When you think of your first year, what do you think of first? If you’re a first-year, what are your most fond memories since your arrival at Laurier Brantford?
Chances are you think of Orientation week. Orientation week is an essential part of the first-year process at Laurier and many other universities across the country. It helps engage the first-year population through tours, events, and more. For most students, this is a memorable, enjoyable experience where program-long connections are formed.
But does it’s fast-paced, hyper-social structure work for all students to find their community, and does the extensive messaging surrounding it make it feel like this is the only opportunity to form that community.
When I first came to WLU, what I was told the most by the University was that O-Week was the time to make friends and socialize and that it would be a lot harder later. This made the week feel like a challenge to find a sense of belonging as I struggled with social anxiety and self-doubt. Any attempt I made to socialize never went anywhere, and I never really found that sense of belonging we are all told should be possible to achieve during O-Week. By the end, it felt like all the bubbles were formed, and any attempt to interact with a pre-established friend group felt extremely awkward and was underscored by self-doubt: “What if they hate me?” “Do they think I’m weird?”
Ultimately, the reason I wanted to explain my experience was so any first-year (or any student for that matter) who is going through or went through a similar experience of not being able to form those connections can have a different perspective than the one told by the University and not feel like this is your last chance. The current method of marketing O-Week, I believe, paints a false picture of the nature of forming connections especially for quieter and more reserved individuals.
The ability to find friends and form a community should not be listed as something bound to happen during O-Week but rather a natural result of being involved on campus over a long period of time. It allows students to view the entire year as a chance to explore the campus and make connections rather than selling an idealistic scenario through high-energy events at the beginning of the year.
However, I want to help provide some ways you can try to form connections on campus. The first part, I believe, is patience to let friendships and connections grow naturally and to be happy with yourself in the meantime.
A great way to meet people is to get involved on campus by joining clubs and participating in events to meet like-minded people.
However, unlike what is pitched in movies, shows and O-Week advertisements, friendships can take time to form and be awkward at first. But sticking through that and having the confidence to suggest going to an event together or getting something to eat to break the ice is hard but can lead to fond memories, whether or not the friendship becomes long-term.
If you push through and put yourself out there, you eventually form meaningful connections and gain fond memories along the way.
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