
Virtual SOAR Required Content
To make the most of your virtual SOAR experience, we highly encourage students and their supporters to download the UW Events App to access our complete virtual SOAR program. If you are unable to download the UW Events App, Please explore this page for important information about campus life and resources to navigate the transition to UW–Madison.

Required Content
All Virtual students are required to participate in the following four areas of orientation programming. Please check your email to access Zoom links for live programming.
Sign up for your required small group
This is required for all incoming students.
In this small group session you will get to meet other incoming Badgers, get your questions answered, and learn about campus resources. Content warning, small groups involve discussion surrounding sensitive topics such as drugs/alcohol and consent.

Q & A panels
During our Orientation Leader panel you and your supporters will have the opportunity to ask our Orientation Leaders any questions you have about UW–Madison. There are two panels offered each day, one at 9am CDT and the other at 3pm CDT. They are one hour long via Zoom and are not recorded. Captioning will be provided via Zoom.

Live presentations
There will be four live presentations from campus partners to provide critical information to aid in successful transitions to UW–Madison. These presentations will be via Zoom from 10:00-10:30 am CDT, Tuesday-Friday with one presentation per day. Presentations include: involvement, housing, safety, and career support.

Resources
Explore the links below to learn more about resources available at UW–Madison to help students navigate their transition to UW–Madison. These content areas are the same content areas shared with in-person SOAR participants.

Welcome to UW–Madison!
We are SOAR excited that you are here! Please engage with the different tiles below to learn about campus resources and living in the badger community.
Academics and Career Support
In addition to academic advising, UW–Madison has a variety of ways that we support students academic and career pursuits. This includes 15 learning support centers, first-year seminars, and the many career services offices. To learn more about academics and career support at UW–Madison visit the links below.

Wellbeing
UW–Madison is committed to support students developing a strong sense of wellbeing. This includes services such as University health Services (UHS) who aid in mental and physical Health. RecWell who encourage students to be fit and live well. And finally, UW Police Department who promotes and ensures the safety of our campus community.

Involvement
At UW–Madison involvement takes on a variety of different forms allowing students to develop their sense of belonging in our shared community. Involvement can include student organizations, jobs, research, volunteering, and so much more. Explore the links below to see how you can get involved and make Madison feel more like home.
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Morgridge Center for Public Service
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Research
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Office for Student Organizations, Leadership & Involvement

Living in the Badger Community
Whether you live on or off campus living in the badger community is a key aspect of being a UW–Madison student. Below you will find resources about housing, transportation, and the Wiscard (your student ID).

Wisconsin Welcome
At UW–Madison we do not just do a welcome week, we do an entire welcome moth. from move in to early October, there will be a variety of events catered to new students to foster a sense of belonging to the badger community. Check out the link below to learn more about Wisconsin Welcome, popular events, and how to download the guide.

International Student Services
International Student Services (ISS) is here to support international students at UW through four key areas advising, compliance, operations, and global engagement. Learn more about ISS and how they can support your transition to UW–Madison.

Virtual Resource Fair
Q & A Panel FAQs
We recommend you visit It.wisc.edu for more information
There are a variety of ways to make friends and build community some common ways include:
- Student organizations
- Badger Volunteers
- Wisconsin Welcome
- Student jobs
- Residence Halls
- Intramural and club sports
Between move in and classes starting there are hundreds of events for new students to meet other new students. This is called Wisconsin Welcome and lasts the first five weeks of the semester. Some favorite events include the Convocation and the W Project. Learn more about Wisconsin Welcome here.
Balancing courses and extra curricular activities can definitely be complex, yet there are a many strategies our students have used to manage their time.
Many find that being more involved helps with their time management, because it prevents them from procrastinating.
Having an origination system can also be helpful. This can include a physical planner or utilizing a digital calendar, such as, Google Calendar.
Some common items include:
- Slippers
- Playing Cards
- First Aid items
- Umbrella
- Winter boots/rain boots
- Batteries
Something that many of our students have stated that they wish they would have known is that it takes time to make friends and build community. Many of our students have stated that they did not make their strongest friendships till the end of their first or second year.
There are a few intercity buses that bring students to Chicago, the Twin Cities, and Milwaukee. For more information about intercity busses, check out the Transportation Services website.
























