ASoc Camp 2024: Eternus

ASoc (SMU Accounting Society) Camp is an annual orientation event for SoA (School of Accountancy) freshmen. It's a great opportunity to meet new friends and seniors while getting to know the SMU campus.

I decided to join the orientation after confirming my return date to Singapore, and I'm glad I did. The three-day event introduced me to some amazing people. In this post, I'll share the details leading up to the camp and the memorable activities during the orientation.

At the end of June, I received WhatsApp messages and emails from the ASoc Camp organizing committee inviting me to join the camp. Initially, I thought I couldn't attend since my accommodation was still up in the air. However, with my parent's help, I secured a place to stay and signed up shortly after.

The registration fee was $60. While not exactly cheap, I believed this three-day experience would be a valuable introduction to my cohort mates.

Before the camp, I was added to a Telegram group chat named 'Aries 5,' which indicated my clan and subclan. In simpler terms, these were the groups I’d be spending the next three days with. Since I hadn’t turned on notifications for Telegram, I missed all the messages until July 23rd, when I finally checked for information about the upcoming camp. Feeling embarrassed to be the last one to respond, I took this as a reminder to always check my Telegram messages in the future.

Registration

On the morning of July 25th, I arrived at the SMU School of Business at 8:30 AM and picked up my welfare pack. While heading to the seminar room, I was warmly greeted by Jia Yi, one of my group facilitators, who struck me as bubbly, encouraging, and extroverted—a high-energy leader I was pleased to have.

In the seminar room, I also met my other facilitator, Guo Long. After some self-introductions and discussions about our reasons for joining SoA, more freshmen began to arrive. Notably, 8 out of 10 group members live along the North-East line, or the purple line, which also matches our clan's color.

Sharing Sessions & Talks

The camp officially kicked off with opening talks by Professor Gary Pan and Professor Benjamin Lee. Professor Gary Pan, the Associate Dean of SoA, briefly discussed important qualities for university students, such as time management, making new friends, and managing work commitments. Following that, Professor Benjamin Lee, the Director of Student Matters at SoA, emphasized that it's not just about planning your weekly schedule but also about balancing work, sleep, and social life effectively.

After the opening talks, we had a presentation by the camp sponsor, Deloitte. Chan Wen Jie, Deloitte’s tax director and a lecturer for the Advanced Taxation module at SoA, led the session. Although I don’t plan to work in tax, his insights on the role of taxation in Singapore’s economic hub were enlightening. I may even take his lecture in my junior year to fulfill my ICAEW prerequisites.

The final sharing session of Day 1 took place in the Ngee Ann Kongsi Auditorium at SoA. It was organized by the Institute of Innovation and Entrepreneurship (IIE). They offer students opportunities for overseas internships, venture capital training, student club support, and scholarships.

Station Games

I always see station games as typical bonding activities at orientation camps, where strangers form groups to compete with others and grow closer within their own group. However, I’m not exactly the best at competitive group games, especially those involving physical activities and sun exposure. So, when I discovered that other members of my group felt the same way, I was both relieved and amused at the thought of our potential failures in the upcoming games.

To my surprise, our group only lost the dodgeball game and "Catch the Elves," both of which involved some physical movement, proving my earlier point. Personally, I enjoyed "Lucky Shot" the most, a game that required both accuracy and luck to throw a ping pong ball through three mini-games.

I was completely clueless during "Dance Match," a dance charade game requiring extensive familiarity with K-pop and English pop dance moves to guess the song and singer. Thankfully, the other girls in the group identified the song names effortlessly, as I contributed nothing to the game.

With the closing ceremony in the auditorium, Day 1 ended at 6:30 PM, and I headed straight home afterward.

Day 2

Beach Day

Our clan decided to book a coach ride from SMU to Sentosa’s New Mempari Beach, which saved me the hassle of traveling there on my own. I was truly grateful for this decision.

I met up with one of my group members, who coincidentally lives nearby, at the MRT station at 7:30 AM, and we headed to the campus together. Once there, we gathered outside the Li Ka Shing Library and waited until 8:20 AM to board the bus.

Upon arriving at the beach, my group laid out large tablecloths, courtesy of our facilitator, Guo Long, which served as picnic mats. I was once again grateful for our facilitators' foresight, as some groups didn’t bring enough mats. We prepped by applying layers of sunscreen and staying hydrated.

Station Games

The sun was blazing hot, and even with sunscreen, the heat stung my skin. Despite this, the day continued with more station games.

Our first game, Snatch & Go, was a challenge. It involved running to grab items from a mini pool faster than the opposing team. We were already looking exhausted before we even started, and as a team not known for physical competitiveness, we lost. Unfortunately, one of our members felt unwell after the game and had to head home.

We also lost the Dragon Ball game, a relay involving transferring balls in various ways. The hot sand was unbearable on our bare feet, making the game feel like a form of torture, even though being barefoot was likely for safety reasons.

