The Catholic University of America's Smart Start program is a pre-orientation program facilitated by DSS for incoming students who are registered with our office.
Goals of Smart Start
- To help students new to CUA prepare for their college experience through targeted programming offered by DSS
- To assist students that are living on campus by providing additional time to move in to their residence hall room
- Students can move in as early as Monday, August 18th or later that week
- To introduce our newly registered students and their family to the DSS staff while attending informative sessions on the services and programs offered
- To review and understand how the most common academic accommodations are managed in practice and learn how to access various services provided by DSS
- To learn about campus resources and support partners available to students
- To begin the development of self-advocacy and a sense of community with other DSS registered students
Dates & Times
DSS will offer Smart Start as both an in-person and as a virtual program, over two days of programming:
- Tuesday August 19th from 9:00am - 3:00pm (approx.) for students and parents. Lunch will be provided to students and their family.
- Wednesday August 20th from 8:30am - 1:00pm (approx.) for students only. Breakfast and Lunch will be provided to students.
Smart Start 2025 schedule will be coming soon
Register for Smart Start
Students must first be registered with DSS before signing up for Smart Start. Visit our How To Register page to begin the process.
Once registered and an accommodations plan has been developed, you will be sent a Smart Start Participation Form to complete before August 7th, 2025.