What to expect from your first university orientation: Advice from a 2nd year student

University is often the first step to the rest of your career, and orientation is the first step to getting to know your university! In this blog post, second-year UTS student Lucas Tan breaks down everything new students need to know going into orientation. 

What to expect from your first orientation

1 year ago today, I was one of the youngest students in UTS. Coming to the UTS campus for the first time ever was unforgettable. Getting lost on my way to campus, not knowing how the room number system works and seeing all unfamiliar faces was just something I experienced and expected. 

I didn’t have any friends coming to the same university as me, as I studied high school in the UK, so that left me with starting random conversations with random strangers. If you’re comfortable doing that, I’d highly recommend it!

Joining orientation sessions will give you a kick-start for your life at UTS, a second home you will have for 3-6 years or longer. You will get to meet with fellow students who are also in the same situation as you, just joined UTS for the first time and are probably as confused as you! So, go and join orientation and make some friends! Trust me, you will not regret it. 

University is unlike high school; you can do things independently and don’t need to have teachers do all the preparation for you. In return, uni provides flexibility for you to allocate your timetable so that it fits you best via the myTimetable webpage. That’s perfect for those who also work side by side with your university study.

Of course, some degrees will have more classes than others. In science, you would have labs, tutorials, workshops and lectures, whereas communications students would mostly have tutorials, seminars and pre-recorded lectures. So, my best tip is to check your subject details via myStudentAdmin and explore around. Alternatively, go to Canvas and take a look at your subject outlines.

At orientation, sessions like your degree or major-focused workshop, tours with the UTS library, Study abroad and exchange, and campus tours could help ensure you know what’s on offer at UTS! And you might also get a secret tour of the underground storage facilities with the UTS library staff. 

However, despite the other sessions you attend, O’Day is truly the day you do not want to miss. It’s an event with free entry where you can explore the 190+ clubs and societies at UTS, the student services available, and the many freebies on offer. 

So, in conclusion, what makes UTS’ orientation so special? 

I haven’t been to any other uni’s in-person O’Day before, so I can’t make a comparison. However, how many top-tier universities are located in the middle of the city? Whose buildings only take a few minutes to walk to each other? One of my favourite things about UTS is that our campus is in the middle of a busy city, so there is plenty of cool spots to take your new friends to lunch around campus. Then, if you get lost during orientation, we have plenty of people wearing bright orange shirts called Peer Networkers who cover every inch of the campus to ensure you are ok. Those are current students who volunteer to make sure students like you have the best orientation ever, so if you find yourself lost or not quite sure where you need to be next, they’re the ones to help you out. 

On behalf of everyone at UTS, welcome to the University of Technology Sydney. We wish you all the best in your studies and making many friends during orientation. 

Have fun, and see you soon!