Fresh Blood
Day 1: TCSH CAL Orientation
It was like first day of school all over again when Taylor’s College Sri Hartamas launched its Cambridge A-Levels Orientation Day on the 12th of January 2010.
While our existing students (who had enjoyed a one-month-and-a-litle-bit-more-break) were exchanging ‘Oh no college is commencing tomorrow’ greetings, the freshies wore enthusiastic personalities, even though most had only just completed their SPM examinations a couple of weeks back.
The "kids."
Mary (not her real name) says “I’m not that tired actually; it’s no big deal, just like going to school.”
As a shocking start, the first student arrived at about 7 a.m., even though orientation was scheduled to begin at 9 a.m. As the morning progressed, the rest of the antsy students flocked in, in packs of twos and threes. By 8.30 a.m., the Foyer and the Hang-Out area was packed with expectant students. Goody bags were handed out, containing anything and everything that would be essential to any student studying at Taylor’s; a student handbook explaining the ‘low down’ on what Taylor’s is all about, a map of the building and a plan for the day’s happenings.
Students were broken into two groups based on their choice of subjects. To accommodate the large number of students, the Science students were directed into the Alpha theatre while the Humanities students bustled into the Beta theatre. Here, both groups took turns to meet with our two most important people: Mr Ananda Kumaresh, our Campus Director, and Mr Hariandra, our Programme Coordinator (who, in addition to that, also teaches A-Level Physics). Mr. Ananda started his speech by telling the nervous crowd that their first order of business would be to ‘Switch off all cell-phones when in class and during the duration of this speech. Do not put them on silent, switch them off completely’.
While it is safe to say that all students flagrantly disregard this rule, we should all make it a new year’s point to switch of our cell-phones in class, or at least in Mr. Ananda’s presence. The existing rules of the college like dress code, smoking and tardiness were quickly dying out; they were strictly reinforced again on the new students by making an example out of the old. From the looks of things though, tardiness will be easy to combat, seeing as most of our students chose our new ultramodern campus because of its short distance from home. Later, Mr Rahul, our Head of Student Experience, and Ms Lim introduced the students to extra-curricular activities and ICT facilities in the similar consecutive fashion.
The fresh faces.
Students were also assigned and directed to their respective classes on the same day, where they were able to meet their classmates and mentors. Student ambassador Lena says ‘My hands were all over the place, pointing out directions, whilst talking to many people at a time’. Guiding students to their classes proved to be more complicated than expected, because the students came in big huddles, and what’s more, they were all from different classes! On the other hand, mentors were having a difficult time too. Some mentors were assigned to other classses in addition to their existing classes.
‘I’m so unlucky,’ says Ms S (not her real name) ‘Mentoring cuts our time in class’. While this is true, new students are advised to stay in their mentors’ good books. They may seem casual and friendly, but mentors are also observant and cunning, as they need to write testimonials for their students. Most students carelessly judge their teachers during ‘gossip breaks’, the most important thing they forget is that teachers have the same liberty to compare notes and talk about their students behind their backs (more precisely, at the Teacher’s Lounge) as well.
There was much hustling about in the front area of college during breaks as students waited for their turns to take their ID-photos. Marking a new history in Taylor’s College Sri Hartamas, the glass door by the side of the library was opened for the first time ever! Students were pushed into the library through this door, and were instructed to remain calm on the very comfortable beanbags while their numbers were called out in turn. It certainly did not help at all that the staff computer was very slow. However, it was during this waiting period that the new January 2010 A-Levels batch met many new friends other than their classmates and realized that they were not feeling chilly on their own. Not one freshies’ first impression on Taylor’s skidded away from the words ‘cold’, ‘freezing’, and ‘brrrrr’.
Brainstorming to get the answers!
The final and most tiring session turned out to be the last activity of the day. The new students were introduced to what was left of our Student Council, as many of them had graduated in the previous year upon completion of their South Australian Matriculation programme. An ice-breaking session was conducted in the form of a game devised by the Student Council. The game was a loose interpretation of ‘The Amazing Race’, where students were broken up into groups of ten and were required to capture photos of several locations on campus according to snippets and clues.
