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Settling in at uni

Mon 23 August 2021 - 15:40

By Aoife O'Sullivan in First year

The start of my uni journey - a 200 mile drive to Wales
Just 3 weeks ago, I was sitting on my living room floor surrounded by bags and boxes that were to be loaded into the car the next morning to start my 200 mile journey to Wales. I never thought that I would be in the position I was, with AAA in my pocket and a place at Cardiff University.

As we crossed the bridge, inevitably, it began to rain. I was too busy battling the rain while carrying all my belongings up the stairs to really take in my new campus. I was so excited to decorate my room and make it my home for the next 9 months, so I brought photo frames of my family and friends with me to put around the room. Doing something small like this meant that I could still see familiar, friendly smiles even when I was hundreds of miles away in a new city I had never been to before. When my Dad had left me standing in the doorway of my new home, a huge wave of emotion came over me and it finally hit me...

How to do well in your A Levels

Wed 17 July 2024 - 12:10

By Zoe Haylock in First year

We’ve all been there; in our heads we know we are capable of great results yet, on paper (and in some of our teacher’s heads) this doesn’t seem possible. I ended my first year of A Levels getting C’s and D’s in my exams. I started 2018 (the year of my exams) with an E and D in my English essays. I. was. Freaking. Out: I wanted to go to Durham and so I needed A* A A! I had to plead with my history teacher to predict me an A. She told me I should probably apply to universities asking or C’s and D’s instead.

Yet, I ended up getting four A*’s and an A* in my EPQ in my exams.

Although I know this partly came about because I a) went to a good college and b) had time to study and c) had no big commitments like being a carer, it also occurred due to one thing all students can do: work hard. I know not all students want those grades- which is fine- but, if you are like me, and want to make the most out of every situation and prove naysayers wrong, then...

Things to look forward to when starting university…

Wed 26 June 2024 - 11:19

By Sarah Telford in First year


Starting something new can be daunting, especially when it involves meeting new people and coming out of your comfort zone. Starting university is a nerve racking experience for even the best of people but it is also a new and exciting journey which opens many doors for your future.
 

We all come to university to study a degree in something we believe we will enjoy. But it isn’t just the prospects of starting a degree in something you are passionate about which gets you fired up. If you’re like me you have probably started looking into what you’re entitled to, what you can get up to and all the excitement which involves starting your degree. Here listed below are a few ideas and some of the reasons I am excited to start my degree.
 

- Moving into your new home

Being able to have your own space, being near your friends and having the city right on the door step is a great reason to be excited.
 

- Book...

Why Live at Home for Uni?

Tue 18 June 2024 - 10:09

By Amiée Cartwright in First year

Up until Results Day, I planned to move out for uni. I bought bedding and cutlery, I worked out how I’d manage financially, I pictured myself crying in my room on move in day... then I threw all my plans out the window and decided to live at home. Most people say this isn’t the ‘true uni experience’ (I didn’t realise everyone was meant to have the same experience!) but it’s the right decision for me for several reasons:
  1. It Saves Money!
    With tuition fees at £9,250 a year, us students are looking for any way to save money. For me, living at home is the perfect way. Yes, travel can be expensive (I swear bus prices go up every week!) but it doesn’t compare to spending more than a few grand a year on what’s rumoured to be paper-thin walls!
  2. Peer Pressure- What’s That?
    I’m not a big drinker, so when I used to picture Fresher’s week, it’d involve me repeatedly declining to go on nights out in favour of a cinema night or a pub quiz....

Applying for the 15 October deadline? Make sure you avoid these last minute dramas

Fri 18 September 2020 - 15:03

By UCAS in UCAS advice

There’s not long until the application deadline for dentistry, medicine, veterinary medicine and veterinary science courses, as well as all courses at the University of Oxford and the University of Cambridge. If you’re planning on applying to any of these then you must submit your application by 18:00 (UK time) on 15 October to guarantee being considered by the university or colleges.

To make sure you don’t miss it, we have five top tips on getting your application complete before the deadline.

