O-Week: Expectations vs reality

From the moment you’re accepted into uni, you spend the holidays counting down to O-Week. You have such high expectations of what the week will bring – you imagine it'll be just like a carnival with stalls and all the food, or maybe you expect it to just be one big party. While we don’t want to disappoint you, these are the ways it might not exactly live up to your expectations.

Expectation: Meeting loads of new friends
Reality: Scrolling through your phone avoiding eye contact

If the brochures are anything to go by, you’ve convinced yourself you have to attend O-Week if you want to meet your new uni squad. But when you get there, you realise a significant lack of socialising. New students are either heading between stalls in packs, or they’re on their lonesome, staring at their phone to avoid the awkward small talk. If your uni does host O-Week meet and greet activities, head along because it’s going to be hard to find your new bestie in the masses of people.

Expectation: Awesome goodies bag and free food
Reality: Disappointment when all you get is free pens

OK, so sometimes the goodie bags aren’t half bad. You’re pretty much guaranteed at least a free Red Bull – but the rest is usually branded stationary. You might score some vouchers for cool brands, but it won’t exactly be free when you have to spend money to use it. There will be even more awkward convos when you pretend to feign interest in a society, just to get free lollies.

Expectation: Lit AF O-Week parties
Reality: Lazily watching Netflix instead

You imagine the parties are akin to a wild party you might see in Skins – but they’re hosted by universities, so don’t expect anything crazy. O-Week parties usually involve big lines for some basic drinks and food, with a line-up of bands and DJs you’ve never heard of. But it’s not all bad; find out about society parties – they can throw some pretty wild parties outside of the uni grounds. And if all else fails, nothing really beats Netflix in bed.

Expectation: Joining all the uni societies
Reality: Never going to any of the meetings

You get super excited at the prospect of all the events on offer and make a vow on Market Day to get involved. But once uni starts, you'll realise you really don’t have time to get involved with five different societies– better stick to one. Even then, depending on the club, some of those events can get pretty exxy.

Expectation: Uni prep for the first week of uni
Reality: It’s a last minute scramble

Even when you have the entire holidays to prepare, somehow you still manage to leave everything to the last minute. Getting prepped is a lot harder when you’re hungover from all the O-Week celebrations. You made all these grand plans to do a test run to uni and have all your textbooks purchased and ready for the first class. But don’t worry, you really don’t need to – the last minute scramble is a part of student life, so get used to it.

Image: Fresh Meat official Facebook page