First day at ‘really’ big school

Many adults still remember their first day at a new school – the terror, the nervousness, and the gut wrenching worry that they won’t make any friends.

For many this is exactly what starting university can be like.

First year University of Wollongong students Katrina Mangos and Stephanie Toole are both from Shellharbour.

Therefore, geographically speaking, attending university at Wollongong is not a big step for them. However both agreed that academically and socially starting university is a daunting thought at times.

Ms Mangos said her biggest worry as she begins her Arts/Law degree is stepping up academically to a university level in terms of her assignments.

“I think it is confronting,” Ms Mangos said.

“Particulary in terms of the intensity level between high school and university.

“The expectations and the sort of academic excellence we’re supposed to produce is also confronting.”

Another first year student, Monique Sparke, lives in Caringbah in Sydney, and will be commuting to Wollongong to study.

She agreed that starting university can be difficult.

“I already had friends studying at Wollongong which is making the transition a lot easier,” she said.

Monica Millar marketing manager for the Wollongong Unicentre said new students may have moved towns or even countries all by themselves to study and start their new life.

“They might not know a single person for hundreds or thousands of kilometres around,” Ms Millar said.

“To help make the transition to university less scary and more fun, Wollongong Unicentre hosted a week of orientation celebrations.”

Celebrations included a club day, a range of activities and parties for new students at the start of each university year.

Ms Millar said Orientation Week, or O-week, is one of the most important events on Wollongong’s student calendar.

“It can give students the important social connections that make their years at university a time of social learning and enlightenment as well as an academic time,” she said.

“Clubs are one of the big ways people make social connections.

“All these students might not necessarily have friends, they don’t have networks and clubs provide that community.”

UOW has a massive number of student clubs, with an additional 20 started last year “The goal this year is to increase the number of clubs we have on campus to appeal to as many students as possible.”

Wollongong University was unable to provide the number of Shellharbour students starting first year studies this year.

A total of 3830 students will be starting this semester overall.

Numbers are predicted to peak next week at just under 4000.