Some teams were very enthusiastic and ran all over campus looking for clues, while others took their time, looking awkwardly around unfamiliar grounds. Student ambassadors were placed in various spots as ‘checkpoints’ for the teams, and took to yelling ‘You better run if you want to win!’ to get some of the teams that were behind to move faster, though the effectiveness of this provocation was somewhat doubtful.
Our colourful and attractive lockers were rented out on the same day for be-fitting prices and transportation tickets were offered as well. The day finally came to an end after a short briefing to our seven-ish new international students. All in all, despite a few hitches here and there and amidst all the madness, year 2010 began with a refreshing elegance in Taylor’s College Sri Hartamas. Securing a parking space will get ever more difficult and Starbucks coffee will be up for grabs as many new faces were welcomed into college grounds by the unrelenting front-door guards. Welcome to Taylor’s College Sri Hartamas!
By ADIBAH MN and LINA ABUSHOUK
Day 2: TCSH SAM Orientation
Ah, the start of a new semester. The smell of paper again after a break from college. Back to the familiar freeze of the air-conditioning. Back to...
...a horde of new students.
The "horde."
Alright, maybe not a horde. But from the figures I’d seen during my time as student ambassador in the holidays, there were quite a number of SAM enrolments this year, in addition to the big new batch of A-levels students the day before.
The students were divided into the Sciences and the Humanities Group. A short briefing and welcome speech was carried out by Mr. Ananda and Ms. Alicia to both groups in the Alpha and Beta theatre.
After that, yours truly crawled around to the reception area for a closer look at the situation. The students had already assembled, and some were lining up to take their photos and to collect their enrolment packs. Those who had already finished walked around, distinguishable by their blue plastic bags. Some mingling was taking place and it was heartening to see the students all socialising, adapting to a new environment.
The reception was abuzz with activity, with student ambassadors scurrying around carting bags and forms. Ms. Tina, poised upon her stool, organised all the documents, sorting it all out like a human dynamo. I had the chance to approach some of the new students and decided to find out their feelings about the campus.
Edboard: So how do you find the TCSH campus?
Cassandra: Very...clean!
You Jin: Good facilities.
Jae Lyn: It’s quite exciting. Many students.
Byron: First day is a little premature to say anything, but I think I like it.
Edboard: How do you find the staff so far?
Jae Lyn: Very helpful.
Edboard: How are your classmates? Made any friends?
Byron: Some familiar faces.
Jae Lyn just gestured to the two other girls she was talking with.
Overall, the students seemed very eager and happy to be in the campus. The air seemed to be more alive and thick with voices. Though I still harboured a little resentment, because thanks to them, my classroom got “demoted” to the first floor.
They then left for another briefing on ICT facilities, Enrolment Services and Student Experience by Ms. Lim and Mr. Rahul. On my way back to class, I decided to stop by the Placement Centre to check out the Curtin University of Technology talk.
It was actually more of a personal affair, conducted by a Mr. Klaus Sim. He was the representative, and only a few students came. He briefed them quietly outside the Placement Centre, away from the bustle of the reception area. Now, I think that this is a good idea. This appeals more to students who are specifically interested in a particular university, and they can receive more guidance on the application process and such.
From 12.30 to 1.30 p.m,, the Ice-breaking session was held by the Student Council in an attempt to familiarise the students with each other and the campus. It was actually held in the form of a “scavenger hunt” game where students ran around the campus in groups, hunting for things. Student Ambassadors oversaw the process, acting as ‘checkpoint masters’.
Student Council and the team.
Smart, actually, because the students had to run around campus and they could get to see for themselves the Gen Y, ECA office, classrooms on the first floors, the library and also the Science labs. It reminded me of a mass campus tour I had to conduct (Student Ambassador experiences speaking again).
It was good to see our student body grow substantially today, but I think I’m going to have to get used to the crowds.
