Everything You Need To Know About Mastering O-Week
Get ready to kickstart your semester!
O-week is probably one of the most memorable uni experiences, so you definitely want to make the most of it, but it can be overwhelming and hard to tackle everything thrown at you! Don’t worry we have you covered here you’ll find all the important stuff you need to know to fully enjoy and make the most of your O-week experience!
What is orientation week?
Popularly known as o-week, it's a celebration at the beginning of a semester. At O-week you can expect lots of social activities, freebies and resources that will be helpful throughout your semester.
It's the best time to get to know your campus, meet new people and find extracurriculars you could participate in during the semester.
Do you have to go to O-week?
It's not compulsory but it is highly recommended. O-week gives you a quick preview of how your uni experience will be outside the academic part. However, some unis have mandatory sessions during O-week that you may have to attend so keep an eye out for any emails from your uni a week before Week 1.
What do you do during O-week?
There are a plethora of options that you can explore during O-week ranging from social, sporting, study and support sessions and social events. O-week will help you prepare all the resources you need for the new semester. Plus it is the best time to get to know your campus and socialise, and most importantly, have fun!
Which activities should you go to?
It is recommended to attend social events, especially the Club Expo to meet people with similar interests and also explore various extracurricular activities you could get involved in. Other than that it's also advised to go on campus tours and familiarise yourself with the campus.
The best parts of O-week you need to look out for:
1. Campus tours
After almost 2 years of no campus tours, they are finally back! My biggest advice? Make campus tours a top priority during o-week. Most unis in Australia have absolutely stunning campuses that are just begging to be explored. You don't want to be in your last semester and realise you had a secret garden right next to your classes that you never visited (this may or may not have been my experience).
Taking a campus tour will not only help you discover the beautiful bits of the campus. It will also help you find a good study spot and help you pick your go-to library (sometimes other departments have much better libraries). It will help you to avoid getting lost when classes start!
2. Student Union/Associations Events
This is my favourite part of o-week! Student associations and unions really take it to the next level when it comes to their o-week events, including tons of freebies, free BBQ events and live music. This is one of the best opportunities to socialise, network and make the most of finally being allowed back on campus. Most unis will probably also have online streams/online versions of these events so you will still be able to enjoy them even if you can't make it to uni. If none of that motivates you, just do it for the free food.
3. Attend the club expo and find people with common interests
Club Expo’s are not just your usual sports and dance clubs, there are so many more ones that are freakishly niche. When I attended my Uni’s club expo, there was a quidditch club, a cheese club, a K-pop club and a bubble tea club amongst so many more amazing ones. Chances are you will find a group of people that share specific interests and there is nothing better than common interests to start an incredible friendship so attend the expos, you won’t regret it. Also low-key some clubs have some of the cutest merch that they give out for free. Plus, if these clubs are sponsored by brands you’ll probably get some free stuff too. I once got a full-sized bottle of face serum from this really cool beauty brand - lasted me all semester!
4. Don’t miss out on all the incredible freebies and giveaways
On-campus, and online there are prizes to be won, freebies/samples that you can get your hands on and sometimes even free food so in the world would you want to miss out on that? In the spirit of O-week, even we run heaps of giveaways so keep an eye out on our Instagram!
5. Get a head start, and learn how all the benefits you can access by being a student
Honestly, the world knows the struggles of being a student and we are here to help, so ensure sure you make the most of it (including registering with us!). For example, register for transport concessions, and find out what are the student perks that your bank offers. Additionally, wherever you go, always ask if they offer student discounts, from hairdressers to your local coffee shops, you will be surprised how many stores and services do. Also, don’t forget to sign up to Student Beans and get access to all the best student discounts (for free!), and always save some serious $$$.
How to prepare for o-week
Look up everything that's happening during o-week and select the events you want to attend. There will be so much going on you will have to pick events that you will have to prioritise. Other than that, take advantage of all the freebies on campus. Finally, just have fun, go with the flow and kickstart your semester on a happy note!
Welcome Week TV
We’ve also collected some videos that we think will help you during your first few weeks! We’re SO super excited for you and hope you have the best semester ever!