Freshers' Week

Student orientation or new student orientation (often encapsulated into an Orientation week, Frosh Week, Welcome Week or Freshers' Week) is a period of time at the beginning of the academic year at a university or other tertiary institution during which a variety of events are held to orient and welcome new students. The name of the period varies by country.

Although usually described as a week, the length of this period varies widely from university to university and country to country, ranging from about three days to a month or even more (e.g. four or five weeks, depending on program, at Chalmers). The length of the week is often affected by each university's tradition as well as financial and physical constraints. During this period, students participate in a wide range of social activities, including live music and other performances, sports challenges, stunts, and open-air markets.

The week before the term starts is known as: Frosh (or frosh week) in some colleges and universities in Canada. In the US, most call it by the acronym SOAR for Student Orientation And Registration;Freshers' week in the majority of the United Kingdom and Ireland and Orientation week or O-week in countries such as Australia, South Africa and New Zealand, and also in many Canadian universities. In Sweden, it is known as nollning (from nolla, "zero", in this case meaning the students have not earned any credit points yet) or inspark (being "kicked in" to university life). Orientation week is the coming phrase in the United States. Some schools use the acronym WOW for Week of Welcome.

In Canada, first year students are called "Frosh" or "first years." The terms "freshies" and "freshers" are also emerging. In the United States, first year university students are typically referred to as freshmen. In Australia and New Zealand first year students are known simply as "first years", although in some the colleges of the University of Melbourne and the University of Sydney they are also called "Freshers". In the U.K. and Ireland first year students are known as freshers or first years. Freshies is also an emerging term in New Zealand. In Sweden, the student is a nolla (a "zero") during the orientation period and usually upgraded to the status of an etta (student who is in her/his first college term) at a ceremony involving a fancy three-course dinner and a lots of singing.

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