Waterloo Orientation may only be a few days in a new student’s life, but it’s one of the most important and memorable experiences a student will have. Here is peek inside Waterloo Orientation: by the numbers. Check out the full infographic on the Orientation website (or click on the image).

While we're on the subject, a number of Orientation-related events are taking place today: Faculty of Arts and Faculty of Mathematics incoming classes will have their aerial photos taken, and today also marks the International Student Orientation events for Mathematics, Engineering, and Applied Health Sciences.

Faculty of Arts students will participate in an Academic Rotation event from 10:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m., and Science students will compete in the Science Olympics from 2:30 p.m. to 5:00 p.m.

This evening's event is a faculty mixer, where students from all six faculties can mingle. The mixer takes place from 7:30 p.m. to midnight at various locations around campus.

New faculty members will be welcomed at events taking place at the Quantum-Nano Centre and South Campus Hall's Festival Room from 8:30 a.m. to 2:00 p.m.

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New tools orient students to Waterloo

The Student Success Office and the Federation of Students are working together to improve incoming students’ transition to university with new digital tools. 

The tools work together to serve a common purpose: to increase knowledge of campus programs and services and improve pre-arrival, two-way communication with incoming students.  “Connecting with students before they arrive on campus and providing opportunities to ask questions helps to ensure a successful transition,” explains Gabrielle Smith, pre-arrival coordinator, Student Success Office.   Incoming students were introduced to the Welcome to uWaterloo community, new student live chats, the interactive MappedIn map and student run social media channels.

The Welcome to uWaterloo community gave incoming students the opportunity to connect with fellow first-year students and upper-year mentors before they arrived on campus.  Hosted in Learn, students gained firsthand experience using the system before classes began.  During the first week of classes, students can access even more information within the community including tips and resources that will help them to be successful throughout their first year.

Over the summer months, incoming students were invited to participate in a series of new student live chats with upper-year students and campus experts.  Each chat focused on a specific topic ranging from off-campus housing to the international student experience.  Students who were not comfortable communicating with the hosts directly were able to watch the live stream and learn from other students’ questions.  While those not available to participate in the live chat were able to watch a recorded version at a later time.  

During Orientation, a live chat function will be available for all students.  From 8:30am-1am each day, students can log in and ask questions to a team of student volunteers.  The same team will also be behind the official Orientation social media handles, Waterloo Orientation on Facebook and @UWOrientation on Twitter.  The student team will communicate with the campus community about Orientation events, answer questions and post pictures throughout the week. 

With the help of MappedIn, a company founded by alumni in the VeloCity residence program, students can download an interactive campus map.  By following instructions on the Orientation website, students can download the map onto their Blackberry, iPhone or Android device and get easy to follow directions to locations across campus.  The map shows pathways, roads and building locations and also directs users to specific rooms in any building.

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Co-op on the GO

a message from Co-operative Education and Career Action (CECA).

If you’ve ever taken public transit you’ve more than likely found yourself gazing into an advertisement while waiting to reach your destination. In September of 2011, Co-operative Education & Career Action featured an article on the Hire Waterloo GO Train advertisement  that would reach two million passengers. Since then, CECA has advertised regularly throughout the year, for two weeks in January and May and four weeks in September, to mark the beginning of each recruiting term. 

At the end of the four week campaign this September, the ads will reach over 4.2 million riders to help draw in job postings for the busy fall recruiting season. GO Train passenger cars serve a population of five million people in the Greater Toronto and Hamilton Area and extending to cities in the Greater Golden Horseshoe. The posters, placed on the interior of the cars, feature testimonials from employers on the quality and success of Waterloo students with a focus on the co-op programs in which job development is needed.

GO carries over 185,000 passengers on an average weekday. Most riders are travelling to or from work—the perfect audience for a Hire Waterloo advertisement which promotes co-op, summer, part-time and graduating students and alumni. GO Train riders (an estimated 52% are managers, owners, professionals, executives, and administrators) will view the ads placed at eye level for an average ride of 45 minutes.

Other similar advertisements are placed in strategic locations and publications to promote job development for Waterloo students.

If you’d like a copy of one of the past GO Train ad posters, please contact Cayleigh Schweitzer.

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