Move In Day at Nashville Bible College, 2026.
NBC’s Welcome Week sets aside time before classes start for students to settle in, meet new classmates or reconnect with friends, and go through helpful orientation. There will be scheduled events, but there will also be plenty of free time to relax and get adjusted!
Moving In and Feeling at Home
As a brand new student, and being new to Tennessee, I was extremely grateful for the extra time to get familiar with my new surroundings during this year’s Welcome Week. During move-in, the resident director and RAs were readily available to answer questions and help with the move-in process. The culture was immediately so warm and inviting.
That evening, parents were invited to a short meeting to learn more about what to expect in the coming academic year, which I know my parents appreciated. After that, we had a few free hours to get dinner together and explore a little bit of Nashville before attending a prayer and worship night with the rest of the students and their families.
Mesa Moto showed up at our student pool party, serving delicious food on site.
Roommate Dates, Pool Parties, and New Friendships
Planned events throughout the week are geared toward forming genuine friendships and giving students energy and motivation for the approaching school year.
This year, we went on a “roommate date,” which was a great way to get to know the person I would be sharing a space with. Roommate dates can be anything at all! My roommate and I drove around downtown Nashville, got ice cream, and went thrifting. Others have gone to local festivals, stayed home and watched a movie together, or gone hiking, as just a few examples.
A student’s family also hosted an evening pool party. All were welcome to play games or just relax in the water, and delicious food was provided by the Mesa Moto food truck. The night ended with cookies and a comforting devotional message.
On another evening, students were gathered in the college building to hang out, eat snacks, and share testimonies from the summer! Several students had gone abroad, and it was a blessing to hear their stories of how the Lord worked through them for the good of others while also teaching them how to lean on Him in an unfamiliar environment.
After a summer apart, our Launch Party event brought together students, families, alumni and staff to kick off the year together.
Getting to Know Each Other
As a brand new student, I greatly appreciated just how intentional the staff and other students were in making sure no one felt like they were outside of the circle. One of the most noticeable ways this was done was by asking good questions. We were all encouraged to do this.
Once during freshman orientation, we got into a group and completed a small challenge that was intended to help us ask good questions while getting to know each other. We all wrote down an interesting question on a card. The cards were shuffled and passed out at random. We each then answered the question on the card we were given.
As someone who deeply dislikes vague icebreaker questions such as, “Tell us an interesting fact about yourself,” I loved that we got to answer specific, thoughtful questions like, “How have your parents impacted your faith?” or “What childhood movie or show do you think has shaped a little bit of your personality?”
Praying together for a year full of God’s spirit.
Preparing for the First Day of Classes
This freshman orientation took place during the first half of the week while returning students reported to their ProDev placements, and orientation for all students followed in the second half of the week.
These orientations brought so much clarity. We had a chance to meet with our academic and financial advisors to discuss what the upcoming term would look like, and how to manage our school bills.
The onboarding process with programs like Logos and Populi helped me to understand the study tools that are available to me, how to access my calendar and assignments, and how to check my grades for each class, among other things.
We also went over meal plans—specifically how to order meals and what alternate nutrition options are available for those with allergies or sensitivities.
Overall, Welcome Week was a lovely experience. It eased us all into our new routines without overloading our minds with information or our calendars with back-to-back events. I never once felt like I had too much on my plate, nor was I ever bored. I truly felt welcome at NBC!
