How To Make The Most Of University Support Services

Whether you’re an international student or a local one, getting acclimatised to a new University, environment and people can be difficult. Especially when you’re staying away from home, perhaps for the first time in your life. Finding a support system or making new friends can be tough as a new college student. Whether mentally or even finding support systems that can help you with getting to grips with a new place and all the services that the University has to offer.

These days, many Universities take good care of their students by having cultural centres or communities that help students in every way they can, allowing them to enjoy their time at University.

The University Of Birmingham has various types of support centres. They help with Academic work, time management, Dyslexia study support, support for international students, careers and part-time work and much more. And the UoB isn’t alone, the majority of Universities and Colleges have key services in place to support their students; here’s a non-exhaustive list of some of the ones you may find most useful.

Help With Academic Work

Managing and working on academic work is one of the main concerns of all students at any University. If you think the classes are going too fast or you’re struggling to get a grip on the course, many universities offer help with academic work. Certain Universities like the University of Birmingham even have an Academic Skills Centre website where they provide individual assistance with studies, workshops to improve your skills, online skill resources, training in software, spreadsheets and more.

They also have subject librarians who can provide the students with individual support and almost act as tutors to students who may be struggling to get to grips with their course’s content.

Support With Referencing & Plagiarism

Understanding how to reference a book or source correctly is legit one of the hardest things to do in the University papers. Many schools will provide guidance on what exactly they require in terms of reference, but some Universities have generic guidelines on these as well. This is further muddled by the several referencing methodologies that are used in academia, adding to the confusion!

Some schools even have an online interactive plagiarism course which will help you understand the nitty-gritty of referencing. You can go here to enrol in this course: https://canvas.bham.ac.uk/enroll/P98FHY

Admissions and Finance

Certain Universities like the University of Huddersfield provide detailed assistance on admissions and finance. There’s a Student recruitment team which helps you in the journey to becoming a student at the University. They guide you through the application cycle, support you through the enrolment process and provide a range of services to you as a student.

The student finance office provides support to all students during their time at the University and even offer advice on how to get financial support. If you’re struggling to maintain a student budget, they offer assistance on that as well. This is true with most Universities as student finance issues are commonplace for students worldwide.

Careers and Employability

As a student, it’s obvious that one has questions and doubts about life after university and what kind of career can they pursue. The career service at some Universities help students find work and also apply to jobs. One-on-one guidance can be provided where they help work out your career options and provide you with information, advice and guidance.

You can even join Career development workshops, do internships, take part in career fairs. These help to give students confidence that they can choose a right career path after their time at the University. Some places will even have services that help you look for a part-time job to supplement your studies, especially useful if it’s relevant to your study topic.

Disability Services

Students with visual or hearing disabilities get the right support systems at Universities such as University of Huddersfield. Even if students have learning disabilities such as dyslexia or long-term medical conditions such as diabetes, or any mobility issues; the aim is to work alongside students while providing them with a solid support system.

Universities also help such students to apply for disabilities allowance, and also offer individual support as to what they require. They also help them provide suitable accommodation to help students.

Health & Wellbeing

This can be a great concern for parents and students as well who are staying away from their home for the first time. A healthy body and mind is exactly what you need to pursue academics in an excellent way. Universities offer confidential one-on-one support and also group support as well. They help with mental health issues, anxiety, depression, eating disorders, support for student parents through workshops, well-being events and more.

Conclusion

The entire process of finding a support system at Universities can be seen as daunting to say the least, but these days almost all the Universities have a solid support system built for students to keep them on track. From health issues to career guidance; they make sure the students never feel alone during any part of their University life.

Johan Cruyff Institute

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