Orientation Week Survival Kit

Your expectations for your first year probably come from the stories of your family, your campus tour (if you were lucky enough to take one) and inevitably, the hundreds of Hollywood movies based around college life. I’m here to tell you, as someone who only just experienced this 1 year ago, Hollywood does not prepare you for what orientation week is really going to be like. Neither do the stories of your older siblings or the posts on the “Accepted at U of T class of ____” Facebook page. That’s because the only person who can dictate what your orientation week is going to be like - is you!

Orientation Week at the University of Toronto (here at the St. George campus), is almost entirely customizable. There are multiple different options for every experience from the classic “ra-ra” cheering with your college or faculty, to one or two day seminars that help prepare you for the academic expectations of university. Check out all of these different options and more on the Start at U of T Orientation Calendar. Regardless of the experience you choose for your Orientation Week, it’s going to be busy week. Between meeting new friends, running to different locations on campus, and trying to squeeze in as much as you can before class starts, here are a few things you should keep on hand. An Orientation Week Survival Kit of sorts;

1. A Backpack - on top of using this to carry around everything else you’ll need for the week, most events come with an endless supply of pamphlets, booklets and free swag. The last thing you want is to be carrying that around all day. Keep your hands-free and bring a backpack!

   ---

2. A Water Bottle - one of the things I wish I had known about U of T before I came was that no where on campus sells bottled water! This environmentally friendly initiative means that having a reusable water bottle, that can be filled up at hundreds of places around campus, is a must.

   ---

3. Flex Dollars - speaking of eating & drinking, trying to run off campus every time you want to eat is not always do-able. It’s also not necessary as U of T offers hundreds of different locations on campus where you can get everything from locally grown sustainable produce, to favourites like Pizza Pizza and Subway. Make things easy for yourself by purchasing some Flex Dollars on your TCard, so that you always have money to eat!

   ---

4. TTC Tokens - that being said, there will be times when events are off campus! And while transportation is usually always provided, it’s good to have some TTC tokens in your pocket so that you always know you have a safe ride home.

   ---

5. U of T Lanyard - remember the early 2000s when wearing a lanyard around your neck (with your one house key and tamagotchi attached) was so cool? Well I’m not saying lanyards are back in that sense but I will say that all of my friends in first year used a lanyard for their residence keys and their TCard. The U of T Bookstore sells special lanyards that house your TCard in a clear plastic sleeve for easy access!

   ---

6. The U of T Map App - for anyone who hasn’t yet downloaded the U of T Map app, this is your new favourite tool for finding the location of events. Just type the location name into the app, and the map will show you were it is on campus! It also has features like where’s the closest ATM, or the closest Coffee shop.

So that is my Orientation Week Survival Kit! Just a few things to keep on hand to make sure you have an amazing, and safe, week! Myself, and the rest of the Community Crew, will be on campus all week and we would love if you said hi! So no matter what Orientation option you choose make sure to share what you’re doing with me on twitter at Rachael_UofT.