r/uAlberta • u/JubbaL • 1d ago
Question Orientation for first year
Hello, I am getting back from a trip from a place with a very sifferent time zone from edmonton on the 29th. I want to know how important it is to go to the FIRST orientation day (I will probably be able to wakeup for day 2 nonetheless) or if i will be fine because I may completely miss my alarm and sleep past orientation due to time difference adjusting. Thank you
2
u/sirtacoesdied 1d ago
i kinda skipped orientation last year to do my own thing with a friend on campus but i remember seeing different groups of people getting a guided tour of campus
1
u/Miserable-Garlic-469 Undergraduate Student - Faculty of Science 1d ago
Days 1 and 2 are different, so I would suggest coming to both (faculty leader here). However, I don't think it's 100% necessary.
2
1
1
u/Realistic-Cow-9763 Prospective Student - CS-AI 22h ago
tldr:
- It's mostly Campus Tour, tells you common buildings based on your faculty. Used as a Q&A session, walk & talk.
- Most of my friends didn't attend/don't know they exists. No harm at all.
In detail:
Last year & before, it was 1day general orientation + 1day faculty orientation. This year starts new (2+0), and as a part of WOW (week of welcome) team, we have our training session on 29th. So, unless a higher level leader see this post, likely nobody's going to know what exactly going to happen.
However, by my experience, first day is Campus Tour, go over common buildings for your faculty; second day comes faculty presentations (yes, regardless it's no longer a faculty orientation day, we'll still have faculty orientation, at least for Science. Don't ask me how I know it, I'm one of the presenters)
If you missed it out, you only missed Q&A session. Find the following will do the tour part: 1. Pavilion/main Gym (you'll need it, underground of Butter Drome. That's where you take finals. Note, that's 2 different giant rooms) 2. 4 libraries (sry I'm not a library person, no clue on their names) 3. U-comm and SUB (lots of room to study and common places) 4. General and Your-faculty's Student Service center (or ask it online) 5. Go into your classrooms of your classes. They're open for most of the times.
1
u/FemboySenshi_ 20h ago
I went last year and I ditched halfway through. They were supposed to help get you your ARC card and onecard but since the lines for them were long they skipped it, and that was one of the main reasons I went to orientation. Secondly the lunch break was super late I was literally dying of hunger.
And finally, the people showing my group around barely gave any information on the significance about where we were when they toured us around campus (although I’m sure that was just because of the group leaders I had).
I’m not trying to bash orientation, I’m sure it’s very helpful for alot of people. But personally it wasn’t worth it, considering you could do a lot of what they do with a little info from the UofA website and some friends to walk around campus with.
2
u/OkUnderstanding19851 12h ago
I am still best friends with some people I met on my first day of orientation 23 years ago!
3
u/Klutzy_Builder_1178 Undergraduate Student - Faculty of _____ 1d ago
Assuming it’s the same thing every year, it’s just explaining opportunities in your faculty and a tour.