By YOULIN KOH
It was like first day of school all over again when Taylor’s College Sri Hartamas launched its Cambridge A-Levels Orientation Day on the 12th of January 2010.
While our existing students (who had enjoyed a one-month-and-a-litle-bit-more-break) were exchanging ‘Oh no college is commencing tomorrow’ greetings, the freshies wore enthusiastic personalities, even though most had only just completed their SPM examinations a couple of weeks back.
The "kids."Mary (not her real name) says “I’m not that tired actually; it’s no big deal, just like going to school.”
As a shocking start, the first student arrived at about 7 a.m., even though orientation was scheduled to begin at 9 a.m. As the morning progressed, the rest of the antsy students flocked in, in packs of twos and threes. By 8.30 a.m., the Foyer and the Hang-Out area was packed with expectant students. Goody bags were handed out, containing anything and everything that would be essential to any student studying at Taylor’s; a student handbook explaining the ‘low down’ on what Taylor’s is all about, a map of the building and a plan for the day’s happenings.
Students were broken into two groups based on their choice of subjects. To accommodate the large number of students, the Science students were directed into the Alpha theatre while the Humanities students bustled into the Beta theatre. Here, both groups took turns to meet with our two most important people: Mr Ananda Kumaresh, our Campus Director, and Mr Hariandra, our Programme Coordinator (who, in addition to that, also teaches A-Level Physics). Mr. Ananda started his speech by telling the nervous crowd that their first order of business would be to ‘Switch off all cell-phones when in class and during the duration of this speech. Do not put them on silent, switch them off completely’.
While it is safe to say that all students flagrantly disregard this rule, we should all make it a new year’s point to switch of our cell-phones in class, or at least in Mr. Ananda’s presence. The existing rules of the college like dress code, smoking and tardiness were quickly dying out; they were strictly reinforced again on the new students by making an example out of the old. From the looks of things though, tardiness will be easy to combat, seeing as most of our students chose our new ultramodern campus because of its short distance from home. Later, Mr Rahul, our Head of Student Experience, and Ms Lim introduced the students to extra-curricular activities and ICT facilities in the similar consecutive fashion.
The fresh faces.Students were also assigned and directed to their respective classes on the same day, where they were able to meet their classmates and mentors. Student ambassador Lena says ‘My hands were all over the place, pointing out directions, whilst talking to many people at a time’. Guiding students to their classes proved to be more complicated than expected, because the students came in big huddles, and what’s more, they were all from different classes! On the other hand, mentors were having a difficult time too. Some mentors were assigned to other classses in addition to their existing classes.
‘I’m so unlucky,’ says Ms S (not her real name) ‘Mentoring cuts our time in class’. While this is true, new students are advised to stay in their mentors’ good books. They may seem casual and friendly, but mentors are also observant and cunning, as they need to write testimonials for their students. Most students carelessly judge their teachers during ‘gossip breaks’, the most important thing they forget is that teachers have the same liberty to compare notes and talk about their students behind their backs (more precisely, at the Teacher’s Lounge) as well.
There was much hustling about in the front area of college during breaks as students waited for their turns to take their ID-photos. Marking a new history in Taylor’s College Sri Hartamas, the glass door by the side of the library was opened for the first time ever! Students were pushed into the library through this door, and were instructed to remain calm on the very comfortable beanbags while their numbers were called out in turn. It certainly did not help at all that the staff computer was very slow. However, it was during this waiting period that the new January 2010 A-Levels batch met many new friends other than their classmates and realized that they were not feeling chilly on their own. Not one freshies’ first impression on Taylor’s skidded away from the words ‘cold’, ‘freezing’, and ‘brrrrr’.
Brainstorming to get the answers!The final and most tiring session turned out to be the last activity of the day. The new students were introduced to what was left of our Student Council, as many of them had graduated in the previous year upon completion of their South Australian Matriculation programme. An ice-breaking session was conducted in the form of a game devised by the Student Council. The game was a loose interpretation of ‘The Amazing Race’, where students were broken up into groups of ten and were required to capture photos of several locations on campus according to snippets and clues.
