Admitted students (also known as “admits”) will register for Experience Soka through their Admitted Student Portal (also known as your GoSoka! Account). Registration for Experience Soka has four components which must be completed by the registration deadline of April 1st at 11:59pm (PST). The four components are: Register student attendance and submit signed waivers, Register family member attendance (if a family member will be accompanying you), Make Academic Class Selections, and Submit Travel Itinerary Form. 

Admitted students (also known as admits) registering to attend Experience Soka must acknowledge the New Admit Agreement to Participate and sign the “Digital Waiver for Participation and Photo Release Waiver” in order to submit their registration for Experience Soka by the deadline of April 1st at 11:59pm (PST). Admits under the age of 18 at the time of registration will need for a parent/guardian to verify and submit their digital waiver form on their behalf. 

How will my parent/guardian verify my digital waiver form if I am under 18 years old? 

Admits may download and print their own copy from their Admitted Student Portal after registering for Experience Soka. A template letter is located under “Your Registration Checklist.” If you would like to request a personalized letter, please contact your Admission Counselor directly (preferably before you arrive on campus).

You may update your Travel Itinerary up until the registration period ends on April 1st at 11:59 (PST). Admits should log in to their Experience Soka Registration within their Admitted Student Portal to make changes to their Travel Itinerary. Any changes after April 1st will need to be discussed with your Admission Counselor.  

Admits will need to email/call their Admission Counselor to request a change once they make their initial Academic Class Selection. Class sections quickly fill up and close out so make selections at your earliest convenience.  

We recommend a new admit come on Friday if they are unable to stay for the entire event. We ask that admits email/call their Admission Counselor in advance of April 1st if they will need to modify their time on campus during Experience Soka due to extenuating circumstances. We will assist you in planning a personalized schedule. For all other participants, we expect that admits will attend the full event and attend all sessions to get the most comprehensive view of Soka University. There are options within several sessions to give admits the opportunity to customize their experience; additionally, all evening activities are optional. If an admit leaves campus without prior approval, their registration will be nullified and they will not be able to return to the event (as clarified in the “New Admit Agreement to Participate”). We ask that students plan to stay until 2:30pm on Saturday.  

Admits with extenuating circumstances or who must travel more than 150 miles from their home residence to participate in Experience Soka are eligible for an additional overnight stay on Thursday, so they do not miss any sessions on Friday. Since Thursday is a school night, the number of hosts is limited so an early arrival on Thursday must be approved in advance of April 1st. Email your Admission Counselor if you will be traveling more than 150 miles to attend Experience Soka to request early arrival accommodations for Thursday. Be sure to confirm your Thursday accommodations with your Admission Counselor before booking your flight/train/rental car reservations. All approved early arrival admits must fully complete their Travel Itinerary Form by April 1st.  

It is the responsibility of the admit to get themselves to campus for Experience Soka unless prior arrangements are approved and confirmed.  

Admits traveling alone from out of area may request a spot on a select few complimentary Soka-sponsored shuttles we will be offering on Thursday and Saturday (no family members allowed on the Soka-sponsored shuttles). Admits requesting a spot on a Soka-sponsored shuttle must contact their Admission Counselor before April 1st to see if their flight/train/bus itinerary matches with a departing shuttle. Once confirmed, they will need to fully complete their Travel Itinerary Form before April 1st. Due to timing, students may need to wait at the airport/station for a while (we will have Soka staff strategically located at Los Angeles International Airport (LAX), John Wayne Airport (SNA), as well as Long Beach Airport (LGB) for part of Thursday). Please know that any request is not a confirmed or guaranteed a spot on a Soka-sponsored shuttle. 

Generally speaking, Soka-sponsored shuttles will be connecting with LAX (Los Angeles Interational), SNA (John Wayne/Santa Ana), and LGB (Long Beach) airports as well as the Irvine Station (Amtrak, OCTA Buses), and the Laguna Niguel/Mission Viejo Train Station (Metrolink).  

On Thursday, for inbound admits, Soka-sponsored shuttles will be running between 11am and 6pm. If a student’s flight comes in after the last shuttle has departed, they will need to make their own arrangements to campus. The latest a student can check in on Thursday is 10pm when campus closes to the public.  

On Saturday, for outbound students, Soka-sponsored shuttles will depart campus between 3:30pm and 5:30pm. For your knowledge, when making flight/train/bus time selections, shuttles departing Soka University of America (SUA) for the airport can take the following general times, depending on Saturday traffic: SUA to LAX can take 2 hours, SUA to LGB can take 1 hour, SUA to SNA or the Irvine Station can take 30 minutes, and SUA to the Laguna Niguel/Mission Viejo train station can take 15 minutes. Be sure to plan ahead to have plenty of time to comfortably go through airport security as well.  

