Hello all you brand new engineering students, and welcome to the University of Waterloo. You are about to plunge into the most innate adventure of your lives as we explore The Four Elements in this year’s Engineering Orientation Week! Take pride in your colour team, but don’t forget the big picture as you work alongside your brothers and sisters within your elemental team.
By now you’ve hopefully found your way to our website (engorientation.uwaterloo.ca) and learned a little bit about Waterloo’s Engineering Orientation traditions. We hope you’re just as excited about the week as we are, and that you’re prepared to have one of the greatest and most welcoming weeks of your life! By now you’ve probably received your Orientation Kit full of all sorts of goodies and been put onto a colour team. Be sure to take a look through your kit; it has some great swag that will give you a taste of what to expect this week, along with some very helpful information. Tuesday is when the fun really begins! Remember to wear your Orientation shirt as well as pants or shorts that you don’t mind getting wet! You’ll start the day by finding your colour group’s headquarters (follow the signs). Here, you’ll be greeted by some of your leaders, the Bigs and Huges. Their job is to answer any of the questions you may have about Orientation Week or Engineering in general. It was not too long ago that they were in your shoes, so they know how you feel! You might get a little overwhelmed with the number of new faces you’re meeting, but don’t worry! You’re all in the same position, so go and introduce yourself to someone as there’s a 7.692% chance that they’re in your class—and some of them may well become your new best friends. Enough about that, once you’re in your headquarters, you might be a little scared, excited, or both! Now what, you ask? Tuesday is when you earn your Hardhat alongside your Bigs. You’ll meet the Dean and the infamous Education Committee, and experience all sorts of exciting games and activities. Your Hardhat is your protection against the foes of Engineering and is a well-established tradition that ties together all of the great Waterloo Engineers before you. You must do everything in your power to protect this hard hat and all that it represents. Once you have earned your hard hat, you’ll come together in a show of Engineering unity as you create a special design for the Aerial Photo.
Wednesday is your day off (unless you are in Software!), so take some time to get settled into your new home and explore with some new friends!
On Thursday, grab the multitool from your Orientation Kit and your freshly earned Hardhat as you’ll put them to good use at Junkyard Wars! You’ll have the opportunity to prove your ENGinuity using only items found in a massive pile of salvaged junk to build contraptions to meet the challenges of the day. In the afternoon, you’ll have a chance to meet several student-run engineering design teams with which you can work and learn. Then you’ll get to meet our Engineering mascot, the Tool. It’s the ultimate and the all-knowing Tool (did we mention it also loves Engineering spirit and loud noises?).
On Friday, you’ll participate in a battle of wits, hilarity, and creative genius during the final Engineering event: Scavenger Hunt. Go forth and try your hand at challenges such as Ultimate Calculus, Pool Noodle Jousting, and 3D Twister—not to mention that there’s a 60-page Acquisitions List of things you can find to earn points and tokens for your team.
But wait there’s more! During night-time cross-campus events, you’ll get to mix and mingle with students from other faculties. Make sure you come out to events like Tuesday’s Choose Your Own Adventure, World of Waterloo on Wednesday, Monte Carlo on Thursday, and put on your best Roman inspired bedsheets for Saturday Night’s Toga party! Check your schedule to know all the details. We, as your SuperHuges, are part of the Engineering Federation Orientation Committee (EngFOC) and are here to help make this week as fun as possible for you. This week was created especially for you, so the more you put into the week, the more you’ll get out of it. If you have any questions or just want to say hello, don’t be afraid to stop us at any time! We are wearing gold jacket/vest things all week! Enough talking from us now! Now it’s time to explore the intricacies of The Four Elements and prove to everyone that you are the ultimate, the infallible, and the true champions!
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