Written by Charlie Willis
Hey everyone!
My name is Charlie, one of the Orientation Leaders for the Charles Sturt University’s 2026 Session 1 Orientation Week. In this role, I am a part of a team of fellow students who are here to answer any of the questions that you may have relating to University Life. We’re also in charge of running the activities that you will be getting up to throughout the entire week!
Before I start, I want to say that there is no such thing as a silly question during Orientation, or even beforehand!
So the big question that a lot of you may have:
What exactly is Orientation?
Orientation is a week where you will get to meet people with a wide variety of different paths to University. These people could have moved 5 hours away from home to live on-campus, or you could be meeting people who are local to your campus location, the spectrum of people that you will meet is very large. The week is jam-packed with activities, both academic and non-academic, to keep you having fun, and staying busy all week long.
Why should I go to orientation?
Orientation is the best way to meet people, either studying the same course as you, or you saw them in the line when checking into your accommodation! Orientation can also be really important for you academically, as there will be opportunities to meet the lecturers and other staff you may come across in your course. During the academic sessions for your chosen course, you will be told what to expect, and any questions you may have will be answered. There are also some fun social activities, to build friendships with the people you may be living or studying with.
Each campus will offer a wide variety of different activities that you can sign-up for, and these may include; Scavenger Hunts, Paint Party (this was my personal favourite when I first started), parties, town tours, and a wide variety of other things to keep you busy before classes start.
Who should I look out for to help make my experience the best that it can be?
There will be a few different people to keep an eye out for during Orientation Week that are here to help you, whether that is answering your questions, or getting you involved in the activities. Keep an eye out for students and staff wearing the orange Charles Sturt branded polo shirts, with each colour meaning a different thing each, one group being the Orientation Leaders, and the other being your Residential Leader!
Your Residential Leader is someone who will support you whilst living in residence for the year, and will be there to help with any worries or concerns you may have regarding living on-campus. Whereas the Orientation Leaders are in charge of the running of the activities that you will be taking part in during the course of Orientation.
It is very important to sign up for the Orientation events, even the ones you’re unsure of, as you will have the chance to make your friends for life. In my experiences, I have met a variety of people, all of different backgrounds, either studying similar, or completely different courses to me, all thanks to Orientation.
Charlie blog is a SSAF funded initiative.
