By Akua J. Quao
As a student getting ready to head off to university, whether a new or a returning student, you may be excited or feeling anxious about starting a new course or returning to continue with your studies. Whatever thoughts are running through your mind, you will no doubt have questions about how you are going to keep safe and settle into some sort of normality following lockdown.
Whilst you can be assured that colleges and universities have been working throughout in order to help students get back to their studies, there are several crucial things that you can do yourself to ensure that you are updated and are able to access adequate support when you need it.
The hectic first term
Due to the often frantic nature of the first term, you can be forgiven for opting for the easiest ways to stay updated. After all, you must remember timetables, room locations, and deadlines, and all whilst also learning to navigate new and different systems such as how to correctly upload your assignment onto Turnitin!
Temptation to follow the crowd is real
There is a real temptation to just engage with your college or university in the simplest way for you, and it’s very easy to simply join the group chat and keep updated through your peers. However, whilst this is a good idea and is important in keeping you in contact with people on your course, it is not to be relied upon as the only option for staying connected.
People can misinterpret information and do make critical mistakes. To avoid this from happening to you it is really important to remain up to date by engaging fully with the various communication systems in place at your college or university, especially as the pandemic continues to shape the way we do things. Some of these suggestions may seem like common sense, but often due to the busy pace of the first term, many students overlook or forget about the things which could save them valuable time and potential heartache as the course progresses.
Tips for thriving
Every college and university will assign someone to you to provide pastoral care. It is important to know who they are and understand their relationship with you, as they are there to help guide you through the academic system and help with accessing various support services. Like many students, you may at some point experience a stage in your academic journey when problems associated with family, finance, work or health may have an adverse effect on your studies. Students can often feel overwhelmed or embarrassed and disengage from student life, so this is when you must reach out to your tutor and get appropriate guidance. There is always a support team available to assist you through the challenging times, so do attend any appointments and let them know if you are having difficulties that could affect your studies.
You will be introduced to a virtual learning environment (VLE), but if you are not familiar or confident in using this then do not fret, as you are not alone. With the right help from the technical team, you will be able to navigate it confidently.
You want to hit the ground running but pacing yourself is key to your success. If you know that time management and organisation is not your area of strength, then now is a good opportunity to get some books or videos where you can learn how to manage your time effectively.
Before you enrol on your course you will use a personal email address to communicate with your organisation, but you will be given a student email account once enrolled. Get into the habit of checking this regularly because this is one of the ways that your lecturers and tutors will communicate with you and you don’t want to miss out on an important update.
We all go through phases where we need someone independent to talk to in confidence and without feeling judged. The health and wellbeing team is a good place to start. Find out early how you can use the service just in case you do need it.
There will be times when you put your whole heart into doing your coursework only to be downhearted when you get your grade back. You may be asked to resubmit so then is not the time to try and find out about the protocol around resubmissions, capped grades and appeals. If you familiarise yourself with the academic regulations beforehand you will already understand how your organisation manages assessments.
With Covid-19 still making headline news, it’s no surprise if you have concerns about how to stay safe. If you have an underlying health condition, anxiety or other concerns about being on site, then speak to your personal tutor about this to find out what allowances can be made to support you with your learning. Following the mask wearing and hand sanitizing guidelines is priority for keeping you safe whilst you learn.
“Keep in contact with family if you have moved away from home, especially if it is your first time. Going to college or university is something to look forward to as you make new friends and learn new things, so make sure you are well prepared in order to make the most of this special time in your life.”
