation. Guidance courses are taught by our Academic Counselors.

• Guidance 8 Introduction to College (0.5 to 1 units): Explore the resources and tools needed to take charge of your educational experience and maximize your academic success. Identify successful college behaviors, Columbia College support resources, general expectations of college culture, and college pathway options. Students will gain an understanding of educational planning and transfer processes and according to their needs and goals, each student may complete an educational plan with a counselor individually, in a group, or online. Topics covered include academic renewal, grading policy, advanced placement credit, academic and progress probation and dismissal, educational planning, requirements for the associate degree, certificates of achievement and transfer to the four-year university, and other topics related to the use of the programs and services at Columbia College. Such topics include financial aid, tutoring, counseling, special services for students with disabilities, career planning and job placement. Offered for Pass/No Pass grading only.
  Transfer: CSU

• Guidance 18 Life Skills for Higher Education (3 units): This course presents strategies for first-year students to thrive in the culture of higher education. By taking a holistic approach to college success, educational planning, and lifelong learning, students will develop self-understanding as they examine topics such as: motivation and attitudes, values, goal setting, creative and critical thinking, stress management, personal wellness, learning and personality theories, time management, study skills, interpersonal communication, cultural diversity, college expectations and etiquette, and how to build a community for academic and personal support. An educational plan is a course requirement.
  Transfer: CSU/UC

If an in-person option is not possible for your, we have our self-paced Online Orientation. The Online Orientation is broken up into six short modules. You will not qualify for priority registration until the final "Beyond Orientation" module is complete and you answer all 6 questions correctly. Use your Columbia College email address and password to access or review the Online Orientation anytime!

1. Required Communication Tools
2. Get Registration-Ready!
3. Registration & Semester Start-Up
4. Fundamental Foundations
5. Campus Policies & Your Safety
6. Beyond Orientation

This information is available for students to enter as many times as needed to be able to reference any of the information as needed.