"Scary". "Daunting". Even downright "terrifying". These are words some people use to describe their first time in university in blogs and forums.

And some of those new entrants might be too shy to ask for guidance too, recalls UOW Malaysia KDU's Student Council president Melissa Anne Chai (蔡秀慧).

But a tradition exists on the campus that both the seniors and first timers enjoy: Freshies Night.

Chai said the Student Council successfully completed its recent Freshies Night in early August, describing it as a "joy to organise" after a long hiatus caused by the pandemic and movement control order.

"It's like a welcoming party. We get together. There are all sorts of performances.

"The juniors get to make friends with the seniors," she said.

It gets even better during Campus Breakouts.

These are held three times a year (around the start of every semester) and it is a time for the clubs and societies of the campus to hold booths, show off the cool things they do and invite freshies to join them. 

There are tens of clubs and societies in UOW Malaysia KDU revolving around manifold sports, hobbies, and interests.

They try to attract freshies who share their passions and encourage them to join and participate.

Then there is a 'movement' on the campus that students affectionately label as "Smolkids".

"We recruit seniors who really want to be involved in helping out during orientation and play an active role in helping freshies adapt to university life.

"Those in the Smolkids group are on standby to help freshies learn to register for subjects, use the library, or any other thing on the campus that they don't know about," Chai described.

Chai is a second-year law student at UOW Malaysia KDU in Selangor.

"I have seen many student council members who were quiet and shy in the beginning and are now outspoken, assertive and quite involved in our student community.

"It makes me so happy to see my friends adjust well to university life," she said.

Sharifah Azura, assistant manager at the Student and Alumni Centre of UOW Malaysia KDU, said helping first-time students adapt effectively into university life is a serious undertaking on the campus.

"There are usually no classes on their first week here. 

"For their orientation, we hold plenty of briefing sessions and campus tours.

"They learn everything about the university's welfare services, shuttle buses, accommodation, medical services, how to borrow books. Many things.

"It is vital for them to become totally familiar with our campus before they start their academic life," she said.

Mitchell Liong (梁梓鍕), senior manager of the campus's Student and Alumni Centre, stressed that academic achievements were not the sole denominator of a high-quality university life.

"The value of a university as our alma mater lies with how the campus shapes our character -- our emotional, mental and even spiritual facets.

"We pay a great deal of attention to these facets through our Youth Empowerment Plan," he said.

It is a five-pronged plan, but of late, Liong said emphasis has been going into the one called "Fitspiration", a portmanteau of "Fit" and "Inspiration".

"In Malaysia, 51% of our population are either overweight or obese. It is what leads to a long list of non-communicable ailments such as diabetes, hypertension, gout and many more. 

"We don't want our students to fall into this trap, so we inject large doses of physical activities into university life at UOW Malaysia KDU," he said.

In the case of UOW Malaysia KDU's latest campus in Batu Kawan, Penang, there are two gymnasiums, an Olympic-sized pool plus tennis, badminton, and squash courts with a sports field to boot.

Similar facilities are found in every UOW Malaysia KDU campus nationwide.

Liong pointed out that nutrition talks and even weight-loss challenges are regularly held, with the latest being a talk on sports psychology in June, given by Selangor Football Association.

The other four areas of focus in the university's Youth Empowerment Plan are called Career Exploration, Culturation (embracing myriad cultural ideologies to promote diversity and inclusion), Hatch Up (promoting creativity and the entrepreneurial spirit) and Sustainability.

To get a fuller perspective on how UOW Malaysia KDU enriches the university lives of students, call 03-5565 0538 (Selangor Campus) or 04-238 6368 (Penang Campus).

This content is provided by UOW Malaysia KDU.

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