Attending International Orientation and my Faculty Induction when I first arrived

I arrived in Cambridge a few days before International Orientation and my Faculty Induction, which was a great way to start off my year.

International orientation

I had time to unpack, explore Cambridge, and get my bearings before attending International Orientation. I really enjoyed this two-day event because I had a chance to familiarise myself with the university, meet people in person, get any questions I had answered, get my ID and BRP early, and start preparing for the year to come.

The PowerPoint presentations and topics they discussed at Orientation were helpful, and I enjoyed getting to meet other international students. The person I happened to sit next to ended up becoming a good friend and connection of mine, and I really valued being able to have connections before I started my course or got to meet anyone from my cohort. I didn’t feel rushed and overwhelmed with everything, and I could just focus on getting a job, my bank account, and all the other logistics taken care of before my course induction.

The faculty induction

My course and faculty induction was an amazing experience, and it was nice to have the opportunity to meet the rest of the cohort and professors before our teaching started. There was built-in time to get to know everyone and have my questions answered before classes and lectures. I was so nervous to start my new program and meet all new people, and I think having this induction took a lot of the pressure off because I wasn’t also stressed about starting a lecture on the same day as I was trying to get used to the new environment and people. I think we were able to bond as a cohort a lot more because we had this time to bond and chat about why we were there and wanted to study music therapy. My professors did a great job of giving us the information we needed on what to expect for the year to come, and it gave me more time to process everything and take care of any last-minute things before starting lectures.

I really recommend other students attend international orientation and their faculty induction.