The Blue
Tribune
The Blue Tribune is your place to learn about all things Covenant and keep up with stories from campus and beyond. By guiding you through the different aspects of Covenant, we'll help you decide if you want to pursue your very own Covenant experience.
What is NSO?
Starting college can feel overwhelming鈥攅specially when you鈥檙e stepping into an unfamiliar place for the first time. New Scots Orientation (NSO) eases the transition. Whether you鈥檙e a first-time freshman or a transfer student, this orientation helps you wade into college life with support, connection, and confidence.
Connect
Scots Connect, which can be found in your application portal, usually begins in early June. It is required for all incoming students and includes several ongoing steps that must be completed before arriving on campus. It provides opportunities to hear from student leaders and faculty, take placement tests, pre-register for classes, submit medical records, and housing requests鈥攁ll intended to integrate you into the college!
Engage
Engage is an optional summer event for incoming students to meet their peers and get to know the campus and surrounding areas. During this fun two-night experience, students meet with academic advisors, complete placement tests in person, check off tasks for the upcoming semester, and get to know each other while playing games, worshiping, and exploring Chattanooga. The best part about Engage is the whitewater rafting trip nearby on the Ocoee! Engage is a great way to get to know some of the people you'll be spending the next several years with.
Embark: Move-In Day
Embark, the final portion of NSO, includes Move-In Day and O-Week (Orientation Week) before classes start. There are two move-in slots that occur prior to the official Move-In Day for the entire student body.
International Student Orientation (ISO) starts slightly earlier than the college-wide Move-In Day and is designed for students who have lived abroad, such as those on an F-1 visa, military kids, and missionary kids, to settle in a little earlier than their peers from the U.S. ISO gives students time to get their U.S. driver鈥檚 license, get to know other current and incoming students, and take a deep breath before heading into the semester.
Student-athletes also move in earlier as they usually begin training, team bonding, and practices before the majority of the student body arrives on campus, preparing for the season just around the corner.
Embark: O-Week
Orientation Week is pretty self-explanatory鈥搉ew students move in and meet their O-Team leaders who show them around Covenant, teaching them a bit about what it鈥檚 like to be a student. O-Week includes games, wrapping up last-minute tasks, attending various lectures, and participating in service projects.
There are a lot of moving parts to Embark, which is why there is an app for students and families to keep track of events, access a campus map (which they will also have a physical copy of in their welcome packet), and find contact information for those in charge of a successful orientation.
Students are prayed for by name by many in the Covenant community throughout the entire admissions process. In fact, the night before Move-In Day, student leaders, faculty, and staff take part in a prayer walk. All residential floors and buildings across campus are prayed over as incoming and returning students are lifted in prayer.
Entering into a new life stage like college can be hard, but with the right resources and support provided by NSO and prayer from a loving community, we know you鈥檒l have what you need to thrive at Covenant college. Hope to see you soon!