NUS College Onboarding and Welcome - NOW!
NOW! (NUS College Onboarding and Welcome) promises a series of four exciting programmes – aiming to help all Year Ones ease into university life, connect with their peers, and most importantly, find their place in the kaleidoscope of NUSC’s vibrant community. Start NOW! offers online, pre-arrival bonding, while O’Week NOW! brings on-campus orientation fun. Dive into local culture and community service with Explore NOW! and Community NOW! Do follow us on our IG @nusc_onboarding for updates and keep an eye out for our emails.
Start NOW! – “Start Your Journey From Home”
Kickstart your NUSC journey through an immersive, month-long virtual programme set in a 1:1 digital replica of the NUSC campus! StartNOW! features asynchronous interactive quests that allow you to explore different aspects of life in NUSC at your own pace – even before stepping foot on campus. Meet up virtually with your peers and take part in engaging bonding activities, cross-group challenges, or simply vibe together through casual conversations, all from the comfort of your own home.
O’WEEK NOW! – “4 Fun Days, 1 Epic Welcome”
Make even more new friends through O’week, where you will have 4 days of bonding with people in your House and compete to win games with them! Our student life fairs will also expose you to a wide range of activities and clubs that you can join at NUSC. O’week offers you the chance to forge unforgettable memories as you settle into your new homes at NUSC. It’s four days of energy, fun and memories – capped off with the epic Finale Night!
EXPLORE NOW! – “STEP OUT, LOOK AROUND”
Ready for an exploratory adventure? Join us for cultural and outdoor trails across Singapore, swing by our lively mixers filled with desserts and fun games, or check out our Interest Group sessions designed to welcome you. Whether you’re discovering new places or making new friends, ExploreNOW! is your chance to experience the best of NUSC and Singapore—even if you missed O’Week!
COMMUNITY NOW! – “MAKE IMPACT, MAKE MEANING”
Step up, give back and live the NUSC spirit of service and impact through our fun and hands-on volunteering projects! Be part of workshops, fundraisers, on-site volunteering and many more, and forge new bonds with like-minded people along the way!
Ready for an exploratory adventure? Join us for cultural and outdoor trails across Singapore, swing by our lively mixers filled with desserts and fun games, or check out our Interest Group sessions designed to welcome you. Whether you’re discovering new places or making new friends, ExploreNOW! is your chance to experience the best of NUSC and Singapore—even if you missed O’Week!
Frequently asked questions
Start NOW!
Explore a digital recreation of the campus on Gathertown, make new friends at live meetings on 12, 18 and 25 July, and learn more about life at NUSC with weekly events and quests that can be done at any time!
Not to worry, Start NOW! as a programme is designed for you to take things at your own pace. Quests and exploration can be done at any time, and you don’t have to be present at every event or live meeting, so feel free to participate as is convenient for you!
Yes! Activities in Start NOW! will take place fully on the Gathertown platform, with information being disseminated through Telegram or email.
We will be offering two timeslots, AM (10am – 12pm) and PM (7pm – 9pm) for each of our three live meetings (12th, 18th, and 25th July), so that more people can make from anywhere in the world they may be! However, do take note that you need to participate in the same session for both events (i.e. It is not possible to participate in Session 1 for the 12th July event and Session 2 for the 25th July event.)
Don’t worry! Should you face any technical difficulties, our crew of friendly facilitators will be there to assist you. All of our games come with clear and digestible instructions.
Absolutely not! Just click on the link, set your name and you’re good to go!
O’Week NOW!
O’Week NOW! is designed to help you familiarise yourself with the place, people and activities of NUSC. Prepare to explore the physical campus, attend academic talks, play engaging games with newfound friends and experience our myriad of Interest Groups (IGs).
Yes, there will be 3 meals provided daily (excluding check-in day on the 27th of July). Refreshments will also be provided throughout the camp!
If you have applied for O’Week NOW! with accommodation, you will be assigned to the room that you will be staying in for the rest of the AY. There is no need to separately apply for Early Check-In via the UHMS portal. Detailed check-in instructions will be sent to your registered email address closer to check-in day on 27 July.
From 28th July to 31st July, O’Week will typically run from 8.00am to 10.00pm. Throughout the day, there will be time for you to rest and recuperate. If you need a break, feel free to inform our friendly facilitators!
Even if you can’t be there for all four days of O’Week NOW!, we still encourage you to participate and what better time than NOW! to have fun with your friends before semester starts. Just inform us in advance through Telegram if you cannot come for any of the days. If you need to leave early, you should also pre-empt your facilitators.
Explore NOW!
Explore NOW! is designed for Year 1s to continue familiarising themselves with NUSC and beyond after O’Week, and meet our diverse student body from around the world! You can attend guided tours around the country, join mixers to find your crowd or experience more of what our Interest Groups (IGs) have to offer!
All the activities in Explore NOW! are entirely free! However, do note that some activities such as tours and IG exploration sessions may have a participant limit.
Explore NOW! offers 4 tours, a cycling tour around the East Coast and Marina Bay area, a hiking tour around the Southern Ridges, a multicultural tour around Chinatown, Kampong Glam, Outram Park and Little India, as well as a special “Live Like a Local Tour” around the nearby Clementi neighbourhood. Highly recommended for international students looking to familiarise themselves with Singapore and Singaporean culture!
Explore NOW! mixers allow you to meet new friends and make new memories, even if you didn’t attend O’Week! With Explore NOW!, you get the opportunity to familiarise yourself with your Houses and your Faculty, as well as to experience the best of NUSC’s diverse cultures through a Dessert Night and a Game Night.
Community NOW!
Community NOW! is meant to give NUSC students an idea of the community service options available in Singapore, and introduce them to partners. Each Community NOW! activity acts as a taster session, where participants can help clean a beach, engage with the elderly through VR, or assist a special needs school at their National Day event, among others. Interested participants can transform these short-term experiences into a long-term commitment by joining the Community NOW!+ programme.
All activities in Community NOW! are completely free! However, do note that each activity has a participant limit.
Nope! Community NOW! seeks to provide opportunities for all NUSC students who are keen to serve. All we ask for is your time and passion! Volunteers will be able to participate in programme planning and collaborate with their peers to serve the community.