O’Week!

The first week on campus was full of orientations and O’ Week, which hosts over 200 tents that showcase all of the clubs and societies on campus. They have the usual and mundane Law Society, Mathematics Society, and Biology Society; however, the University of Sydney also hosts some pretty outlandish and quite unique clubs you can join.

Some of the clubs I found interesting where the Leprechaun Society, the Beer Brewing and Musical Appreciation Society (who claims to have coined the term “brewsical”), the Rubik’s Cube and Other Puzzles Appreciation Society, and Movers and Shakers (whose motto is “All Classy Drunkards Welcome”). I decided to join a couple of clubs including: Unimates (which is specifically for international students and they organize group trips to different areas around New South Wales for discounted rates), The Buddy Club (also for international students, where they pair you with a local student) and the Chocolate Society (which hosts pancake breakfasts on campus with hot chocolate; kind of silly, but I thought why not?).

During O’ Week they also had a big Red Bull truck and Coke Zero reps that handed out a free Coke Zero to everyone that walked by. When I walked by, I must have had a big smile on my face because the guy said, “Coke Zero will make you even happier!”

O’ Week was a really fun way to show what the University of Sydney has to offer! There are so many ways to get involved and a multitude of diverse clubs and societies that you can join.

One thing that seems essential on campus is being an ACCESS member. ACCESS is provided by the University of Sydney Union, which gives you discounts on campus as well as off campus at major retail and food outlets. Also, without the ACCESS card, you can’t join clubs or run for leadership positions on campus. I opted to buy the one semester membership for $70. It seems like a lot of money up front, but I figured that the ACCESS membership was an essential expense to become involved on campus and it would also lead to opportunities to save money!