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New Student Orientation

Welcome to LWTech!

We are all so excited to welcome you to be part of our LWTech family. New Student Orientation is designed to introduce you to what it means to be a student at LWTech. There are two orientation experiences for all new students. Learn more below.

Vaccination Requirements

If you plan to come to campus for any reason (attending classes or accessing other services), you must attest to your vaccination status. If you haven’t already done so please complete this process as soon as possible.

When you go to the link you have the options of:

  • Attesting to the type and dates of the COVID-19 vaccine you have received OR
  • Attesting that you have a medical exemption OR
  • Attesting that you have a sincerely held religious exemption

If you attest to a medical exemption, a college employee will send you a form that must be filled out by your healthcare provider. Please return the form promptly so it can be reviewed as part of your exemption request. Approval or denial will be communicated in writing to your student email address.

If you attest a sincerely held religious belief has led to your exemption, a college employee will review your request and an approval or denial will be communicated in writing to your student email address.

You can read more about how to plan for your visit to campus on our website.

Fall Quarter New Student Orientation

Book Your Space in Fall Orientation Today

Welcome! LWTech is bringing its new student orientation back to campus. All new students, and those been with us for a quarter or two, are invited to attend our orientation experiences.

September 21, 2022

Location: West Building, 4th floor

Morning Orientation

Afternoon Orientation

  • 2 p.m. Check In
  • 3 p.m. Meet Program Faculty
  • 4:30 p.m. Abbreviated Orientation
    • Welcome
    • Evening student life
    • Advising
    • Resources 

September 22, 2022

Location: West Building, second floor

Informal Student To Do Day

  • 8 a.m. Find Your Way
    • We'll welcome you to campus, offering you to connect to your destination.
  • 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.
    • Online, virtual orientation drop in. Join us using Teams, LWTech's new online classroom experience. You'll meet LWTech staff who can answer your questions, or offer referrals to get your questions answered.
  • 9:30 a.m. to 12 p.m.
    • Informal Resource Fair. You'll meet folks from Student Services and will have the option to ask them questions.
  • 10 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Advising Drop-In
    • In person or virtual drop-in advising begins. 
      • Drop-in advising is a first-come, first-served time to meet with an available advisor without an appointment. Information about drop-in is available on the main Advising Webpage.
        • Drop-in is intended for students who have quick questions that take no longer than 15 minutes to answer.
        • Drop-in is the fastest way to reach an advisor.
        • Drop-in details are available on the main Advising webpage.

Note. Due to scheduling, logistics, and college needs, times are approximate. If changes are made to this schedule, all participants will be notified to the best of our ability. Schedule changes will be made here, also.

Student Support Services

Advising, Assessment, Counseling, Disability Services, Financial Aid, Enrollment Services, TRIO, Veteran’s Services, High School Programs, and WorkForce Development are open and available on campus Monday through Thursday. Friday appointments are by request. These offices also schedule online appointments throughout the week. Be sure to check out our website for specific department office hours. All of us at LWTech are here to support you. Be sure to reach out to your advisor, faculty, or a member of our staff if you need assistance during the quarter.

Technology Support

As in previous quarters, the college has technology available for students to borrow, including basic tablets with internet access, laptops, and webcams. To learn more, visit our website where you can submit your technology request. We also have tutoring available to you in the Learning Lab, which is now located in the Library in room Technology Center, T217.

Online New Student Orientation

Take our free and self-paced New Student Online Orientation and go through our open, and non-timed orientation. Complete the orientation by clicking through the end of the orientation to take a short quiz. Your quiz will be counted as you completing the online orientation.

Start the New Student Online Orientation

New Student Services Navigation Information

As a new student, there are many things to be aware of. Whether you are in one of our specialty populations, coming back after years of being out of college, or it is your first time in college you have much in common with everyone, you need to start somewhere. The information below can help navigate the various services available to students as you get ready for your first quarter. 

After you figure out your first quarter, you will continue to learn more about the college and find connections that will help with social and academic success. Please use the information below to learn what services or supports we believe are important for students before their first quarter.

All students have some level of access to apply for funding through financial aid by using the Free Financial Aid for Student Aid application. This application is online, and managed through the federal government. It is recommended any student applying for federal aid to attend LWTech apply using the FAFSA at least three months in advance of starting their first quarter. Processing time may limit a student's ability to pay for tuition and supplies.

Other funding options might be available from scholarships or through LWTech's Worker Retraining Department. 

Finally, all students are encouraged to learn more about scholarships that can supplement costs to attend.

A great resource for all students is the Student Handbook that can help you learn more about academic and student life. The student handbook is for all students and covers resources and services all students are eligible to use.

All students need to take the time to get their student identification card. That card is used for entering campus while we are in remote operations, accessing library materials online or in person.

Students can find the textbooks needed for their classes by visiting the bookstore’s webpage. You will need your class schedule when using the bookstore textbook search function. Use LionsLink to get a copy of your schedule to look for textbooks.

