Written by Tyla Cavallaro
Hey there! My name is Tyla Cavallaro and I am currently studying a Bachelor of Education, K-12 majoring in PDHPE. I am from Parkes, NSW originally but I am currently living on Charles Sturt Wagga Wagga Campus.
In 2022, I was the Orientation Coordinator for Orientation at Wagga Wagga Campus. For students starting at Charles Sturt, Orientation is a great way to kick start your degree. Remember to register for Orientation via the Student Portal.
Orientation allows you to meet new friends and peers from your course whilst also familiarising yourself with your campus and the facilities that Charles Sturt offers. During Session 2 Orientation, there will be campus tours that you can partake in. This will show you around your designated campus and allow you to understand how to get from A to B with no issues.
When I first started university, the campus tour showed me where my library was, where our food outlets are and other facilities like the Uni Gym, oval and tennis and netball courts. During this tour, I was also able to meet the people taking the tour with me, which was awesome! through your library.
Whilst on your tours, you can stop in at vital locations within your campus. You will be shown where your library is and guided through your library. This helped me a lot as it showed me where I needed to go to access the resources I needed for my assessments and study. You also get shown how to use the online library system, where you can access resources outside of the building.
For me personally, it was great to see the study places that are within the library and to this day, I use the study booths weekly! Student Central is another great spot to know! Here is where you can go for assistance with the student portal, your student card or general enquiries.
Whilst visiting these areas for your study, you can also get quite peckish, so knowing where your closest food outlet is, is great. At my campus café, you can buy study snacks and drinks or even your lunch for the day. These come in handy when you’re in between classes and forgot to pack your lunch!
During Session 2 Orientation, there are plenty of events for you to enjoy. At Wagga Wagga, Albury and Bathurst there is Ten Pin Bowling and Port Macquarie has a River Cruise that will be running. If you are studying online, there will be a Kahoot Challenge from the 4th-10th of July and a Kahoot night on the 5th of July- with lots of prizes to be won.
All these events are great to attend as you get to meet people from many different courses and, if online, many different campuses. I found that events like these really enabled me to get to know lots of people around my campus and really opened my social circle. This helped ease my transition into university.
Orientation is an exciting time and something you really don’t want to miss out on as a new student. I would highly encourage you all to participate in as much as you can and really immerse yourself in the Charles Sturt University lifestyle. I look forward to seeing you all there!
