Last week, many institutions across Australia welcomed a new cohort of students. “Orientation” is an important time in a student’s journey; it can set them up on a path of success or start the road to something more sinister.
Have you travelled internationally? If so, do you remember when the immigration doors opened at your destination? There was that new smell, new airport architecture and a new voice (accent) over the speaker, most likely saying, “unaccompanied bags should be reported” or similar.
We sometimes forget that international students who arrive in Australia are new arrivals. They aren’t just acclimatising to a new education setting, but they are likely acclimatising to a new living environment, and some adapt to this more easily than others.
There are several stages to settling in:
Pre-Arrival
Orientation shouldn’t be the first time institutions commence this process. Many institutions have developed a “pre-arrival” campaign for students. This varies, institution by institution and includes information on setting expectations, what to pack and how to navigate the first couple of days in their destination if they’re not going to be on campus.
Good pre-arrival information to students should check off the following:
- A pre-departure checklist
- Expectation of the student from the institution
- Health and medicine – what’s covered in health insurance (and what’s not)
- Extended Visa information
- Customs and quarantine – in Australia’s case (we’re stricter than most countries), this is a necessity
- Electrical equivalents
- Weather and being prepared for it
- Airport Pick Up services – this needs detail, most issues come from not being able to find the driver or pick-up point
- Accommodation options short term and longer-term
- IT and Telecoms access (it is now up there with water, food and shelter)
- Academic Enrolment information
- Working while studying
- Campus services
Arrival
Arriving at the airport and transitioning to a new life is not easy, no matter who you may be and how many times you may have done it. Students from far and wide and from differing cultures can have differing impacts. Undergraduates (or graduate students) may be away from home for the first time.
In a former life, The Koala was the International Director at a University in Perth. One of the feedback pieces that we, as a team, were hyper-conscious of was a reverse culture shock. When we in Australia think of culture shock on arrival, we often think of arriving at an airport such as Mumbai or Bangkok or Shanghai, where the hustle and bustle of the immediate vicinity of the airport is often, what we are not used to. By contrast, arrivals from large Asian cities in Perth often came in around midnight and once you clear customs and walk outside of the airport, you could almost see tumbleweeds. Not a person in sight. This was very off-putting for students arriving into Perth for the first time.
We worked hard to ensure that airport pick up and the move into accommodation, with a welcome pack, was as smooth as it possibly could be – we found a personal touch at this point took away much of the anxiety of arriving at a suburban campus at 1 am before all students were back after seeing those tumbleweeds at the airport.
The period between arrival and orientation can be an unsettling time for students, so having current student volunteers at the student centre as an informal arrival desk providing tours and informal support for new arrivals worked really well.
Orientation
Orientation is likely the first time a student will experience the campus come to life. In most cases, in a big way. It’s social, it’s informative, and there’s a real buzz. New students are all on campus for the first time with eyes like dinner plates as they walk through quadrangles, squares, and halls of learning for the very first time.
Orientation serves the purpose of:
- Familiarising oneself with academic spaces, academic coordinators and all things to do with their course.
- Familiarising themselves with university-wide services that will support them and their studies. Places such as the library, counselling services, student services, the gym etc
- Most importantly, it is often the first opportunity for students to build their informal support network. Those people who will traverse their course with them, who they may live with, who they may play sports with (students join a club or society at orientation) and those who will inevitably become lifelong friends. The Koala shouts out to those at the Hawkesbury Campus of Western Sydney University whom he spent this time with and are still as close today for the shared experiences during orientation.
Unfortunately, and all too often, students may miss orientation. It may be for a late visa issuance, flight availability or other reasons. Most students typically have a grace period of up to 4 weeks to start their course once the course itself has commenced.
In the Koala’s opinion, missing out on Orientation is a significant issue. The opportunity to familiarise oneself with university services and the environment and, most importantly, develop a social network has been eroded. Most institutions run late orientation sessions. However, these are mostly watered-down or “diet” versions of the main game.
Tracy Harris, a contributor to The Koala, says, “In my experience, students who don’t attend Orientation take longer to settle into the rhythm of study. They can also be distracted by having to do the things that they missed out on during Orientation (finding accommodation, enrolment etc).”
Alternatively, institutions may have decided to cut back on orientation activities. This isn’t good either. “Orientation provides students with an opportunity to adjust to their new academic and social environment. Students make connections with their peers and start to build the support network that they will rely on during their studies.” Says Harris, and she’s on the money.
Post-orientation (first three weeks)
Becoming familiar with new surroundings takes time, so the next three to four weeks are vitally important.
Classes have started, and new routines have commenced; this is a period of balance. Education comes first, but it’s also important to continue to provide opportunities for the nurturing and embedding of these new relationships, informal support structures and the continuation of new experiences.
From an institutional point of view, this period is also a good time to seek feedback. If you haven’t before, create a baseline and then in times to come, you can see how changes to programming feed through to feelings of being settled and belonging.
Embedding behaviours via consistent on-campus activity through this period should be a conscious effort. These will differ from institution to institution. Repeating some orientation initiatives is also good. Have the local mayor or council representative on campus, have them sponsor a band at lunch or a similar invite where they can reinforce the welcoming of the local city/shire and discuss opportunities within the local community.
Ensure contact numbers and communications are up to date. It’s incredible how many students change their contacts in this period. From moving house (temporary to semi-permanent), phone numbers and even email addresses, now they are in a brand-new setting, and their new best friend has told them about Google v Hotmail or vice versa.
This period, above all else, is a time to be present. Students are still settling in, and, from my experience, present to student services for many reasons; often, the reason they are presenting is not the reason they say they are. Be alert as by having a conversation may just be the one thing that student craves.
This period, while being somewhat up and down, if managed right, ensures students have a terrific base to start from. They are comfortable and aware of the services available to them and are an integral part of the university community.
The Koala wishes all new students the very best over the next three to four weeks and beyond. May your studies in Australia be rewarding, fulfilling and some of the best times of your life.