Some teams were very enthusiastic and ran all over campus looking for clues, while others took their time, looking awkwardly around unfamiliar grounds. Student ambassadors were placed in various spots as ‘checkpoints’ for the teams, and took to yelling ‘You better run if you want to win!’ to get some of the teams that were behind to move faster, though the effectiveness of this provocation was somewhat doubtful.
Our colourful and attractive lockers were rented out on the same day for be-fitting prices and transportation tickets were offered as well. The day finally came to an end after a short briefing to our seven-ish new international students. All in all, despite a few hitches here and there and amidst all the madness, year 2010 began with a refreshing elegance in Taylor’s College Sri Hartamas. Securing a parking space will get ever more difficult and Starbucks coffee will be up for grabs as many new faces were welcomed into college grounds by the unrelenting front-door guards. Welcome to Taylor’s College Sri Hartamas!
By ADIBAH MN and LINA ABUSHOUK
Day 2: TCSH SAM Orientation
Ah, the start of a new semester. The smell of paper again after a break from college. Back to the familiar freeze of the air-conditioning. Back to...
...a horde of new students.
The "horde."Alright, maybe not a horde. But from the figures I’d seen during my time as student ambassador in the holidays, there were quite a number of SAM enrolments this year, in addition to the big new batch of A-levels students the day before.
The students were divided into the Sciences and the Humanities Group. A short briefing and welcome speech was carried out by Mr. Ananda and Ms. Alicia to both groups in the Alpha and Beta theatre.
After that, yours truly crawled around to the reception area for a closer look at the situation. The students had already assembled, and some were lining up to take their photos and to collect their enrolment packs. Those who had already finished walked around, distinguishable by their blue plastic bags. Some mingling was taking place and it was heartening to see the students all socialising, adapting to a new environment.
The reception was abuzz with activity, with student ambassadors scurrying around carting bags and forms. Ms. Tina, poised upon her stool, organised all the documents, sorting it all out like a human dynamo. I had the chance to approach some of the new students and decided to find out their feelings about the campus.
Edboard: So how do you find the TCSH campus?
Cassandra: Very...clean!
You Jin: Good facilities.
Jae Lyn: It’s quite exciting. Many students.
Byron: First day is a little premature to say anything, but I think I like it.
Edboard: How do you find the staff so far?
Jae Lyn: Very helpful.
Edboard: How are your classmates? Made any friends?
Byron: Some familiar faces.
Jae Lyn just gestured to the two other girls she was talking with.
Overall, the students seemed very eager and happy to be in the campus. The air seemed to be more alive and thick with voices. Though I still harboured a little resentment, because thanks to them, my classroom got “demoted” to the first floor.
They then left for another briefing on ICT facilities, Enrolment Services and Student Experience by Ms. Lim and Mr. Rahul. On my way back to class, I decided to stop by the Placement Centre to check out the Curtin University of Technology talk.
It was actually more of a personal affair, conducted by a Mr. Klaus Sim. He was the representative, and only a few students came. He briefed them quietly outside the Placement Centre, away from the bustle of the reception area. Now, I think that this is a good idea. This appeals more to students who are specifically interested in a particular university, and they can receive more guidance on the application process and such.
From 12.30 to 1.30 p.m,, the Ice-breaking session was held by the Student Council in an attempt to familiarise the students with each other and the campus. It was actually held in the form of a “scavenger hunt” game where students ran around the campus in groups, hunting for things. Student Ambassadors oversaw the process, acting as ‘checkpoint masters’.
Student Council and the team.Smart, actually, because the students had to run around campus and they could get to see for themselves the Gen Y, ECA office, classrooms on the first floors, the library and also the Science labs. It reminded me of a mass campus tour I had to conduct (Student Ambassador experiences speaking again).
It was good to see our student body grow substantially today, but I think I’m going to have to get used to the crowds.
By YOULIN KOH
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