Freshmen Orientation Camps
Friday, August 12, 2016
I apologise for the lack of updates. The transition from a carefree university student to a working adult is taking a toll on me. All you want to do after a long day of work is just to get home and catch some pokemon.
So, the whole NUS orientation camp situation has probably died down since everyone's concentrating on catching pokemon. Thought I'll talk a little about it since I'm a huge supporter of orientation camps, as you can tell from my previous blog post on freshmen orientation camps.
It's really a pity how a few rotten apples can destroy everyone's impressions of orientation camps. The fact that the media has been putting these camps in bad light does not really help at all.
One of the reasons why I'm a huge supporter of orientation camps is that I've met my best friends in orientation camps, people I would have never met in my university life if not for the camps because we're all from different faculties. This is something I want my freshies to experience too - to find some of their truest friends through these camps.
I admit that I do not agree to some of the activities the orientation camps have, and when I'm uncomfortable, I just simply sit out or try to avoid being chosen for it. Freshies need to understand that they can opt out of activities if they tell their seniors. As a senior, I would never force my freshies to do something they felt strongly against.
I remembered there was an instance when I was a freshie and the seniors were being mean to us, scolding us after a long day of activities (it was 3-4am and everyone was dead tired). I went to look for a female senior who was very comforting. She assured me that there was a reason why they acted that way and it was all part of a story plot. I felt a lot better after that and she kept a lookout for me.
It's always good to keep an open mind, voice out when you feel uncomfortable, and have fun during these camps.
So, the whole NUS orientation camp situation has probably died down since everyone's concentrating on catching pokemon. Thought I'll talk a little about it since I'm a huge supporter of orientation camps, as you can tell from my previous blog post on freshmen orientation camps.
It's really a pity how a few rotten apples can destroy everyone's impressions of orientation camps. The fact that the media has been putting these camps in bad light does not really help at all.
One of the reasons why I'm a huge supporter of orientation camps is that I've met my best friends in orientation camps, people I would have never met in my university life if not for the camps because we're all from different faculties. This is something I want my freshies to experience too - to find some of their truest friends through these camps.I admit that I do not agree to some of the activities the orientation camps have, and when I'm uncomfortable, I just simply sit out or try to avoid being chosen for it. Freshies need to understand that they can opt out of activities if they tell their seniors. As a senior, I would never force my freshies to do something they felt strongly against.
I remembered there was an instance when I was a freshie and the seniors were being mean to us, scolding us after a long day of activities (it was 3-4am and everyone was dead tired). I went to look for a female senior who was very comforting. She assured me that there was a reason why they acted that way and it was all part of a story plot. I felt a lot better after that and she kept a lookout for me.
It's always good to keep an open mind, voice out when you feel uncomfortable, and have fun during these camps.