Orientation Week, or 'O-Week', is the unofficial first week of university but instead of classes, students take on social activities. We hosted an action-packed, memorable O-Week this year - read on for more details!
Monday 19 Feb: 'How to Uni' Session + Coffee Catch-Up ☕
In traditional Biomedicine fashion we kicked off the week with an 11am lecture - well, sort of. But it's probably the most important lecture a Bachelor of Biomedicine student will ever attend. The 'How to Uni' presentation, ran by our Education Officer Nadia, covered the absolute essentials of first-year university life, including:
how to use MyUnimelb/Canvas LMS
navigating campus
subject planning
services and perks
best for last, becoming a BSS member #shamelessplug
Here are the presentation slides for reference:
After 'How to Uni' finished at 12, we walked a short distance towards Dr Dax Cafe at the Florey Institute for a networking session better than Commerce could ever manage, During our Coffee Catch-Up, the first-year cohort got to talk to each other as well as committee members for the very first time, sponsored by caffeine of course. We actually overstayed our welcome as while the Catch-Up was scheduled to end at 1, many of us didn't leave until 2!
Tuesday 20 Feb: BBQ 🌭
With the delightfully sunny and warm Melbourne weather gracing us, Tuesday was the perfect day to indulge in a sizzling sausage or hash brown paired with a refreshing soft drink, all at no cost! The vibrant atmosphere at Rubbo Court, just outside Brownless Biomedical Library, accompanied by music (some good tunes and others questionable), provided a wonderful setting for students to mingle, strengthen friendships formed at the Coffee Catch Up, and connect with committee members and camp leaders.
Wednesday 21 Feb: Trivia Night 🙋
Hosted at the Queensberry Hotel by Events Officer Kyle, trivia night offered the perfect mix of social interaction, mental stimulation and friendly competition. It started out as the ultimate test of general knowledge, with questions spanning from how tall NBA center Victor Wembanyama is to identifying the heaviest internal organ in the human body. As the evening unfolded, teams delved into rounds such as matching songs and artists, and guessing which camp leader has which embarrassing story (not giving any examples here!). In the end, Team $5 Tzimmies emerged victorious, leaving us eagerly curious as to who will take the crown next year.
Thursday 22 Feb: Mystery Event 🍻
Thursday night of O-Week is home to the famous BSS Mystery Event (AKA Pub Crawl), in which committee members and camp leaders show the first years all the best spots for a drink after Uni to catch up with friends. Through the 38°C heat and the thundering rain, we toured The Clyde, Baller's Clubhouse, Queensberry Hotel and Prince Alfred Hotel (PAs), getting progressively more unhinged at each bar. Baller's Clubhouse was a highlight in particular, with games such as pool, shuffleboard and darts, and legendary interviews as seen on our TikTok page (best one here: https://www.tiktok.com/@bss.uom/video/7341552011055320328)
A great atmosphere was maintained despite the weather, as lifelong friendships were formed amongst another cohort of budding biomedicine students!
Friday 23 Feb: Zoo 🐘
On the final day of O-Week 2024, the BSS first years took on Melbourne Zoo for the first time ever. They were split into small teams, each with a committee leader, and set the challenging task of completing a scavenger hunt around the zoo. Fun times ensued as the 'Jaffies', as they're known by at UniMelb, invaded every corner and enclosure in the zoo whilst hanging out with elephants, orang-utans and platypi, all vying for the ultimate prize of BSS glory. Overall it was an exciting yet nostalgic day as everyone got to roll back the years and reminisce our childhood memories of the zoo.
love it <33