Orientation of NUST – A Cherished Beginning!
ORIENTATION of NUST – A CHERISHED BEGINNING!
By Ahmad Hasan
Were you nervous about giving the NET? And then, were you anxiously waiting to be selected in the merit list? Of course you were! But nothing compares to the nervousness you feel when actually joining the largest university in Pakistan. Luckily for us, team Orientation left no stone unturned in ensuring that the freshmen were welcomed in a manner that removed all their hesitation, leaving them with memories to cherish forever. Our Orientation Guides reached out to us a week before the orientation. They not only made us feel calm and at ease in beginning university life, but also made us look forward to all the fun we were going to have in the coming week.
26th of August was the day it all began. The respective School Orientation Committees played a wonderful role in guiding the newcomers and their parents. Our seniors gave us an informal welcome to the school, and used the code word “icebreaking” to interact with the juniors and get to know them.
BATCH PHOTO
This was the time the new batch had been anticipating for eagerly: being part of the batch photo. The batch photo not only symbolizes the induction of the new batch, but is also a reflection of the hard work and management put in by the Orientation team.
We were sat in the convocation ground as the atmosphere echoed with slogans of each orientation group. What made this year unique was the “first ever night batch photo”. As the sunlight dimmed, flashlights waved across the ground, making this an unparalleled spectacle – a sight worth seeing. We did get exhausted and frustrated continuously sitting for three hours, but all our patience and efforts were worthwhile as we had the joy of being the first ever batch with a night photo. History was made that night, though I had a hard time explaining to my parents why I reached back so late.
INTER-SCHOOL VISITS
We always wondered how big NUST is. Well, we got our answer while visiting all eleven schools located in the H-12 Campus. Every school gave us a
warm welcome in their own special way, and we interacted with people from various departments. The inter school visits provided us the perfect chance to get to know what goes on around the whole campus, as we got to see each school from the inside, along with what goes there – something I doubt many of us will ever be doing again during our four-year journey.
JINNAH AUDITORIUM
We were gathered twice in Jinnah Auditorium; the first being for the Dean’s address about life at NUST, where we were introduced to all the societies that make NUST stand out in its social activities. Each freshman was inspired and had a keen ambition to join the society of their liking. Then, on the final day of the orientation, a closing ceremony was held to appreciate the efforts of the entire Orientation team in making our start at NUST so tremendous.
CULTURAL AND MUSICAL NIGHT
Any event week is surely incomplete without a musical night, and the Orientation team thought so too. The atmosphere was warmed up the previous night with a cultural carnival, where the new batch danced all evening to the sound of music. We were also treated to quality-food, courtesy of stalls of renowned food chains.
Finally, the stage was set in SCME ground for one of NUST’s very own, Abdullah Qureshi. Who else to welcome new NUSTians than a former NUSTian himself? Not only did he captivate us with his soulful performance, but he also shared what it feels like to be a NUSTian.
And as his performed concluded, so did the orientation week, leaving us in awe. The first week of our University life just might end up being the best time of our years ahead.
