Supporting our students in all areas of their life is one of the most important values to British universities and, as a result, we have plenty of options in place to make sure your time at university is as amazing as possible!
A lot of support actually starts before you even arrive in the UK. The universities you apply to will run pre-departure sessions, aimed at preparing you for both life and study in the UK, as well as more practical elements of moving across the pond. At University of Sussex, we run sessions covering Campus Life, Housing, Finance, Visa application, Life in the UK, and Moving to the UK in the months leading up to you leaving for university.
Academic support is obviously vital to you completing your degree successfully, and universities across the UK offer plenty of resources for you to maximize your learning potential. Most universities will allocate you an academic advisory, a member of teaching staff in your department who is there to help you out with any challenges you might be facing with your degree program. Also, don’t forget, all of your professors will have office hours to drop into and discuss content from each module you’re taking! We also run university-wide sessions on things like essay-writing, note-taking, and presentation skills- all things you’ll need throughout your degree.
If you are someone that might need extra support academically due to a disability, then universities have extra processes in place to support you. This can include working with you to provide an individual support plan, contact with our dedicated support workers, and working to support your academic life at a higher level, particularly with essays and exams.
Whilst the academic support we provide is essential, so is enhancing other areas of your life- after all, universities is a whole life experience! UK universities all have teams to help out with different issues you may run into in your day-to-day life. At Sussex, our student support options cover:
-
Student life: this can be pretty broad, covering anything from budgeting advice to homesickness to relationship advice
-
Mental health support: at Sussex, we offer free counseling to our students and can work with the on-campus doctors to support mental well-being
-
Residential life and housing: whether you’re living on or off campus
-
Careers and Employability: this is a service you can use throughout your degree and also 3-years post-graduation
-
International Student Support
-
Health
-
Religion and spirituality
Universities want you to have the best possible time, so these are all services we encourage you to reach out to if you feel you need it!
We also want our campus spaces to be a safe as possible. This will work differently depending on whether you’re at a campus or city-based university, but never doubt that there will be support available. At Sussex, we offer a 24/7 security team who patrol the campus, with security pick-up points across campus. We have a dedicated emergency line and phones across campus, and our Residential Life team are trained in crisis management.
There are also loads of other outlets for support at UK universities (sports clubs, societies, the Students’ Union, mentoring programs) but it’s safe to say that you’ll be well supported during your time at your chosen British university!
Kasia Symons is the International Officer for the Americas at University of Sussex.
