Provide an overview of the session and the learning objectives

This session is all about settling in to the university life as a student and how to make the most of the experience. 

By the end of this session they should be able to understand:

•        What to expect from university

•        How to make the most of the experience 

•        How to manage their learning environment

•        Where to go if you need support or help

Within the first couple of weeks university most students will have undergone a notable set of changes in their lives, starting university is even on a psychological scale used to measure stressful events, referred as the Holmes and Rahe Stress Scale! When calculating the possible changes students will have experienced (e.g., change in social habits, work/school routine) via the Holmes and Rahe Stress Scale, I came up with a score of 257 (this was during the pandemic though)!

It is important, therefore, to note that whilst it can be very exciting things can be stressful and it is natural for them to feel confused and overwhelmed. Others will feel the same. It is best not to put too much pressure on themselves though and to ensure that they keep in touch with family and friends and talk to others. 

Social changes

• Students may well have moved to a new area / location

• Lived with flatmates / on their own for the first time

• No longer be around friends / families (and pets!)

• Be responsible for cooking, shopping, washing and finances for the first time

• Adapting to a new identify (i.e., a university student).

Academic changes

One of the key academic changes they will encounter will be the variety of learning methods they will encounter. Rather than the standard "lesson" many of them may be used to there will be a much greater range of learning methods, including:

• Lectures

• Lab classes or practicals

• Tutorials

• Peer Study

• Independent study

• Online learning / blended learning

The independent study component is likely to be the most challenging for them, but to engage with all these methods they will need to know to manage their learning environment successfully. Leading us onto our next point.

Their learning environment is physical (the library, campus facilities, the Psychology Department) and virtual (MyUni, your emails and Canvas). A lot of the key information relating to both both their physical and virtual learning environments will be communicated to them by their email, thus it is imperative they check university emails daily and manage them effectively. It is worth running through some email tips to help them with this. 

Email management

Students will have likely received a lot of emails already about their course, induction, modules, the sports village, accommodation, freshers, student union societies etc. and it can be overwhelming.

Not all of it will be relevant though and many won’t yet have the experience of getting used to filtering through and managing their inbox to work out what they need to prioritise. Given this you may want to give them some tips to help them manage their inbox. Feel free to use your own top tips. Some suggested tips are provided below for inspiration. 

Suggestion: Four top email tips!

You may wish to run through these top tips from David Allen, an author of the book “Getting Things Done”, about how they can manage their emails.

1.  File them - use a simple storage system for the emails that are relevant for you so you will know where they are when needed

2.  Respond - if information is needed from you or you are required to do something and it will not take too long (approx. 5 mins or less) you might as   

 well just do it now (e.g., pop in a reminder about an assessment deadline or academic mentor meeting then file the email).

3.  Prioritise - if what you need to do will take a bit longer / or you are waiting on others to get back to you. You should work out the priority of these and  make sure you have a system to follow these up (you could have an "action" folder storing the ones you need to do something for or “flag” them).

4.  Delete or archive emails which are irrelevant - not all emails will be relevant to you (if you are unsure pop them in an archive folder).

• Find the right person: try and find out whether they will actually be the person you need to email otherwise it will slow things down for you and them. We will look at how you can go about finding the right contact in a bit (on the "finding information and support" page). 

• Subject line: make sure you include a relevant header in the subject line of the email. 

• Introduction: most of the time you will want to include a quick greeting. "Dear Dr / Dear Professor" is a good way to start - many staff are happy to be referred to by their first name but don't assume this the first time you make contact. If the staff member signs off their response with their first name then that is usually a sign that first names are appropriate.

• Purpose and context: make sure it is clear why you are communicating with the individual and include some context (e.g., I am a first year completing the Abnormal and Individual psychology module and I would like to check...")

• Remember to say who the email is from: include your full name, year of study (First year, Second year etc), your student ID number and the course you are studying. 

Task time: You could get them to Log into your student email account and set up an email signature which includes your name, year group, course and student ID. Instructions on how to do this are HERE.

One of the biggest difficulties first year students tend to encounter is time manager and organisation. Given this it is worth going over some tips about how they can plan their time using the Outlook calendar or any other calendar . They will all have access to the calendar through Outlook - assuming your organisation subscribes to Microsoft Office - which you can point out to them. on the right of the email symbol at the bottom of the screen when logged into outlook) and encourage them to enter their any meetings, lectures and assignment deadlines in here (and then to actually check this daily!).

Alternatively, they can use other e-calendars (google, ical) and sync these up, or paper and pen if they prefer. The key message is that they use some system to keep a track of their commitments and important dates and stick to it.

You can also point out “the “Assignment Survival Kit” (https://libguides.swansea.ac.uk/psychology/ASK#) which gives them a suggested schedule of how to plan their time for their assignments. 

Suggested discussion point: Time management tips!

You can mention to them that planning alone is not enough they need to actually sit down and then stay focused enough to do the work. Given this you may wish to ask them if they currently use any time management apps/tips to help them structure their time and stay focused.

Quite a few students last year reported using an app called “Forest” which is based on the Pomodoro Technique. If you have not encountered this technique before it is really simple. It basically involves “chunking” time into of 25 mins where you focus entirely, then have a 5 min break.  If they are quiet you can mention this technique and/or any tips or tools you use / would recommend. 

No matter how much planning and preparation they do though they will need to find information and support throughout their degree. The good news is that there are tons of support services across the university, but they need to know how to find them and whilst we can help signpost them, they will need to gain independence in in doing this. Given this it is good to get them practicing this now. One way you could do this is by getting them to do a virtual scavenger hunt and request them to find key links and contacts to different services they will likely need. A prize for the fastest to complete the activity probably won't harm engagement in the activity. 

Some questions you could ask include:

• Who will they need to contact if they need an assignment extension? [usually the assessments team]

• What is the name of subject specific librarians who might be able to help them? [should be detailed on the library website]

• Who should they contact regarding any issues with their student loan? [student finance team in university]

• If they are having wellbeing issues who might be able to help them at the university? [university wellbeing services]

• Any issues with student accommodation [student accommodation]

Activities like this may help cut down on queries to your inbox. 

This session should result in them having a better understand of the following

•        What to expect from university

•        How to make the most of the experience 

•        How to manage their learning environment

•        Where to go if you need support or help

Useful resources: 

How self-motivated are you?  https://www.mindtools.com/pages/article/newLDR_57.htm

Information on disability rights in the United Kingdom: https://www.disabilityrightsuk.org/how-we-can-help/benefits-information/factsheets/education-factsheets

Resources for international students in the United Kingdom: https://www.prepareforsuccess.org.uk/

Information on how benefits of exercise: www.nhs.uk/livewell/studenthealth/pages/exerciseandstudy.asp