Admits traveling to and from Soka will need money to purchase food or other amenities at an airport. Transport to and from the airport to campus will also require money (unless you are confirmed to use a Soka-sponsored shuttle). On campus, admits may require money only if they wish to buy gifts at the SUA Bookstore which will be open during designated parts of Experience Soka. There is a Capstone Federal Credit Union ATM on campus.

Soka University student hosts apply, are interviewed, and deliberately selected to be part of “The Pride.” Hosts are trained to foster a safe and authentic environment for new admits. To the best of our ability, we match hosts and admits based on shared interests. As such, be specific in sharing your passions in your registration.  

Our Bistro provides gluten-free, vegan and vegetarian options at every meal (common food allergy warnings will be listed at the Bistro stations during meal times). Please indicate in the “Additional Info” section of your registration any food restrictions so we can be aware.

We ask that family or friends do not schedule time to visit you from Thursday through Saturday afternoon as they can be a distraction from the event. There is a distinct family schedule of events for Friday, as well as Talent Blast on Saturday just before pick-up. Family members planning to stay for the family schedule of events should register during the Parent Registration section of the admit’s registration. 

Admits participating in Experience Soka are not able to leave campus independently except on the school sponsored bus ride to Aliso Creek Bear for the BONDfire. This is for safety and accountability reasons. Any student who leaves campus without permission during the event will in essence be terminating their ability to return to the event.  
 

Please see the Hotels, Dining, and Entertainment section of our website to learn more about local lodging options; there are great Airbnb’s around Orange County as well.  

You must bring your own sleeping bag, pillow, toiletries (including Over the Counter and Prescription Medications), and clothing (bring a sweater, hoodie, or jacket for the BONDFire). If you intend to do the Saturday Early morning options of Morning Workout or Garden Time, you may want to bring workout clothes/clothes to get a little dirt on. Contact your Admission Counselor as soon as possible if you are unable to bring your own sleeping bag so we can make arrangements for your bedding during the event. We offer complimentary Wi-Fi to guests but we recommend you leave your laptop or tablet at home since Soka is not responsible for misplaced electronics.  

Not necessarily, you can always dress for the twenty teens (aka 2019). If you would like to dress up to the theme, please keep it classy and be mindful of potential misinterpretation. Inappropriate costumes will not be admitted; if you have questions, please feel encouraged to reach out to your Admission Counselor to dialogue.  

Early April in Southern California is usually sunny and 68-72 degrees, but it can rain! At night the temperature can drop to about 50 degrees and while we are the beach for the BONDfire, the temperature will also notably drop (BRING LAYERS!) 

There will be planned activities all day Friday and most of Saturday so we highly recommend that you come to the event with minimal outside obligations.  

Admits and family members will both have separate times within the schedule to individually speak to Financial Aid and Student Affairs staff members. The intention of the joint Welcome Session on Friday is to introduce key staff members and their roles within the Soka community so interested admits and families can decide who to meet with later during the event.  

 Families will have time to meet with Student Affairs during the Soka Community Meet and Greet and to schedule Financial Aid meetings during morning registration. Admits will have time to schedule individual meetings with either Student Affairs or Financial Aid during Friday Lunch for the Take 5 scheduled timeframe. If you wish to speak with a specific office outside of Student Affairs or Financial Aid, we ask that you call your Admission Counselor by April 1st so we can try to make special arrangements.  

Families can also schedule a 30-minute phone/skype call with the Office of Financial Aid throughout the rest of the month of April; contact your Admission counselor to schedule this conversation.  

As a campus-wide policy, Soka staff cannot distribute medicine to visitors (student or family member) and there is no place to purchase over the counter medications on campus. As such, any student who feels unwell will need to speak with an Admission staff member to request being driven to Town Center to purchase their own medication from the local pharmacy (e.g. CVS) as needed.

If a campus visitor (student or family member) needs to access urgent or emergency care, the nearest facilities to the Soka campus are South Coast Medical Group Urgent Care (located in Aliso Viejo), Saddleback Memorial Medical Center (Laguna Hills emergency room) or Mission Hospital (Mission Viejo emergency room). Admits might consider bringing their health insurance card in case of an unexpected event. If needed, Soka staff will help facilitate the most appropriate and safe transportation option; ultimately, it is the responsibility of the visitor to determine their health decisions. 

Families can contact Jimmy King, Associate Director of Admission, at jking@soka.edu or call the Office of Admission at 949-480-4150 between 9am and 5pm (PST) on Thursday or Friday. For inquiries after 5pm, or on Saturday, please email jking@soka.edu or call Soka Security at 949-480-4117 who will relay your message to our team.