Questions · Freshman orientation

Freshman orientation icebreakers for a circle of nervous first-years

Questions for orientation leaders and peer mentors: add-ons for the name game, where everyone is from, the nerves and hopes of week one, and how to start finding your people.

  • 17 questions
  • EN + TL on every card
  • Free in the app
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Kumustahan is a bilingual conversation card app: 1,200 questions in English and Filipino across 7 decks, with a short reflection on the back of every card.

Getting to know№ 33

Tell us about a small habit at home that you thought was normal for everyone.

Kuwento mo yung maliit na habit sa bahay na akala mo normal sa lahat.

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A note

Every home has its own normal. Sometimes you only notice it when another house does things differently.

Bawat bahay may sariling normal. Minsan doon mo lang napapansin kapag iba pala ang style sa ibang bahay.

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The questions

17 freshman orientation icebreakers

Every question in English and Filipino/Tagalog, word for word from the Kumustahan decks. Open “Back of the card” for the reflection printed on the other side.

Name-game add-ons

5 questions

Name, hometown, plus one of these. People remember the answer.

  1. Which language would you learn instantly if you woke up fluent tomorrow?

    Kung paggising mo bukas ay marunong ka na ng isang bagong language, ano ang pipiliin mo?

    Back of the card

    Choose the first person you would like to talk to in that language.

    Piliin ang unang taong gusto mong makausap gamit ang wikang iyon.

  2. You receive one free round-trip ticket. Where are you going first?

    May libre kang round-trip ticket. Saan ka pupunta?

    Back of the card

    Choose one thing you would want to do before flying home.

    Pumili ng isang gusto mong gawin bago bumiyahe pauwi.

  3. Share one personal rule that only you seem to understand.

    Mag-share ng isang personal rule na ikaw lang yata ang nakakaintindi.

    Back of the card

    Personal rules can sound strange from the outside. From the inside, they usually have a very clear origin story.

    Minsan weird pakinggan ang personal rules sa iba. Pero sa'yo, usually may malinaw yang origin story.

  4. What is one thing you like that you no longer feel the need to explain?

    Ano yung isang bagay na gusto mo na hindi mo na kailangang i-explain?

    Back of the card

    Some preferences do not need a courtroom defense. They can simply be yours, confidently and without a long speech.

    May preferences na hindi kailangan ng courtroom defense. Sa'yo lang siya, confident, walang mahabang explanation.

  5. Name one small, specific thing you enjoy more than people expect.

    Magbanggit ng isang maliit at specific na bagay na mas enjoy mo kaysa ina-expect ng iba.

    Back of the card

    Specific joys can be tiny clues about a person. They do not need to make sense to everyone to be real.

    Yung specific joys, maliit na clue tungkol sa tao. Hindi kailangan gets ng lahat para maging real.

Where you’re from

4 questions

Not a geography quiz.

  1. Which everyday sound reminds you of home right away?

    Anong everyday sound ang nagpapaalala agad sa'yo ng home?

    Back of the card

    Home is not always a place first. Sometimes it is a sound you recognize before you even think about it.

    Hindi laging lugar agad ang home. Minsan sound siya na kilala mo na bago mo pa isipin.

  2. Tell us about a small habit at home that you thought was normal for everyone.

    Kuwento mo yung maliit na habit sa bahay na akala mo normal sa lahat.

    Back of the card

    Every home has its own normal. Sometimes you only notice it when another house does things differently.

    Bawat bahay may sariling normal. Minsan doon mo lang napapansin kapag iba pala ang style sa ibang bahay.

  3. When you enter a new place, what’s one small thing you notice right away?

    Kapag nasa bagong lugar ka, ano yung isang maliit na bagay na una mong napapansin?

    Back of the card

    What you notice first can hint at what makes a place feel interesting, calm, or welcoming to you.

    Minsan clue yung una mong napapansin kung ano ang nakaka-curious, nakakapagpakalma, o nagpapagaan ng pakiramdam mo.

  4. If someone funded one helpful idea for your neighborhood, what would you build or improve?

    Kung may sasagot sa gastos, ano ang gagawin o aayusin mo para makatulong sa lugar ninyo?

    Back of the card

    Picture its first day in use. What would you be happy to see people doing?

    Isipin ang unang araw na ginagamit na ito. Ano ang ikatutuwa mong ginagawa ng mga tao?

