The first week of school is always so exciting. In this post I’ll tell you what to expect and give advice for making the most out of it.
Most students arrive a couple of days before orientation to get settled before school starts. This is the perfect opportunity for you to meet people, stock up with the supplies you need for your apartment, and get settled into island life.
If you get nothing else out of this, please GO MEET PEOPLE AND MAKE FRIENDS. AUC is a small community with many people willing to help you on your journey. Your group of friends can be dynamic over time but it is important that you put yourself out there. This journey was not meant to be done alone.
I spent my first week introducing myself to as many people as I could (and trying to remember their names by linking it to where they were from).
Meet people straight off of the plane
Many of your classmates will be on the same flight as you. My cohort shared some of our flight info with each other to try to start connecting with each other. When you land, AUC will shuttle all of you to the school or to the apartments nearby. This is a great, low pressure way to meet people. My first study group was made up of several people I met while waiting for the shuttle.
Get your student ID, white coat, and resident pass
Go to the school’s security desk during business hours to get your ID picture taken. They will print your badge out and start your temporary resident application. Once that is done, go to the book store to be sized and purchase your white coat.
Explore the campus and surrounding area
Look at the classrooms, labs, lecture halls, gym, etc. Getting a feel for the campus and the rest of Cupecoy will help you adjust and find your way around. Explore the nearby Carrefour and Fresh Market to get an idea of what they normally carry.
Take Advantage of the Orientation Week Shopping Trip
The Orientation Advisors facilitate a shopping trip to the island’s Ace Hardware Megastore (think Bed, Bath and Beyond meets Home Depot) and one of the big Carrefour grocery stores. This is the only time that the school will provide transportation to these locations. After this trip, you can easily rent a car or take a taxi but it is less convenient.
This trip is also a great opportunity to meet your classmates and be social. Orientation hasn’t started at this point and classes are still a few days away so this is the perfect time to relax and get to know the people you are going to school with.
Attend all of the Welcome Week Events
The first few weeks are going to feel chaotic and you are going to feel the urge to go straight into “study all of the time” mode. Resist this urge for the first week. Do your best to learn what is being taught but make time for the Welcome Week events. These are low-pressure, low commitment ways to get to know people, including upper semester students who will be willing to guide you. Typically there are several social events, sporting events, a club/organization fair, and a “student’s night out”. So many of the people I met in this week became my foundational support system.
Try out different study resources and routines
This first week and first semester is all about figuring out what will work for you going forward. I tried out several different study tools before I figured out a routine that worked for me. (I will cover the routine that helped me honor all of my classes in another post.)
Thank you for making it to the end! Let me know what else you want me to post about and I’ll keep updating the blog with new posts.