Thursday 01-10-2020 - 14:36

 

It’s a very challenging year to be a student at college or university and we know it will not be quite the experience you had planned on. Despite this, we still want to help you make the most out of your time as a student!

To help you find your feet, we have rounded our top tops and best advice for making the most of student life and getting support if you need it:

 

Attend Virtual Events

We know it is a shame not to be able to attend events in person but going to virtual events is still a great way to feel engaged and meet new people!

We have just finished our Freshers events which we hope you enjoyed as much as we did and will be sharing details on more virtual events for Black History Month and beyond soon on this page!

 

Don’t Be Scared To Ask Questions In Lectures

A great way to get settled in more quickly is to be fully engaged in what you’re studying. Don’t be afraid to ask questions to your lecturers, especially if you’re learning online! You can always follow up with an email to them if there is something you don’t understand!

You’re here to learn so make sure you’re getting the most out of your course. Take it from us, time flies!

 

Make Friends with the Librarians

Librarians are some of the most amazing people you’ll ever speak to. A wealth of knowledge right there!

You’ll likely be spending a good amount of time in your local library studying so chat to the librarians to get book recommendations and find out something you never would have done!

 

Join a Sports or Society

University is all about new experiences and trying things you never thought you would! At HISA, we have a great range of sports and societies at each campus: Football, basketball, archaeology, literature, art…the list goes on!

Whilst sports and societies may be running in different ways this year to stay safe, it’s still a great opportunity to make new friends outside of your course!

Take a look at all the sports and societies here.

 

Eat. Sleep. Repeat.

It’s important to look after yourself at university. Whilst you get settled in you might find yourself missing a meal sometimes or staying up very late a few nights, which is fine but don’t make it your normal routine!

Eating and sleeping well is essential for our wellbeing so take the time to meal plan and have a structure in place! UHI student support has a very useful page here with links to resources about how to eat better and some recipes to get you started!

 

Reach Out for Support

With everything going on in the world, it’s completely normal to feel like you are not coping. Please do not be afraid to reach out for support if you need it!

If you do find yourself struggling and want to share your experience, we recommend using Togetherall as it is a fantastic platform available 24/7 to UHI students where you can share anonymously and freely.

There is also confidential online counselling services available here.

 

Give It Time

University is hyped up to be the best time of your life (and we hope it is!) but it’s ok if it does not start off that way. Don’t be disheartened if you feel like it’s not working out how you thought it would.

As with everything, it takes time to settle in and find your new structure, especially in the current circumstances. We have all struggled and had to adapt this year so you don’t need to feel like you’re the only one!

 

We’re Here For You

One of our biggest tips for you is to engage with your students’ association, that’s us!! #TeamHISA is here for you if you need any help or advice whilst studying at UHI. As well as our fantastic regional team, every campus has its own dedicated HISA depute so you always have someone to go to!

 

Get in touch with us by emailing hisa@uhi.ac.uk or sending a message to @TeamHISA on Facebook, Instagram or Twitter.