O’ Week is always a super busy time. There’s lots to get done and figure out, and somehow still find time to enjoy the first week of your uni experience. We’ve been there. The team at Momentum have put our heads together and come up with our top tips to help you get through O Week.

Clubs and Societies — Don’t try them all

Clubs and societies make up an integral part of uni for many — but each institution has dozens of clubs, many of which you may find easily allign with your interests and values. Be warned, you don’t have time for them all.

We suggest that you select just one or two clubs to invest your time in, and leave the rest. After you’ve been around for a few years you may be able to join the club’s executive, or take up bigger opportunities which it may present — this gets more complex if you’ve got yourself involved in too mant groups. Don’t forget, you also need to balance your study and social lives, and many of you will get jobs during the year too. Ultimately, we think you’re better off picking one or two, to which you can dedicate your time, and from which you can fully reap the rewards.

Don’t Stress about Making Friends on Day One

O’ Week may seem like the best time to make friends — but for many it doesn’t quite work out like that. Just because you’re now at uni, doesn’t mean that the usual rules don’t apply. It takes time to get to know people properly, and one O’ Week is just not long enough.

You may think you’ve made life-long friends after a few days, and hopefully that turns out to be the case. Just remember that you’ve got a lot of time still to go, and students don’t only study once lectures start. Don’t stress about making heaps of friends during the first week — theres lots of time for that later. That said, we still think it’s a good opportunity to meet new people — don’t lock yourself in your room, but don’t worry if at the end of the week you havent replaced each good friend you left in your hometown.

Don’t Worry about the Academic Stuff

There’s going to be a LOT of time for that later. Even worrying about textbooks and tutorial locations can take a backseat for now. Everyone else is experiencing the same information overload as you are, and nobody is going to get it all right on the first try. You won’t need your textbooks on the first day of lectures, and everyone will understand if you cant find your tutorial room.

Take this week as an opportunity to get to know a few other people in your hall or classes, and just take it all in. You’ll learn heaps just by being there. The hard work starts next week, just relax for now.