Whether you’re getting ready to move 100 kilometres or 500 kilometres away from home, moving to a Charles Sturt campus can be both exciting and daunting. Sometimes it is hard to know what to bring or what to expect, so here is your guide to getting prepared for orientation week in your new home.
What to bring
Don’t go overboard! It is important to bring items that make your new room feel like home, however you don’t want to be bringing unnecessary things and every single item of clothing you own. On the other hand, there are plenty of opportunities to purchase things you may have forgotten or essential items such as kitchen needs when you first move in.
In regards to classes, it takes time and practice to figure out the best things to bring to help you learn. In lectures and tutorial classes, some students prefer typing notes on a laptop and others prefer writing on paper. Just find what works for you and what is comfortable. Your main properties are to bring your laptop, the clothes you normally wear every day, toiletries, bedding and some personal items for your room.
What to expect
Expect to feel both nervous and excited! It is so important to remember that everyone around you who is moving in is also in the same boat as you and most often, people do not know anyone in their dorm. Actually, the biggest piece of advice is to choose a dorm where you know no one, as this makes it an even better experience where you can create amazing friendships with new people.
It is also important to be upfront, be confident and always ask questions. Everyone around you is new as well so always ask a fellow dormie or your residential advisor (RA) if you need help with anything. If you are like me, you will probably have a plan about when you’ll be visiting home or specific jobs you want to apply for while at uni. But more often than not, things change and you’ll just want to have fun and experience your first session getting to know other people and how to successfully study for your subjects.
What to experience
It definitely takes time to learn how to effectively study for your subjects and manage your time. You’ll likely need to juggle attending tutorials and lectures, completing assignments and also social time with friends and attending uni events. Even if you’re an introverted person and don’t socialise too often it is honestly super important to gain a little bit of confidence and attend some uni events as they really do enhance your uni life and allow you to gain more confidence and also just have some fun. These events can create the best experiences and memories for you and your new uni friends. Orientation week is also perfect for knowing where your classes are, who is in your classes and what to expect from your lectures, so don’t panic about those things!
Although the uni and local events for uni students are a great way to socialise, it can become difficult to go to classes and study, so make sure you try and keep up with the work required for your subjects and course for each session because it can be extremely hard to catch up.
To sum it up…
It is important to just be yourself on move-in week and really try to get to know your peers because this makes the ‘moving out of home’ process so much easier. Have fun and don’t get too worried about on-campus living and adjusting to a new normal. The staff at Charles Sturt University as well as returning students are extremely welcoming to new students and provide extensive information on move-in day and orientation week to make the transition so much easier for you.
Written by Billie Tipping
