That New Old Baylor Line

For almost two decades, Baylor Line Camp has been a quintessential component of the new-student experience. Newly minted Bears connect more deeply with the University and each other as they begin their Baylor stories. During the COVID-19 pandemic, Baylor reimagined Line Camp while integrating alternatives that gave incoming students a sense of connection and community.

"This year, there are more opportunities for our incoming students," sophomore Brooke Foreman said. "Line Camp gave me the confidence to get out of my comfort zone. I'm excited for our new students to experience this, too."

New Student Programs, under the direction of Nathan Shelburne, incorporated lessons learned over the past few years, refining an immersive experience that combined New Student Orientation, the introduction to navigating the University, with Baylor Line Camp, an introduction to traditions and a focused time of community-building with classmates.

"The last few years, it felt natural to couple the two together, giving incoming students the option to spend the full week getting to know Baylor," Shelburne said. "And now, we're offering even more sessions."

Baylor is offering 12 Orientation sessions in June and July — 11 of which are combined with Line Camp. This allows incoming students to attend both programs in a single five-day campus experience. Along with hosting advisement virtually, the format gives students the flexibility to efficiently utilize their time before attending Baylor in the fall.

"Our hope is to meet incoming students where they are," Shelburne said. "It can be difficult to travel to Baylor in the summer, and we wanted to continue to be mindful of that."

Current Baylor students who help facilitate and coordinate events like Orientation and Line Camp are committed to making sure new students feel at home when they visit.

"I hope the incoming students know that Baylor is a place for everyone to pursue what they enjoy while getting genuine support from their peers and professors," sophomore Jacey Jamison said. "It's an amazing feeling to have everyone around you helping and rooting for your success."