Freshmen Camps: Mentors Helping Students Take Their First Steps at University

The first day at university has not even begun, yet there are already plenty of questions. Where can I find my timetable? How do I choose my elective courses? What will the lecturers be like? And perhaps the most important question of all – will I find my people here?

For many first-year students, these questions are answered with the help of mentors. They welcome future students at the train station, encourage them to join activities during the freshers' camp, and, once the academic year begins, help them navigate university systems and answer any questions that arise.

On START FM, Vilnius University Faculty of Philology student Sibilė Pečiulytė, Faculty of Philosophy student Danielius Cibulskas, and Faculty of History student Gabija Milašauskytė shared how their mentors helped them and why that support mattered at the beginning of their studies. Not long ago, they themselves attended freshers' camps without knowing what to expect. This year, they will be returning as mentors.

The First Meeting Begins at the Train Station

A freshers' camp usually starts long before students arrive at the campsite – it begins at the train station. This is where future students meet, for the first time, the people with whom they will soon share lecture halls and student life. Approaching complete strangers can feel intimidating, which is why mentors play such an important role: they are often the first to say hello and invite newcomers to join the conversation.

Sibilė recalls that the mentors' warmth made her feel welcome from the very beginning.

"Even while we were waiting for the train, the mentors were incredibly friendly. They greeted us straight away and invited us into their circle. I was never left standing alone – someone would always come over, help me, or simply start a conversation," she says.

At first, Gabija kept to herself at the station. Groups of students had already started talking while she stood nearby wondering what to do. Eventually, she decided to step out of her comfort zone and introduced herself to two other future students.

"I'm really glad I did because one of them has become one of my closest friends. I think the camp helped us build that connection, and we've stayed close ever since," says Gabija.

Danielius joined the camp with almost no expectations after a former classmate encouraged him to go. Once he arrived at the station, however, he realised he would have to meet new people. Although starting conversations with strangers did not come naturally to him, he decided to introduce himself to another first-year student.

"That conversation turned into a really wonderful friendship. Today we're very close friends," he says.

Every Mentor Is There to Help

Although mentors are assigned to specific study programmes, those boundaries quickly disappear during the camp. Sibilė studies English and Spanish, yet she also formed a close connection with the mentor of the Scandinavian Studies programme.

"All the mentors looked after all the first-year students. If you wanted to, you could approach a mentor from a completely different programme. There was never any division between us," she recalls.

Before attending the camp, Sibilė imagined that a mentor would be something like a university mum or dad – someone who would show her around and explain how everything worked. In reality, the relationship became much closer than she had expected.

"My mentor became a friend. Whenever we met in the faculty courtyard, they would always say hello and ask how I was doing. And that wasn't just during the first few weeks – it continued even six months after my studies had begun," she says.

Before the camp, Gabija had no clear idea of what a mentor's role should be. For her, her mentor became someone she could always turn to with questions, knowing she would receive an answer.

"We had informal conversations and reflection sessions. Our mentor shared advice, told us about the lecturers, and helped us feel more confident about starting university. She was there not only during the camp but also after classes began, whenever questions or challenges came up," says Gabija.

"How Are You Feeling? What's Going Well, and What's Not?"

At first, Danielius was somewhat sceptical about the idea of mentors. In secondary school he had encountered similar roles, but they often felt more symbolic than practical. That is why the care shown by the Faculty of Philosophy mentor came as such a surprise.

"Our mentor genuinely cared about us. Every day, whenever she saw our group in the courtyard, she would come over and ask, 'How are you feeling? What's going well? What's not?' I wasn't used to someone showing that level of care," Danielius recalls.

Rather than waiting for first-year students to ask for help, the mentor took the initiative herself. She cared not only about their studies but also about how they were adjusting to their new environment.

"She became an important person in my transition to university life. She cared about both our well-being and our academic experience – how things were going and whether we were facing any difficulties. She exceeded all my expectations and showed me what a mentor can truly be," he says.

That support does not end when the camp is over. New questions continue to arise in September, when students need to find information, choose elective courses, or learn how to use the university's information systems.

"The camp gave us a real informational advantage. We learned about elective courses, the university information system, the Students' Representation and what it does – things that later turned out to be incredibly useful," says Danielius.

An Opportunity to Get to Know University Before It Begins

Freshers' camps offer much more than the chance to meet mentors and future classmates. They also allow students to experience their future study environment before the academic year even begins.

"Lecturers and representatives of the Student Scientific Society visited our camp. It was great to see what I would be doing, who I would be studying with, and the people I would be meeting over the coming years," Gabija recalls.

Sibilė says that the camp not only met her expectations but exceeded them.

"It was such a unique experience that you immediately want to relive it. That's one of the reasons why I decided to become a mentor myself," she reveals.

Gabija also finds it difficult to imagine what the beginning of her studies would have been like without attending the camp.

"I honestly don't know what my first year would have looked like if I hadn't gone to the freshers' camp. It definitely helped me become part of the community and get to know both my classmates and my lecturers. I had such a wonderful experience that I'm now looking forward to giving this year's first-year students an equally memorable one," she says.

Information about every VU SR faculty freshers' camp, including dates and ticket information, can be found on the VU SR Freshmen Camps webpage. Future students are also encouraged to follow their faculty Students' Representation on social media, where the latest updates about upcoming camps will be shared.