However, Sand Shootout turned out to be an unexpected highlight. I managed to score a goal just seconds after the game began. The gamemaster called it a Golden Goal, and it allowed us to end up in a tie rather than losing.

Taking Breaks and Filming for Anessa

As one of the ASoc Camp sponsors, Anessa—a leading sunscreen brand from Japan under Shiseido—asked each subclan to film a TikTok video for potential promotional use. After taking breaks from our previous mini-games, our subclan began filming on the street next to the shaded bus stop.

The filming was both embarrassing and fun. We all had a great laugh during the process, and a special shoutout to our facilitator, Jia Yi, who edited the video during our breaks.

Clan War

In the game, different clans competed by aiming to splash water at the selected 'Queen,' who was protected by several 'Knights.' The winner was the clan with the least amount of water squeezed out of their shirts.

My role was to fetch water from cups or pre-filled water bags and throw it at the other groups' Queen. Time flew by, and the clan war eventually ended. What stood out as a core memory was the aftermath of the game, when we were allowed to use the water bags freely against our facilitators. It turned into a chaotic scene of running, shouting, and water bags flying everywhere. The break from our usual studious image was a highlight, marking one of the most lively and memorable moments of our youth. We even played a prank on Jia Yi, pretending to be injured and bursting a water bag close to her.

Our clan, Aries, won the clan game, and we celebrated with cheers and photos to officially wrap up Day 2. After cleaning up, our group headed to VivoCity for dinner at the rooftop. We had a great time chatting and getting to know each other better, making it a fantastic session for building connections.

Day 3 kicked off at 9:30 AM with presentations from ACRA and ISCA. Their talks set the tone for an engaging day ahead.

Sharing Sessions

The main takeaway from ACRA's talk was that it serves as a regulator for the accounting industry and partners with ISCA to help aspiring accounting students like us enter the field more smoothly. The speaker highlighted the promising career opportunities, various pathways, and professional skills we can gain in an accounting career.

Next, the ISCA speaker discussed the SCAQ and APP programs. Although I was already familiar with this information from its Telegram group chat, I'm still unsure whether to pursue SCAQ or ICAEW qualifications. My decision largely depends on whether I plan to continue working in Singapore or explore opportunities overseas at some point in my career.

Following the career-related talks, student bodies took the stage. SSU (SMU Sports Union) highlighted their major beach event, SMU Waikiki, while SMUX (SMUXploration Crew) encouraged freshmen to sign up for their CCA.

Station Games

Day 3 featured games that focused on promoting teamwork within our subclan, and I enjoyed these more than the games from Day 1.

One of the highlights was "Decipher the Statement," an escape room-style game where our group solved puzzles by searching for clues within an enclosed area. I particularly liked this game because it didn’t involve competing against other groups, and we were rewarded based on how quickly we completed it.

Another favorite was "Money Madness," a relay game where we physically counted stacks of fake cash and totaled them up. Our group ended up just $50 away from the correct total, giving us the lead in this game.

The adrenaline rush from these two games was more exhilarating, and I found them much more enjoyable than the more physical games from earlier.

Photo-taking for OWNDAYS

Another task for the day was to take photos for the camp sponsor, OWNDAYS, an optical shop in Singapore. We captured shots around the library and the spiral staircase during our breaks.

Finale Night

The final event of the camp featured performances by all the facilitators from each clan. Everyone cheered for their facilitators and clans, and it was a fun moment for freshmen to see their facilitators showing off their dance moves on stage.

After the performances, the best subclan and clan were announced. To our surprise, our group won the title of Best Subclan, despite our low scores at the end of each day. I wasn’t sure how the 'Best Subclan' title was determined, but I was thrilled with the win. It felt like a testament to our teamwork and chemistry, and maybe also a reflection of the limited competition within our clan. 💦

With the closing and thank-you session for the facilitators and organizing committee, Day 3 of the ASoc camp officially came to an end.

We headed to Raffles City and Funan to buy dinner separately, then met back at the campus to eat together. Sitting on the lush green grass, we chatted about everything from relationship issues and hobbies to academic advice. We also played some games, including a modified version of Ddalgi Game (Strawberry Game) and charades, before lying down and snapping more pictures. It was chaotic but a lot of fun.

Shoutout

A big thank you to my facilitators, Guo Long and Jia Yi, for being such exceptional leaders for our group. You’re the best facilitators I’ve met so far, and I couldn’t have asked for more. Your inclusiveness and responsibility truly lifted our spirits throughout the three days, despite the challenging weather and frequent losses in the games.

Thanks also to all my group members from Aries 5. Everyone made it to the camp, except for medical and family reasons, and we stuck together for the entire three days. And a huge shoutout to the organizing team of ASoc Camp 2024. Without your efforts, I wouldn’t have had this unique experience during my time at SMU. 🙏

Stay tuned for more updates on my university journey

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