Skip navigation
Search

Not sure what to do?

Browse subject guides

Explore subjects

Popular topics

Popular subjects

 

Undergraduate

Don’t forget your estranged students: A universities journey in developing support.

Thu 10 January 2019 - 14:44

By UCAS in Support

by Arron Pile at Salford University 
 
I have been supporting care leavers at the University for over ten years now, and developed support for care leavers in conjunction with the Buttle UK Quality Mark, which has now, sadly, ended. In those early days I was one of the original ‘team’ of HE professionals working with care leavers who saw a need for a network to share and promote good practice, which led to NNECL (National Network for the Education of Care Leavers) being born. I co-chaired...

The ten essentials for those supporting people in care

Tue 11 June 2019 - 10:33

By UCAS in Support

The step to higher education is daunting for everyone – but for those who come from a care background it can be even more daunting. That’s why we’ve developed a suite of resources to help teachers and advisers support students who may be care leavers – they’re all available from our supporting care leavers toolkit. Here we’ve picked out the ten essentials for supporting people in care:
  1. Advocate, encourage and support the educational development of looked after children. Have aspirations for them from a very young age. 
  2. Forward planning is extremely important. If a young person who is in care is thinking about higher education, make sure that an adviser knows this at their school. This is essential to ensure they get the appropriate funding and support as early as possible. 
  3. Help them plan for the university or college that suits them best.
    a)...

How taking social action can help you stand out

Mon 24 June 2019 - 11:29

By UCAS in Support

Making your UCAS application stand out from the crowd can be challenging. One thing you could consider is taking part in ‘social action’ to show you’re a motivated, disciplined, and resilient person.
 
By social action we mean campaigning, fundraising, or even volunteering. This can give you something unique to talk about in your personal statement, and can reinforce your commitment to your chosen study area. There are loads of organisations you can contact to discuss opportunities – from the Scouts and Girl Guides, to your local council....

Five ways to cut the cost of a year abroad

Thu 10 January 2019 - 14:43

By Save the Student in Support

Top-up funding – plus everyday money saving – means a year abroad can be an affordable way to see the world and study while you’re at it.
 

1. Claim extra funding

There’s a bit of extra funding on offer for UK students who study part of a degree abroad. If you’re eligible for the Maintenance Loan, you could get a larger loan plus a travel grant while you’re away. Both are means tested – so how much you get depends on household earnings – but the grant doesn’t have to be repaid....

About Student Minds

Wed 7 November 2018 - 16:26

By Student Minds in Support

Starting university can be a wonderful and exciting experience, but it can also bring its own unique challenges. It's natural to feel nervous or overwhelmed during the first few weeks at university, and it can be a while before you feel like you’ve found your feet. Student Minds works to transform the state of student mental health so that all in higher education can thrive, including you!
 
Student Minds is the UK’s student mental health charity. We empower students and members of the university community to develop the knowledge...

Feeling homesick at university

Thu 4 July 2019 - 09:30

By Ellen Ramsay in Support

by Ellen Ramsay, BSc (Hons) Occupational Therapy, Teesside University

University has been the best three years of my life so far but, at first, it didn’t feel like that way.

I was really excited about my new adventure – I was moving 200 miles north to begin my university course in occupational therapy. But the homesickness set in during Freshers’ Week. I found my new life very difficult – I had arrived with freshers’ flu (yes, it does exist!) and I cried all the time. I can remember saying to my family that, if I...

My volunteering journey

Tue 20 August 2019 - 10:43

By NCS in Support

By NCS graduate, Georgie Burgess, from Birmingham.

I’d really recommend volunteering. I started by taking part in the National Citizen Service (NCS) programme in the summer after my GCSEs, and have continued volunteering through sixth form and my university studies. Giving back has changed my outlook on life. It’s also a great way to try out new things and push yourself to do whatever you can.

What was good about the NCS scheme? It gave me the opportunity to get involved in a local community project, addressing a real social need but in a supported and structured way. We decided to ask the public to sign a petition to raise...

How to handle the stresses of the university lifestyle

Mon 8 July 2019 - 11:42

By The Student Housing Company in Support

Your time at university can be an especially challenging period of your life. Adapting to a new routine and a different environment isn’t always easy. Moving away from home is exciting because it gives you a level of independence, but this also means taking on responsibilities you might not have considered before – such as managing your own time, living with a group of other people, budgeting, and cooking for yourself.

With all this in mind, it’s not surprising that a recent survey of 2,460 students nationwide (conducted by The Student Housing Company) found that more than 96% of students experience stress throughout their studies.

Learning how to best handle stressful moments when you’re at university is really important, to ensure you look after your physical and mental wellbeing.

Organising your study time

The structure of university...

Disclosing a mental health difficulty on your UCAS application

Thu 17 October 2019 - 13:48

By Student Minds in Support

Students with mental health difficulties can disclose this on their UCAS application to ensure they can access the support they’re entitled to. UMHAN and Student Minds share some advice on disclosing this information.

Disclosing a mental health difficulty via UCAS
Applying to university or college can be daunting, with many things to consider before applying for that perfect course for you. The process comes with its own set of questions if you experience a mental health difficulty. In this blog, we’ll address questions about disclosure – telling your university about a mental health difficulty.

Who can disclose?
The purpose of disclosure is to ensure students with...

Pages

Sponsored articles