July 16, 2024 By Brandon D
YouAlberta is written by students for students.
Brandon is a second-year Education After Degree student involved with New Student Orientation (NSO) since 2021. After such impactful orientation experiences in the past, he chose to give back to the community by volunteering for NSO and becoming involved in many other volunteering positions. He can usually be found playing with his two dogs or in the university climbing gym.
Coming to the U of A in Fall 2019 was a nerve-wracking experience. Entering my first year in the Faculty of Arts, I had little idea of what university life would be like, so I had countless questions. Would I hold up to the stress? Could I possibly meet lifelong friends? Where am I even going to eat my lunches? I hoped to answer these questions by coming to North Campus a few days early to explore and see where my classes were located so I hopefully wouldn't be running around lost on my first day.
Before I thought about exploring North Campus, I received an email from the Faculty of Arts inviting me to attend an arts-specific orientation. I decided to RSVP for it weeks in advance and later met a large group of students by the beautiful pond area behind the Humanities Centre. Though nervous, we were warmly welcomed by a group of volunteers and the Faculty of Arts Dean. Over two hours, we were led through the Humanities and Tory buildings to see where our classes were located and what services were available to us students, including the arts offices, student services and even some professors. To top it off, we were even given some neat Faculty of Arts swag as thanks for attending!
Wandering around North Campus felt very intimidating yet inspiring, with the grand buildings filled to the brim with lecture halls, classrooms and labs. After some exploration, I found myself in the Main Quad where there were hundreds of students gathered around in large groups. I walked up to the check-in tent to see what was happening; as it turned out, this was the NSO meeting spot. The volunteers quickly realized I had not pre-booked a time and offered to assign me to the next Faculty of Arts tour group, leaving shortly. With that, I was quickly swept away by the volunteers to my group, and I met my tour guides for the first time. Their energetic and positive attitude was infectious, and they quickly introduced themselves and the group. While I was initially skeptical that I would learn much beyond what I would learn on my own, I couldn't have been farther from the truth. The guides were extraordinarily prepared and had a route through the prominent arts buildings as well as the other major campus buildings that we would no doubt visit throughout the year. Throughout the tour, the guides shared fun facts, interesting characteristics and helpful tips and tricks about certain buildings. One of my favourites I learned is that a third-year chemistry student was a lead designer for HUB Mall right on campus. Aside from the fun facts, the guides were also seasoned vets in student life and gave valuable insight into what the day-to-day was like. This was especially helpful on the east side of campus as the volunteers themselves were Arts students who had already had the same worries as I had in their first year. Finally, as the tour came to an end, the guides brought us back to the Main Quad, where the Week of Welcome activities were in full swing, and I explored the games with my group mates.
Within my group were many students who were also in the Faculty of Arts and even some who shared my major/minor. This was a delightful surprise, as I hadn't realized how many people were in the same program and equally curious about campus life. As the day went on, I found myself forming connections and making friends, some of whom I shared lunch with during those first days. While I didn't continue talking to everyone until the end of my degree, I still cherished the initial friendships and found many lasting connections in my first classes.
The Faculty of Arts orientation and NSO were some of my favourite parts of my first year. Everything from the knowledgeability, welcoming atmosphere and adaptive approach left a lasting impression. It left such a memorable impression that today, I am an education team facilitator who leads a team of orientation volunteers and have been helping with NSO and Week of Welcome for three whole years! Without a doubt, I am grateful that I happened to be on campus and accepted a tour.
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