Nerves and hopes

4 questions

Everyone nods. That’s the point.

  1. Name something you are nervous about that still feels worth trying.

    Magsabi ng isang bagay na kinakabahan ka pero parang worth it pa ring subukan.

    Back of the card

    Nerves and courage often show up together. The fear does not automatically mean the step is wrong.

    Madalas magkasama ang kaba at courage. Hindi porket may takot, mali na agad ang step.

  2. When you meet a new friend or group, how do you usually get comfortable?

    Kapag may bago kang friend o group, paano ka usually nagiging comfortable?

    Back of the card

    People warm up at different speeds. Some start with jokes, some with listening, some by quietly showing up again.

    Iba-iba ang pace ng pag-warm up. May dumadaan sa jokes, may sa pakikinig, at may tahimik lang na bumabalik ulit.

  3. When joining a conversation, what helps you feel comfortable enough to take part?

    Ano ang tumutulong para maging komportable kang sumali sa kuwentuhan?

    Back of the card

    You can invent a first line you would enjoy hearing when you join.

    Puwede kang gumawa ng unang linyang gusto mong marinig kapag nakisali ka.

  4. Which small plan are you looking forward to?

    Anong small plan ang nilu-look forward mo?

    Back of the card

    Looking forward to something simple can help a week feel kinder. Small plans are allowed to matter.

    Nakakagaan ng week kapag may simpleng nilu-look forward. Puwedeng maging mahalaga kahit maliit na plan lang.

Finding your people

4 questions

Before the group splits up.

  1. When joining friends for an activity, what helps you feel included?

    Kapag may activity ang friends, ano ang nagpaparamdam na kasama ka rin?

    Back of the card

    Being invited and being able to join are not always the same thing.

    Hindi laging pareho ang niyayaya ka at ang kaya mong sumali.

  2. What simple invitation could brighten a friend's ordinary day?

    Anong simpleng yaya ang puwedeng magpasaya sa normal na araw ng friend?

    Back of the card

    Keep the invitation short enough to send as one message.

    Puwedeng maikli lang ang yaya, kasya sa isang message.

  3. How would you like friends to react when you share good news?

    Paano mo gustong mag-react ang friends kapag may good news ka?

    Back of the card

    A loud cheer or a quiet “I'm happy for you” — which fits this news?

    Malakas na cheer o tahimik na “Masaya ako para sa'yo” — alin ang bagay sa balitang ito?

  4. Choose a nearby place you would like to explore with a friend.

    Pumili ng malapit na lugar na gusto mong puntahan kasama ang friend.

    Back of the card

    Imagine finding an unexpected favorite corner there.

    Isipin na may makikita kang sulok doon na magiging paborito mo.

How to use them

Before you ask

An orientation icebreaker has to work for eighteen-year-olds who are exhausted, homesick and trying hard to seem fine. The best ones are light enough to answer while nervous and specific enough that people remember each other afterward: the one who’d wake up fluent in Korean, not the one from Ohio.

Start with a name-game add-on: name, hometown, plus one imaginative answer. Then ask about where they’re from in a way that isn’t a geography quiz, like the everyday sound that reminds them of home, or a habit they assumed every family had. Those answers start conversations between people from very different places.

Before the group splits up, ask about nerves and hopes. Admitting you’re nervous in a circle where everyone nods is one of the most useful things orientation can offer. Close with finding your people: what helps them feel included, and a spot near campus they’d like to explore with someone new.

Good for

  • College orientation groups
  • Welcome week activities
  • Peer mentor first meetings
  • Transfer student orientation
  • First-year seminars

Tips

  1. Learn names with a memory hook: repeat each name with that person’s answer.
  2. Go first as the leader, and admit you were nervous too.
  3. Mix up the groups for the last activity so people meet a second circle.
  4. Share a group chat link only if everyone agrees.

Decks for this

Freshman orientation

Frequently asked questions

What are good icebreakers for freshman orientation?

A name game with an imaginative add-on, questions about home that aren’t a geography quiz, a nerves-and-hopes round, and questions about finding friends, like what helps them feel included.

How do orientation leaders run an icebreaker?

Keep groups to ten or twelve, go first, give everyone the same question, and repeat each name with its answer. Keep it moving and finish before the energy drops.

How do first-year students make friends at orientation?

Talk to people from your group again later, suggest one simple plan, like exploring a spot on campus together, and keep showing up to the events that follow.

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