Your one stop guide to surviving O Week!

By Arooba Ghayas.

Welcome to LUMS!

To all those who had LUMS as their first choice of universities/colleges, congratulations. You made it! I hope you find LUMS to be everything you wished for. And for all those who are coming to LUMS as a secondary/backup option, I genuinely urge you to come with an open mind and heart. You will find the experience to be better than your expectations if you allow yourself to shape it so.

Coming to LUMS, the first and MOST happening event is your Orientation Week. In my personal experience, I had a blast at my O-Week and it was the only thing I would be talking about once I got home. Really, it drove my school friends and family insane! This article will narrate some of my experiences, give some friendly advice, and explain the know-hows at LUMS.

Hostelites, your LUMS journey starts with Day 0 aka Check-in-Day. You receive your smart cards, O-Week parcels, a whole lot of freedom, a little bit of responsibility, and your room keys. It’s going to be so much fun and it begins at this point. Some things that you should keep note of are the following:

• Triple occupancy is being introduced for the First Years, which means that you have to get along with not one but two roommates (good luck). Hopefully your fate will be kind to you and you will find the best people as your roommates but in case you don’t, RELAX! You don’t have to be friends with your roommates, you only have to learn to be cordial and respectful towards one another. It is advisable to set down some boundaries and ground rules on the very first day to avoid awkward conversations later on. This is important for issues like privacy, how late the light can be on and having friends over. Other than that, just be accepting and accommodating!
• The rooms DO NOT have an AC, nor can you get it installed. But don’t worry, LUMS has the best sleeping-in-common-rooms culture. So, don’t forget your foldable mattress and be sure to place it in a common room right in time to mark your spot. It might be a bit daunting sleeping in a room with a dozen other people, but you’ll get used to it. Just please, please turn off your alarm as soon as it rings so that others don’t kill you in your sleep.
• You can install fridges and heaters in your rooms by getting them properly registered. Don’t try to sneak them in because there are unannounced checks by the warden and if you get caught, it means a heavy fine.
• Each hostel floor has at least one pantry and two communal bathrooms on each side. They are cleaned quite regularly, so no, it’s really not that bad.

Everyone else, O-Week Day 1 is the official start. After the official ceremony is completed, the First Years are introduced to their O-Week coaches and groups. Having been a part of the host team, I assure you all that a lot of time and effort is invested by the O-Week team to make your time memorable. Therefore, I will request you all to give it a fair chance and try to participate in it.

Now I understand that you might already have some friends or relatives who have come to LUMS, but don’t shut down the idea of making new friends, interacting with different people, and slowly stepping out of your comfort zones. My O-Week coach explained the idea and importance of O-Week groups quite interestingly. According to him, each group was a cross-section of the incoming batch, combining students from various academic backgrounds. Therefore, if one was able to interact with one’s O-Week group successfully, he/she would easily adjust in the crowd at LUMS and find familiar faces with ease. That’s why I would insist that you don’t ditch you O-Week group just to hang out with friends you know from before. Spend your time wisely and give yourself the chance to explore, learn, and interact in the environment LUMS provides to you! It will help you immensely in the long run.

Another point that I would really emphasize on is staying out at the khoka. Once you’re in LUMS, you will immediately be acquainted with the space that is considered as the khoka. Your coaches will definitely help you familiarize with the khoka culture but here’s a brief explanation. Open space, round tables, chai, lots of chatter, and rounds of card games. It is THE place to socialize, especially during the first few weeks as everyone is generally more excited and keen on meeting new people. Therefore, don’t hesitate to sit at a random khoka table. Play that round of Mafia. Have that cup of chai with a bunch of people. Sit till past your bed time and watch your friendships grow.

Every O-Week comprises of a bunch of activities, events, or competitions. Yes, there are instances like the Sports Fest or Mind Quest where groups compete with one another. I honestly found such competitions to really strengthen the bond my O-Week group had as we won the Mind Quest hand-in-hand. However, we really need to understand and remember that the purpose behind such activities isn’t finding a winner. The purpose is to provide a platform or situation to the groups to become comfortable enough to come together for a task. Therefore, don’t take the competitions too seriously and focus on having a good time.

Lastly, it is super important to attend and attentively listen to the sessions being held. Very serious issues are highlighted during these sessions which need to be understood by every member of the student body. Moreover, certain guidelines and rules are expressed through these sessions. Understanding of the enrollment system, provision of IST and library services, and proceedings of the Disciplinary Committee are all matters discussed during these sessions. Therefore, it is crucial that you attend these sessions throughout the week.

I genuinely hope that each one of you is successful in making sure you have the best time at O-Week. However, in case you need any help with that you can always try to find me!