HI! I guess it’s a bit too late to say Happy New Year to everyone, but I’m just going to go ahead and say I hope everyone had a lovely break from school/work/real life. I know I definitely enjoyed mine, but did anyone else feel like it passed by way too quickly?

It’s finally the end of the exam season (for me anyway) and I don’t think I’ve ever been more relieved in my life. You know how every year/semester, you tell yourself that you’re going to be on top of all your work so you never have to stress before exams? Yeah how often does that happen? I think this semester I succeeded in doing that but to be honest, it didn’t really help with the stress. There’s just something about exams that just makes you forget everything, as if the past semester was all a dream. Is it possible to ever feel fully ready before a paper? Are there people out there who have successfully hacked it? (If you have please let’s be best friends).

The University definitely plays its part in supporting students during exams. I mean, there were additional study spaces (finding a spot in the library can be STRESS), free food, smoothie bikes, and even library blankets (because comfort while studying is an absolute necessity) etc. How do you beat that??

On that note, today’s blog post is going to be all about what the University does to aid student learning and the people you can go to for help….not just during exams, but throughout the whole course of your university career.

1. Lecturers/Personal Tutors.

Okay I’m going start off with the easiest one, your lecturers/personal tutors. Be it exam period or not, if there is content you were taught during the week and you’re struggling to understand, you’re always welcome to drop your lecturer an email, or go by their office to see what times they are available. Everyone’s always willing to help. Asides from purely academic content, if there are areas of uni you’re having trouble adapting to (e.g. advice on placement), your personal tutor is only an email away.

2. Student Life Mentors

As the name suggests, student life mentors are students like you that provide peer support, advice/guidance on how to navigate your way through Uni. They are also responsible for organising fun events/get togethers for new students so people can get to know each other better. They are usually assigned to new students i.e. first year undergrads and postgrads. Mentors usually visit regularly to check up on your progress and ensure you have a smooth transition into Uni. As everyone in your flat (if you’re all first years) would have the same mentor, they are also a point of contact if there’s ever a need to settle conflict in your flat/house.

3. SPLASH

This stands for Student Personal Learning and Support Hub. It is located on the 3^rd floor of the library and is dedicated to helping students gain important academic, personal and professional skills. These all include time-management, study, presentation, how to improve research skills and a lot more. These are usually done through workshops or one-to-one drop-in sessions.

4. ALS (Additional Learning Support)

This is a confidential support service provided for students with disabilities. These include, but are not limited to, learning disabilities, autism, medical conditions, mental health difficulties etc. The kind of support provided range from: one-to-one learning, exam adjustments, mentoring, and a lot more.

5. Centre for Wellbeing

Last, but definitely not least. As your time at University is one of the most important in our lives, it no doubt comes with certain pressures that a lot of us find it difficult to get through on our own. The center is there to provide support for students on a personal level, for a very wide range of needs. If you ever need to talk about emotional, personal or psychological issues, they offer counselling sessions where you can discuss what’s best for you.

 

Well that’s it from me for today guys. I’d really love to see your comments on what you would like us to blog about!

Till next time,

Fawziyyah