As your son or daughter heads off to university this autumn they will be filled with excitement and trepidation. They will have heard so much about the experience of going to uni and their expectation will be that it’s a positive experience, filled with social and learning opportunities. However, these high expectations can sometimes leave some students feeling alone when everything doesn’t quite go according to plan.
Whether they don’t like their flatmate, feel they have chosen the wrong course, are concerned about debt, or are simply feeling anxious about their new friendships, you will be pleased to learn that all universities have established welfare and advice services to help smooth the transition from school and home to university.
“Here at Lancaster University we begin the transition from applicant to student almost immediately after the A-level results come out,” says Dan Barcroft, senior college adviser and head of UK student recruitment and outreach at the university. “We send out a schedule that gives them a week-by-week breakdown of when forms need to be sent back and things need to be completed in the run-up to arriving at the university. We also have a Welcome Week that is improved each year, based on feedback from the previous year.”
Lancaster University is made up of nine colleges, so students also benefit from being part of a smaller college family. “There is a college advisory team made up of a senior adviser and a wellbeing officer who, between them, can help if students are experiencing difficulties with their health, housing, flatmates, personal life, finances or studies,” says Barcroft. “We can also direct students to other services. The college system works very well and provides students with a safety net.”
Every university also has a students’ union, which provides its own advice service. At Lancaster University students’ union (LUSU), the education and support service provides confidential and free advice on a range of issues, and, if its advisers aren’t able to deal with your child’s particular issue, they will be able to direct them to the correct support provider.
“We make sure that all our services are student-centred,” says Dave Whitlock, welfare vice-president of LUSU. “We aim to empower students to recognise and understand the issues they face and support them to take action to resolve them.” Its team of advisers have the expertise to deal with academic issues, accommodation issues, finance issues and consumer rights. “We like to help students solve their own problems. We help them understand the situation they are in, work out what options they have and decide what to do next,” says Whitlock. Like most university unions, LUSU offers a drop-in service for students to talk face-to-face, as well as a telephone and email advice service. The union advice team has a strong presence throughout Welcome Week, to make sure all students know they are there.
In addition to the service provided by the union at university level, each college at Lancaster University also has its own junior common room and student-elected welfare team who organise events such as chill-out evenings with hand massage and colouring-in sessions for mindfulness. “We try to be proactive and encourage wellbeing among our students,” says Barcroft. “We strongly believe that prevention is better than cure, so our welfare team run campaigns to educate about sexually transmitted diseases, meningitis, breast cancer etc, as well as encouraging relaxation and a healthy lifestyle.”
Many students report feelings of anxiety and depression during their first year at university. In fact, figures obtained by the Guardian last September showed that the number of students seeking counselling at university has rocketed by 50% in the past five years, with much of this rise being blamed on the high rate of tuition fees and increased student debt.
However, students don’t need to suffer in silence. Counselling services are available at every university to provide the help and support needed for those struggling with mental health. At Lancaster, students can access specialist services such as counselling, disability and funding via the Base – its one-stop student enquiry desk. “Anyone can make an appointment to see a counsellor or mental health adviser,” says Barcroft. “The service is professional and discreet and will help students to develop coping strategies and solutions, while offering therapies such as cognitive behavioural therapy.”
And if the issue is academic, there are a number of sources of help and support. “At Lancaster, every student is assigned a personal academic tutor they can talk to, and there is also a director of first-year studies for each subject, who has advertised office hours,” says Barcroft. “In addition to this, we also have learning and development advisers who can help refine academic skills, such as research, essay-writing and accurately attributing quotations in references.
“We understand that sending children off to university for the first time can be daunting for parents,” says Barcroft. “But they can rest assured that there is plenty of support to ensure that students can fully enjoy their university experience.”
