Ahh, orientation week. A week of awkward hand shakes, insincere “nice to meet you”s, drinking, icebreakers, cheering, and all sorts of new (and not new) experiences. Most of us go into frosh week pretty clueless, and just a big ball of nerves. Although I can’t speak for everyone’s experience, because of the fact that orientation is split by the different U of T colleges, I can at least speak for my University of Toronto orientation. So, here are 10 things that I wish I knew before that oh-so anticipated first week on campus:
After 2 days of going to all of the activities, I decided that I had “enough friends,” and started skipping a lot of the events. Now, I vastly regret not intending events like the Tri-Campus Parade, which I skipped to watch Buffy the Vampire Slayer and eat dining hall samosas. Not so great of a decision on my part, because I now have to deal with people talking about it like it was the funnest thing ever, while I sit there and try to remember which episode I was watching while everyone else was out making memories. Try not to dip on entire days’ activities just because you’ve made friends already, or even if you’re a little tired at University of Toronto orientation.
That being said, you don’t have to drag yourself to every single activity. If you’re tired, take a short rest, and then join the festivities with a much more enthusiastic pep in your step later on. My first day of frosh, I got up at 7 am in order to hit every single thing on the schedule, and when I ended up going to a party later on, it had felt like the longest day of my life. Getting home at 3 am on a day where you got up at 7 to run around the Sir Dan’s quad like a lunatic was insane, to say the least. Both me and my friends were turning to each other at various points in the day, saying, “Has this day not felt like 5 days?” Because, honestly, it did. You’re much better off taking periodical breaks throughout the day.
I had multiple groups of friends throughout frosh, 2 of which I never spoke to again after frosh ended. The short-lived, 5-day friendship you’ll have with people is happily recalled. The good times you had pairing up with one another or staring at each other in anguish from across the room while the frosh leaders explained a particularly awkward activity, will forever remain with you, but the friendship will die just as quickly as orientation week does. Now you’ll see them in passing on St. George St, or in the dining hall, or anywhere really, and both of you won’t know whether to say hi or not.
Once again, I can’t speak for everyone’s experience at orientation, because I only attended my own, but the University College orientation was so cheery I actually started to like it. It was like a virus. First, me and my friends hated it. Then, one of them would start to get into the spirit of it, and would try to pump the rest of us up. One by one, I saw my friends all lose themselves to this infection, and then soon enough I caught the bug too. You just can’t help it. Might as well embrace it because University of Toronto orientation can be a handful.
Your leaders are all upper year students, many of them even just second years. Along with having serious passion for cheering, they really do want to help you. They’re helpful for everything from giving you tips for your courses to where to find the best food trucks on campus. Don’t be afraid to get to know them and ask them for help, because chances are, they will be of more use to you than the actual orientation activities. Amazing Race didn’t tell me about the Brown Food Truck, but the frosh leaders, however…
Person A: Hey! So, um, I’m *insert name here*.
Person B: Hi, I’m *insert other name here*
Person A: What’s your program? I’m in *insert program here*
Person B: Oh cool! I’m in *insert other program here*
Person A:
Person B:
Person A: Cool, well, see you around!
AND THEN YOU NEVER SEE THEM AGAIN.
That is, take advantage of the extra special amount of parties during frosh week. U of Tears students study. But we don’t study before school starts. So, embrace your new sense of independence by making some less than smart (but totally not regrettable) decisions! Make the most of it! You probably will find yourself at a sweaty frat party, but why not enjoy yourself? University of Toronto orientation parties are worth it! Go to them!
As much as I had multiple groups of friends, I had one primary group that I felt bad leaving. Unfortunately, by doing this, I ended up closing a lot of doors. Don’t limit yourself to hanging out with one group! Branch out, and meet as many people as you can. Which reminds me…
If you’re naturally really shy, you’ve probably had the experience before where you’re in a new group of people, and other people seem to make friends with each other while you sit and wonder why you haven’t really. Outgoing people seem to just cling to each other and form bonds really fast. Frosh week is the outgoing person’s playground. Frosh week is also the shy person’s nightmare. To be frank, this week is all about making connections with people fast, because that’s how the activities work, so forcing yourself to be talkative will really pay off.
As mentioned previously, U of T students study (or at least, we’re supposed to). The rest of your year will likely be filled with deadlines, all-nighters (not the fun kind), tests, and stress. So, make the most of this week while it lasts. Make friends, have fun, attend as many events as you can – blisters be damned. University of Toronto orientation can be a lot of fun if you make the most of it.
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