Freshmen Camps: The First Step into Student Life

Starting university is about more than attending your first lectures, getting used to a new timetable, or finding your way around unfamiliar classrooms. It also marks the beginning of student life – something that can be difficult to picture clearly before September. How will you get to know your coursemates? What awaits beyond lectures? What traditions, activities, and opportunities will become part of your everyday life?

For many first-year students, Freshers’ Camp is where they begin finding answers to these questions even before their studies officially start. VU Kaunas Faculty student Arijus Blockis, VU Faculty of Mathematics and Informatics student Ūla Marija Čepaitytė, VU Business School student Karina Burakaitė, and VU Life Sciences Centre student Kipras Kliučinskas share their experiences.

Student Life Is More Than Lectures

Before arriving at university, student life can often feel like a big unknown. VU Life Sciences Centre student Kipras Kliučinskas says he was worried that once his studies began, most of his time would be consumed by academics.

“I imagined student life as being more isolated than it actually is. I was really afraid that I would simply get buried in my studies and that there wouldn’t be many other opportunities,” he recalls.

Freshers’ Camp became one of the first opportunities to see that university life extends far beyond the study programme itself. Here, first-year students get to know student organisations, initiatives, faculty traditions, and other activities they can later become involved in.

“I didn’t realise just how many opportunities a single organisation could open up or how many different paths it could show you,” K. Kliučinskas says about discovering VU SR.

VU Kaunas Faculty student Arijus Blockis arrived at the camp with similar expectations. Having taken a gap year before starting university, he hoped that this new environment would help him meet more people with similar interests.

“Since I started university after taking a gap year, one of my worries was that it might be a little more difficult to connect with my coursemates. I was also unsure whether going to the camp was even worth it – I was so hesitant that I only registered an hour before registration closed. But I’m glad I did, because I really did manage to connect with my coursemates,” says A. Blockis.

Things You Won’t Find in a Study Programme Description

Although information about study programmes, courses, or organisations operating at the University can be found online, students agree that hearing about them at the camp is a completely different experience.

For Arijus, the camp helped him gain a clearer understanding of what to expect from his studies.

“I found out more specifically what subjects I would be studying, what tools we would be using, and what topics we would cover,” he recalls.

For VU Business School student Karina Burakaitė, conversations with mentors were particularly useful, helping her better understand not only lectures but also assessments and the everyday rhythm of university studies.

“At school, you always hear that exams at university are extremely important and that if you fail one, all sorts of things will happen. The mentors helped us understand more deeply how university life actually works and realise that it isn’t as scary as it might initially seem,” she says.

For VU Faculty of Mathematics and Informatics student Ūla Marija Čepaitytė, one of these moments was discovering exchange opportunities and student initiatives. Instead of simply reading about them, she heard directly from students who had already experienced them.

“A girl from my faculty who had been on Erasmus told us about it. She showed us her photos and shared her experience. You can read about initiatives too, but when people come and show you what they do in person and share their experiences, you see it completely differently,” says Ū. Čepaitytė.

Seeing Familiar Faces in September

One of the most common concerns before starting university is the fear of entering an environment where everyone else seems to already have their own group of friends. VU Business School student Karina imagined student life in much the same way before attending the camp.

“I thought there would be lots of people who already knew each other, that there would be established groups, and that it would be really difficult to fit in once September came. But when I arrived, I realised that everyone was nervous, nobody knew anyone, and everyone was looking for their people,” she recalls.

Karina also came to the camp with another goal – to meet her future dorm roommates. The plan worked out even better than expected: today, she calls the girls she met at the camp her best friends.

VU Faculty of Mathematics and Informatics student Ūla also remembers wondering whether she should go to the camp at all. Icebreakers and an unfamiliar environment seemed uncomfortable at first, but that feeling quickly changed once she arrived.

“I thought it would be really difficult to make friends at university. But everyone was very open to meeting new people and talked to each other a lot. Even though we were all very different – studying different things and coming from different cities – it still felt like we got along really well,” she says.

Experiencing Faculty Traditions Before September

At Freshers’ Camp, first-year students not only hear about their future student life – they become part of it themselves. For VU Faculty of Mathematics and Informatics student Ūla, one such experience was discovering faculty traditions, including faculty dances, MIDI, and “Roko opera”.

“I really liked how everyone encouraged you to join in and take part in everything. When they told us there would be preparations for the September 1st procession, I was really looking forward to it. When the day came, it was so much fun to contribute, make posters together, and come up with chants,” she recalls.

For VU Life Sciences Centre student Kipras, the camp also helped him understand that life at the faculty does not end at the classroom door.

“I realised that the activities at my faculty are very broad and don’t end with lectures or laboratory work. They extend into research and other academic activities as well. The faculty can be a place where you choose for yourself which path you want to take,” he says.

For VU Business School student Karina, camp activities related to her field of study provided further reassurance that she had chosen the right programme.

“There were many tasks related to the field we had chosen – business and finance. They helped me realise that I really had enrolled in the programme I wanted and that I genuinely enjoy doing this,” she says.

Starting University Already Knowing You Belong

There is still some time between Freshers’ Camp and the first lecture, but by then the University no longer feels completely unfamiliar. There are familiar faces, traditions you already know, activities you want to try, and people you know you can turn to if you need help.

“I felt much more confident on September 1st because I could already see familiar people and didn’t feel alone. The camp helped me realise that I really had enrolled where I wanted to be. It was a kind of reassurance that everything was okay and that I was in the right place,” says Karina.

VU Kaunas Faculty student Arijus would recommend Freshers’ Camp to future first-year students not only because of the new friendships or the fun experience.

“You’ll learn a lot of useful information that will genuinely help you while studying at Vilnius University,” he says.

VU Life Sciences Centre student Kipras sums up the Freshers’ Camp experience simply:

“You should start your student years on a high note, and this is one of the best ways to do it.”

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.