It was only when I stepped foot on campus for the first time that the reality of beginning graduate school truly sank in—this would become my home for the next year.
It was the first day of orientation and I had been in Massachusetts for three days. And, although I had taken a drive around the Brandeis campus with my parents, since we were short on time, we did not step out of the car to get a gist of the student life at Brandeis. That changed on orientation day. As my parents dropped me off at the admissions stop, where my journey officially began, I felt like a wide-eyed kindergartner on the first day of school.
Navigating campus on my own felt intimidating at first. Luckily, the welcome atmosphere put me at ease—Jing Zhang, assistant director of the Office of Graduate Affairs (OGA), and a student member of the Graduate Student Association (GSA) had lined the path with balloons leading to Hassenfeld, where orientation was being held. Following the trail, I stepped into the heart of my graduate experience, eager to see all that Brandeis had to offer.
The orientation schedule was as follows:
- 12:00 - 1:00 pm: Welcome & Resource Fair
- 1:00 - 4:00 pm: Informational Panels and Campus Tours Panels:
Panels:
- Language, Teaching and Writing at Brandeis
- Health and Wellness at Brandeis
- Graduate Student Life
Tours:
- Campus Tour
- Library Tour
- Athletics Tour
- 4:30 - 6:00 pm: Refreshments with the GSA
Each activity left a unique impression, but here is my take:
The resource fair was incredibly helpful for learning about the various offices and services Brandeis has to offer. Some of the offices present included the Office of Student Financial Aid, the Counseling Center, the Health Center, and the Center for Spiritual Life, among many others.
For the informational panels and tours, we got to pick the three activities we were most interested in attending. I chose the Graduate Student Life panel and the campus and library tours. These activities turned out to be very useful and came in handy once the semester started.
The Graduate Student Life panel was enriching, as it was fascinating to learn about the different groups and activities students were involved in. Hearing current students share their experiences adapting to graduate life and using campus resources to do so was both insightful and encouraging.
The campus tour was a great way to get familiar with the layout of Brandeis. We walked from lower campus to upper campus, led by a graduate student who gave us a brief description and history of the buildings. My favorite was the Usen Castle. Yes, we have a castle on campus! The Usen Castle is the last remaining building of Middlesex University, Brandeis's predecessor. Though no longer in use for safety reasons, the first floor occasionally hosts events, making it a fascinating piece of campus history.
My favorite part of orientation, however, was the library tour. Having grown up on an island affected by hurricanes, earthquakes, and the pandemic, I experienced firsthand the severe damages these events caused to my undergrad university’s library, which led to its closing during my sophomore year of college. Hence, seeing a fully functioning library with four floors was thrilling. We explored its various rooms and spaces, but a major highlight was the MakerLab, where the Brandeis community can use 3D printers to create objects. Other fun features included treadmills and stationary bicycles for exercising while working, special collections of significant works, and an ancient Rome installation. Fun fact: when I give campus tours as part of my Admissions job, I love showcasing the library to prospective students.
The final segment of orientation was a wonderful opportunity to reflect on everything we had experienced and network with other incoming students, current students, staff, and faculty. I distinctly remember meeting students who later became my teaching assistants (TAs). The pre-existing connection made it much easier to approach them for help navigating my classes.
Overall, orientation was an incredible first taste of life at Brandeis. The overwhelming sense of community and support made me feel very fortunate to have joined such a great community for my graduate studies.