Canvas is LWTech's online learning software. This is the system you will use when taking any classes that are online, have a hybrid component, or faculty use for holding information. There are several help pages that outline problem solving, if you have any issues figuring out how to use the software.

At some point, all students will use the college bookstore to purchase unique supplies, books, buy college apparel, or get a snack. 

Legend is your way to connect with your academic advisor and professor about how you are doing in your class. You will see academic plans, kudos, and resources you can use for academic success.

There are several maps available for you to use when figuring out where your labs and classes are. There are four buildings that make up the total campus buildings and each building has different services, amenities, classrooms, or labs in them.

Generally speaking, this is the list of building with their services:

  • West building includes classrooms, labs, student services, human resources, and the president's office.
  • East building includes several classrooms and labs. It also includes food for purchase, student activities and student government, TRIO, and the RISE and Fitness centers.
  • Allied Health building includes classrooms and labs for health care programs.
  • Technology center includes classrooms, labs, the library, and the information technology department. 
There are several options for student involvement including attending student activities, starting or joining a student club, engaging with student government, visiting the veteran center, or utilizing the RISE Center. 
Finally, if you cannot find information you need here or at other webpages, please visit the ASK Me webpage and ask your question. A college employee will get back to you with an answer.

College After COVID-19

LWTech is committed to the physical and emotional safety of our students. Managing academic course work through the pandemic has been difficulty for many students. LWTech recognizes that many of our students coming to campus fall quarter will have been in remote learning for over two years. To help with managing coming back to campus, please use these tips for a successful academic and social experience.

The pace of in-person learning tends to be much faster than in online learning, and you need to be aware that professors will expect reading and studying to be done prior to in-person lectures, discussions, labs, or projects. While the volume of online learning may be greater, the pace of in-person instruction means that you arrive prepared, ready to listen, and able to keep up, as lectures cannot be paused or replayed, like online content.

If you thrived in online learning environments where you were often able to focus entirely on content, being in-person means having to spend little mental energy on understanding the nuances and impacts of social dynamics on the learning process. A return to in-person learning means that you will need to again consider social interactions and manage your social environment.

  • How will you join small learning groups?
  • How many questions are appropriate for your classroom environment?
  • Are you comfortable walking into a room full of people?

There are no right or wrong answers, but thinking through some of the likely scenarios can help you feel more prepared for in-person instruction.

In-person learning means a return to not only a social environment, but also one with a host of sensory inputs which may feel overwhelming or overstimulating. While at-home, online learning meant you could dress comfortably, and were often in a comfortable environment of your own choosing, a return to in-person learning will mean being prepared for a host of sensory inputs—sights, sounds, smells, etc., which were often not a part of the home learning experience. If at all possible, consider increasing your exposure to sensory input early, in non-learning environments, so as to reduce the likelihood of sensory overload/overstimulation in a classroom.
Online learning often meant you could roll out of bed, into some comfy clothes, and over to your computer, desk, or learning station, which was still set up from the day before, and it’s possible that the entire preparation time lasted under 10 minutes. A return to in-person learning means that you will have to schedule in ample preparation time to get up, get fed, bathed, dressed for public (not just the portion of themselves visible in a video conference!), and then travel out of your living space and into a classroom. What once took 10 minutes, might now take an hour or more. Additionally, walking out the door means remembering all of the things that are needed for the day—school supplies, chargers, food, water, etc. Consider starting out with a checklist of all the important items needed for a day of in-person learning, to ensure you are prepared for the day ahead, until these steps are re-integrated as habits.
A return to in-person learning is exciting, but it is going to take everyone some time to get back into the flow of “normal life” after so many months having been disrupted by the COVID-19 pandemic. You and your classmates, professors, and school administrators and personnel will all be working on reintegrating into old and new ways of doing things. Be patient with yourself— and others—as you work your way back into in-person learning. Change takes time, and we are all navigating this new world together. Talk to friends, professors, and others if things are feeling hard or overwhelming, as engagement with support systems early on will provide students the best opportunity to course-correct if things get off to a rocky start. 
Returning to in-person classes may mean some extra steps, and new challenges, but it also will open new opportunities for social connections, intellectual conversations, and positive learning experiences. Online learning has a lot of advantages, but in-person learning does as well, and as we begin to open back up after the pandemic students around the country can look forward to a return to dynamic and engaging learning opportunities.

Content referenced from Mansfield Hall, an online, student focused living and learning community.

Have a great quarter! We hope you tailor your LWTech experience to meet your expectations. If we can help in anyway, please let us know.

New Student Orientation
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Contact Info

Kirkland Campus
(425) 739-8100


Washington Relay (TRS)
711

  Kirkland Campus
11605 132nd Avenue NE
Kirkland, WA 98034

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Mon-Fri, 7:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.

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Mon-Thurs, 6 a.m. to 10 p.m.
Friday, Closed to the public
Sat-Sun, Closed

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