(Left to right) Elly Suh, Will Cooper, and Kyung Eun Na posed in front of the Manhattan skyline on the cruise. (Photo by Sabrina Tanbara) For more images and quotes from orientation Slide Show: Orientation.

Every August, Juilliard becomes fresh all over again—seen through the eyes of the first-time students as they arrive to begin the process of acclimation to the School and New York City. This year, under the wings of 20 orientation leaders, the initiates plunged into an action-packed week and a half of excursions to museums, shopping trips, information sessions, games and yoga classes, Broadway shows, a Juilliard World Idol competition, a Circle Line cruise, and many more activities. It all began on August 29, and by the time the whirlwind ended on September 7, fears were banished, friendships made—and the newest members of the Juilliard community settled in as the school year began in earnest.