Well I guess, it’s a whole new chapter in our life, stepping into the new college or university life. Is it an anxious and exciting experience at the same time for you? Before you officially start your college life, there’s always a little surprise for you, it’s none other than Orientation Week!

One thing about orientation in Taylor’s is that it’s not only about the academic briefings, you’ll also get to have some fun and meet new friends together with Taylor’s Orientation Leaders through various engaging orientation activities. 

Back when I first joined Taylor’s, I saw how the Orientation Leaders welcomed and assisted the newcomers with open arms. The friendly vibe among the Orientation Leaders was exactly the thing I was looking for when becoming a Taylorian. That’s when I decided to be part of the family!

So who are the Orientations Leaders you ask? We’re a student body consisting of students from many different schools to assist freshmen in having a smooth transition into college and university life. 

_{^{Photo caption: A group photo of freshmen together with the Orientation Leaders during Orientation Campus Hunt in March 2019}}

The Orientation Leaders are the first few people you’ll meet when you first start your campus life. All of the Orientation Leaders are here to ensure that every new student has an awesome orientation experience. So we’ll get an opportunity to lead, love, and serve freshmen. We meet new faces in every new intake and enjoy creating many new, long-lasting bonds and memories!

At every orientation, we ensure all new students have an opportunity to learn and equip themselves with the essential information about the programme and campus facilities through academic briefing and engaging sessions. Not to forget, we do have lots of engaging activities like Campus Hunt, Clubs and Societies Day, Orientation Party, and much more to ensure the newbies get to engage with new people and have a memorable orientation experience. 

Before the pandemic hit, we’ve always had our orientation physically on campus, which is typically held a week before your college or university life officially starts. It takes us months to prepare the orientation events for every new intake. The pandemic had really brought us a challenge to transform all our physical orientations to e-Orientations. Without any experience in holding virtual orientation events, it was a real struggle to prepare the e-Orientation as there were many virtual hurdles waiting ahead for us like restrictions on platforms, online activities, and how to stay connected with freshmen virtually.

_{Photo caption: A group screenshot during a Welcoming Party in January 2021}

But don’t worry! Now that we’ve got the hang of things, everything’s in order. With just one click away, you can join all your academic briefings, engagement activities with different student leaders, and also e-Clubs and Societies Day online! We’re always ready to assist freshmen to have a smooth transition. Also, feel free to leave us a message or explore our social media for tutorials and informative posts.

One thing we’ve never changed despite the new transitions would be the value we uphold to provide a smooth and awesome orientation experience for the freshmen. The Orientation Leaders, together with Taylor’s Student Development, have worked behind the scenes for months to plan and prepare for e-orientation just solely for all new joiners.

_{Photo caption: A trip to Pisang Waterfall in August 2020}

When we’re not in suits, we hang together and try different activities, like camps, hiking, festival parties, and a lot of ‘makan’ sessions. In the end, all the teamwork behind the scene has provided freshmen with a new orientation experience.

Anyway, try to step out of your comfort zone and don’t be afraid of taking on new challenges or join Taylor’s Orientation Leaders where you can learn new skills and people in a professional student body that provides you with a safe space to learn and grow.