The time has come! Now that you’ve officially become a Thunderbird, the biggest event of your first year in Arts awaits — stARTup (a.k.a. Arts Freshman Orientation)! Get ready for one of the most exciting events of your undergraduate career and to make unforgettable memories with your soon-to-be peers!
What’s that? You want to know how you prepare yourself for such an awesome event? No worries, the AUS team has you covered! We’ve compiled a short guide to get you on the right track to making the most out of your stARTup experience.
Don’t be nervous
Being nervous for your first-year orientation is totally normal, considering you’re in a completely new environment, meeting tons of new people and getting your first exposure to a taste of Arts life. In fact, everyone is likely feeling the same way! This is a new experience for all attending, so chances are that the people around you are nervous too and just need that ice broken.
A helpful tip is to interact with your squad on its Facebook group before the big day. This way, you’ll be more comfortable when you meet everyone in person!
Put yourself out there
Don’t be afraid to put yourself out there! StARTup is designed for you to make new friends in the Arts faculty. It’ll be scary at first, but try channeling that fear into confidence.
“Change can be nerve wracking, but try turning those nerves into adrenaline and let the good times roll,” said Joshua Ralph, a stARTup attendee currently in their third year.
“Being an international student, the sense of newness that came with going to a university 12,000 miles away didn’t give me the best mindset to begin my journey with. Thankfully, stARTup gave me a strong support system that made me feel at home with UBC.”
The Swag Bag is legit — use it!
Be prepared to get tons of goodies on behalf of the AUS and all of its sponsors. It also comes with a cool shirt so you can show off your Arts pride later in the year — or at least have something comfy to sleep in at night.
Explore all of the clubs
Orientation is the one time where you will get to look around at most of the clubs specific to the Arts faculty. Take some time to scourge through the booths and see what interests you. You might find something that helps narrow down your major or a new avenue to get involved at UBC!
Also, don’t be afraid to talk to the students in charge of the organizations too! Joining clubs in first year is a great way to find other people who hold the same interests.
Participate!
This is one tip that we can not stress enough. UBC’s motto is “tuum est,” which means, “it is yours.” Keeping that in mind, this is your stARTup and only you can have fun if you give every activity a chance. Keeping that in mind, you can only have fun if you give every activity a chance.
There’s lots of fun activities planned that are guaranteed to be boredom proof. This is your chance to mingle with other new Arts students so enjoy yourself!
And lastly...
Keep in touch!
After all the weekend fun, you’re guaranteed to have made plenty of new friends. However, it’s easy to lose touch as the school year progresses.
Therefore, try exchanging phone numbers and/or social media accounts like Facebook, Instagram and Snapchat. This way, you can still stay in touch throughout the year. StARTup will also be organizing hangouts later in the year, so be sure come out to those!
Hopefully these tips help prepare you and get you hyped for this event in September. This is a one-time opportunity in your undergrad, so make the most of it! Be sure to check out this year’s stARTup from September 17-18!
Ashi Mann is a second-year arts student who is part of the stARTup planning committee.