Welcoming students to their new home in style

From mid-February, we have welcomed over 2,300 residents onto campus, and they’ve been busy: Scavenger hunts, ice breakers, surfing lessons, animal encounters and day trips near and far: just a few of the experiences our ressies have enjoyed during orientation in 2024 at Deakin Res!

Starting with 'get to know you week', when new residents to settle in and make connections with the help of Residential Leaders (RLs), followed by week two when our returning residents come back to join their new friends, this orientation has seen huge levels of engagement and enjoyment across our four campuses.

While it may sound like a lot of fun, it's important to note that all programming throughout orientation and the remainder of the year is informed by our Student Experience Pillars, and is planned to help all residents settle into their new homes, make meaningful connections and to enable them to thrive personally and in their studies. And some tasty free food thrown in here and there doesn't hurt either, not to mention a memorable appearance one hot February day by the icicle bicycle!

We asked Residential Leader Liberty to share some reflections on orientation period:

Reflecting on the role of Residential Leader, Liberty said,

To say it has been so incredibly rewarding and a privilege to see all the new and returning ressies here and settling in, would be an understatement.

We have all been new in this big unfamiliar world of uni and living out of home (even just moving buildings) - it’s a massive, scary, busy step in life and everyone manages differently but it’s been amazing to see almost all the new ressies enthusiastically getting involved, coming to events, meeting new people and settling in.

All of us Residential Leaders (RLs) are in this position to help, and to have played even just a small part in helping the ressies settle in and feel welcomed, safe and supported, means a lot to us, and is so worth being an RL!

We finally asked Liberty to share any advice for students considering life on Res in future. She said,

Take the leap! Change and unfamiliarity is scary and overwhelming, absolutely, but it is so worth it in the end.

Coming to res, you may be away from home and out of your comfort zone, but you are always surrounded with support, friendships and opportunities.

I have met some of the most amazing people that I get to call my friends, through being in a share-house and through events, I have had the opportunity to do things I would never have been able to do back home.

I have been to incredible events (my favourite being anything food related or stand up paddleboarding!) and have had the opportunity to thrive living on my own just from being here on deakin res!

Now our ressies prepare for the academic year to get underway, and here at Res we're happy to know that they have settled into their new homes and have already made friendships and connections that will last a lifetime.

For future students, we can't wait for you to experience orientation on Res. It's one of the highlights of the year!