And so it begins…(Emily)
Ah o-week. A time to get yourself familiar with the large campus that is Melbourne Uni, meet new people and of course attend some of the many sessions to help ease you into uni life. A time to reunite with your highschool buddies and where South Lawn is brought to life with the always popular carnivals. O-week for me comprised of well, all of the above. Whilst conditioning myself to wake up in the early hours and trying to establish a transport sequence, I learnt a considerable amount about uni. From which notorious club will give the most free food and maneuvering through the maze of the yellow old quad/arts building, to how to connect to the wifi and avoiding plagiarism, it’s safe to say that O-week was a mighty big success.
However a first year’s experience could not be complete without a few bumps here and there. So I though it would be perfect to share with you some of them, as well as giving you a little overview of my very busy week.
THE HOST GROUP TOURS:
Do attend the host group tours. It’s a great way to practice introducing yourself to new people and trust me you’ll want to nail this skill pronto. Also, an ‘entree’ tour is a great way to kick start the week.
THE SESSIONS:
There was a great selection of sessions that were run spanning from getting the most out of lectures, academic writing and success at uni. I know you would rather be scoring all the freebies at South Lawn but do attend the sessions. There’s a lot of information presented especially in the subject specific ones about requirements and the LMS. Also, one of the sessions is bound to be held in one of your timetabled rooms so you’ll have a heads up when heading to your lectures in week 1. Many lecture rooms have exit/entry points located at the back so my advice is to get familiar with those – you don’t want EVERYONE staring at you as you rush in bright red and flustered…(yes that happened to me.)
THE FREE FOOD:
I think that’s pretty self explanatory. Although be prepared to be waiting in line for a while – I had to wait an entire hour at the BSc Welcome Lunch to finally get a sausage. However if you do decide to buy lunch in Union House, either go before or after the lunch time rush hour. The lines are as long as the infamous ones at the Co-op bookshop.
ORIENTATION & CLUBS AND SOCIETIES CARNIVALS:
One of the highlights of o-week was definitely the carnivals. The sunny weather was perfect to get in the mood of things as music and the excited chatter of first years filled the air. The academic orientation carnival was a great opportunity to find out what resources are available to you as a Melbourne Uni Student. The sports area in the clubs and societies carnivals was packed to an extent where you could only reach the other end by shuffling in a single file!
MEETING UP WITH/MAKING FRIENDS:
One of the most important things about O-week is to meet new people! I met a few people by just looking for my subject textbooks in the Co-op bookshop. If you really hit it off, make sure that you exchange numbers or get their Facebook as they might be sitting next to you in your lecture in week 1. Also, it’s great to meet up with old friends as sometimes it fantastic to see a familiar face and grab a bite to catch up.
There we have it! O-week was a fantastic week and a great learning experience. I’m bubbling with excitement for Semester 1 and hopefully my motivation will get me through my first Bio ILT and week 1!
See you on the other side!
Emily.