1) Know your login details for Apply

A simple one to begin with, to complete your application you must be able to log in. If you’ve forgotten your login details, recover them online.

2) Give yourself plenty of time to write your personal statement

Your...

Have you checked...?

Mon 22 July 2024 - 11:17

By UCAS in UCAS advice

So you’ve worked away at your UCAS application for weeks, adding fact after fact about yourself. You’ve trawled through GCSE certificates and alike to find the precise details needed for each section, not to mention the hours you’ve spent writing and re-writing your personal statement, only to scrap it all and start again from scratch with a completely different approach.

At last you feel ready to hit send, but don't be too hasty in completing this final step. It’s really important that you check and double check your application, to make sure it’s all tip-top and typo-free. Here’s our checklist of what to look out for:
 
Have you definitely completed everything? Lots of people think they’re done and dusted with their application, and then they find they can’t click ‘pay/send’. This is usually because one or more of the...

Refugee Education UK

Wed 15 February 2023 - 14:29

By Refugee Education UK

For me, education is freedom. It opens doors and clears your way. It’s like walking from darkness into light. When you are educated you get knowledge, wisdom, understanding and a future.

Aarash (whose name we’ve changed to protect his identity) has just come to the end of his first year at university. In many ways, his highs and lows have been just like those experienced by all new students: the joy of learning more about a subject he loves, the fun of meeting new people and finding a sense of belonging in his university community, the challenges of a whole new level of academic work.

But, in others ways, Aarash’s experience has been completely different. He is an asylum seeker who fled escaped conflict in his home country and arrived in the UK alone as a teenager.

Like many young adults seeking safety in the UK, he’s faced the trauma of fleeing war, the loss of family and a familiar environment, and a very broken experience of...

Making the most of freshers' week

Tue 23 August 2022 - 11:15

By UCAS in UCAS advice

It’s an exciting time and a great way to meet new people. So, here are some top tips for getting involved during the week.

  1. Find your tribe: There will be so much happening during freshers' week. There are cool events on all the time, nights out, freshers’ fairs and more. Most of all, it’s a chance to meet people, get involved and find your crowd, whether that’s a specific sports team, society, or your flatmates, to name a few.
  2. Take time for yourself: With everything being new (new people, new room, new freedom!), freshers’ week can be a bit overwhelming. So, make sure you take some time out for yourself. Whether you go for a walk, pin up some pictures in your new room, or head into the city, you can chill by yourself for a while if you need. 
  3. Talk to your student reps: Feeling worried about something? Struggling to find a certain building? Most unis have a bunch of student...

Student finance + saving tips

Tue 9 July 2024 - 09:20

By Charlotte Stevenson in Money

One of the things I have always found most stressful throughout my life is the idea of student finance. Mainly because I am terrible at keeping up to date on what is going in and out of my bank account, so getting into the habit of this has been really important in order to make sure things are paid on time and everything is in order. Once you do get into the habit of organising things and keeping track of where you are at with everything, it gets much easier to deal with your income, what you can spend and when, without needing to worry too much. Worrying should be confined to the minimum so that you don't surpass your stress levels too soon and burn out before exams/deadlines, so it is important to keep those levels low with as much organisation as you can.
 
With this in mind, I thought it might be useful to combine a few tips in this post so that you have an idea of how to keep things going throughout your...

Working for a successful student journey for disabled students

Thu 4 July 2024 - 11:13

By National Association of Disability Practitioners in Support

• Do you have any needs that make studying more difficult for you?

• Have you had some extra assistance in school?

• Not had help at school, but feel you may need it studying at a higher level away from home?

What can I do to help myself now?

Telephone, email, or visit the disability support office for your college or university.

You may never have heard about NADP, the National Association of Disability Practitioners – in fact, doing a Google Search for NADP brings up a host of interesting options such as a complex biochemical protein, the National Anti-Doping Panel, Novel and Dangerous Pathogens, and something to do with teeth! But we are actually a professional organisation, with members working with disabled students across post-16 education. 

Our members work in offices with different names, but just search the college or university website for ‘disability’ or ‘student support’. Don’t...

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