Freshers

How To Make the Most of YOUR Student Experience

Q: What is ‘the student experience’?
A: It’s what you make it!

This week, I held a workshop at the University of Glamorgan about ‘the student experience’.

I’ve mentioned Glamorgan in the past for their brilliant Glam Insight, where students write about their time at the university and their experiences while they study.

The students make clear how different their lives are, how varied their experiences are, and how wide-ranging their opportunities are.

In the workshop, I asked four questions. They are covered in the presentation below. But if I could sum things up as briefly as possible, here’s what I’d say in a nutshell:

  1. What IS ‘the student experience’?
    Nothing in particular. Reclaim it as your own. Ask what you want and why you want it.
  2. What should young people consider when applying?
    The bigger picture first, and only then the fact that they would like to live in nice halls.
  3. Why do students leave?
    Not enough subject research and not enough knowledge of what’s on offer.
  4. How do students make ‘the student experience’ work for them?
    Be selfish, open up to change, and be prepared to fail.

Question 4 is the big one here. If you want to skip the Prezi presentation itself and get straight to the good stuff in the archives, I’ve got the top 10 tips on making the most of your experience underneath.

“The Student Experience” on Prezi

How do you make the most of
‘the student experience’? 10 Tips

  1. Don’t compare yourself to others. The Student Experience is YOUR experience.
    https://theuniversityblog.co.uk/2010/03/30/you-or-everyone-else/
  2. Be involved!
    https://theuniversityblog.co.uk/2011/08/11/why-being-involved-is-so-important-to-learning/
  3. Seek out new opportunities and experiences rather than waiting for them to come to you.
    https://theuniversityblog.co.uk/2010/05/28/act-on-ideas-or-fade-away/
  4. Embrace failure.
    https://theuniversityblog.co.uk/2011/05/03/how-to-fail-brilliantly/
  5. Pick yourself up, dust yourself down, keep going.
    https://theuniversityblog.co.uk/2008/02/25/10-tips-to-pick-yourself-up-after-a-fall/
  6. Take your experience seriously, even when you’re having fun.
    https://theuniversityblog.co.uk/2010/02/04/get-serious-about-university/
  7. Enjoy the benefits, but do remember you can have too much of a good thing…
    https://theuniversityblog.co.uk/2008/01/11/10-reasons-why-the-benefits-of-university-can-lead-to-downfall/
  8. Embrace the unknown. Prepare for the unknown. But don’t fear the unknown.
    https://theuniversityblog.co.uk/2011/06/02/fearing-the-unknown/
  9. Look beyond employability. Look beyond the piece of paper you get at the end of those years.
    https://theuniversityblog.co.uk/2011/05/17/looking-beyond-employability/
  10. Focus more on yourself, less on the degree. “Your degree isn’t the source of awesome. You are.”
    https://theuniversityblog.co.uk/2011/10/27/grad-employability/

99 UK Students’ Unions on Twitter

Back in 2009, I compiled a list of all the students’ unions I could find on Twitter. I found just over 60. Twitter had already made quite a mark.

With the increasing popularity of Twitter, even more SUs have come on board. There have been a couple of name changes since then too.

My original list remains pretty popular, even though it was never updated.

Until now, that is…

I’ve checked the list for changes and additions to make sure it’s as relevant as possible today. There are now 99 SU accounts out there.

Students in Percy Gee Atrium (photo: University of Leicester)

Napier, Cranfield and Buckingham told me that they don’t currently have official Students’ Union/Association Twitter accounts. If I’ve missed any other SUs off the list, please let me know. Otherwise, I hope the list is useful.

If you want to follow all the SUs in a convenient Twitter List, I’ve put all the accounts together on the UK Students’ Unions list for you.

99 104
Students’ Unions on Twitter
(last checked January 2012)

Aberdeen – http://twitter.com/ausatwit
Abertay – https://twitter.com/#!/abertayunion
Aberystwyth – https://twitter.com/aberguild
Anglia Ruskin – http://twitter.com/AngliaRuskinSU
Aston – https://twitter.com/#!/aston_guild
Bangor – https://twitter.com/#!/bangorstudents
Bath – http://twitter.com/BathSU
Bath Spa – https://twitter.com/#!/bathspasu
Bedfordshire – https://twitter.com/#!/bedssu
Birmingham City – http://twitter.com/bhamcitysu
Birmingham – http://twitter.com/guildofstudents
Bolton – https://twitter.com/#!/UBSUnion
Bournemouth – http://twitter.com/sububournemouth
Bradford – http://twitter.com/ubuonline
Brighton – https://twitter.com/#!/subrighton
Bristol – https://twitter.com/#!/ubunews
Brunel – http://twitter.com/brunelstudents
Bucks New Uni – https://twitter.com/#!/buckssu
Cambridge – https://twitter.com/#!/CUSUonline/
Canterbury Christ Church – http://twitter.com/christchurchsu
Cardiff – http://twitter.com/cardiffunion
Central Lancashire – http://twitter.com/uclansu
Chester – https://twitter.com/#!/chestersu
Chichester – http://twitter.com/Chi_Union
City – http://twitter.com/CULSU
Coventry – http://twitter.com/cusu
Cumbria – https://twitter.com/#!/cumbriasu
De Montfort – http://twitter.com/demontfortsu
Derby – http://twitter.com/udsu
Dundee – https://twitter.com/#!/dusa_theunion
Durham – https://twitter.com/#!/durhamsu
East Anglia (UEA) – https://twitter.com/#!/UnionUEA
East London – https://twitter.com/#!/uelunion
Edge Hill – http://twitter.com/edgehillsu
Edinburgh – http://twitter.com/EUSA
Essex – http://twitter.com/EssexSU
Exeter – http://twitter.com/exeterguild
Glamorgan – http://twitter.com/GlamSU
Glasgow – https://twitter.com/#!/gusrc
Gloucestershire – https://twitter.com/#!/yoursu/
Goldsmiths (Uni of London) – http://twitter.com/goldsmiths_su
Greenwich – https://twitter.com/#!/sugreenwich
Heriot-Watt – https://twitter.com/#!/HWUnion
Hertfordshire – https://twitter.com/#!/uhsutweets
Huddersfield – https://twitter.com/#!/huddersfieldsu
Hull – http://twitter.com/Hullstudent
Imperial – http://twitter.com/icunion
Keele – http://twitter.com/keelesu
Kent – http://twitter.com/KentUnion
Kingston – https://twitter.com/#!/kingston_su
Lancaster – https://twitter.com/#!/lancasterSU
Leeds – https://twitter.com/#!/LeedsUniUnion
Leeds Met – http://twitter.com/leedsmetsu
Leicester – http://twitter.com/PercyGee
Lincoln – http://twitter.com/lincolnsu
Liverpool – https://twitter.com/#!/LGoS/
Liverpool Hope – https://twitter.com/#!/LiverpoolHopeSU
 Liverpool John Moores – https://twitter.com/LiverpoolSU
London Met – https://twitter.com/#!/londonmetsu
London South Bank – https://twitter.com/#!/LSBU_SU
Loughborough – http://twitter.com/loughboroughsu
Manchester – https://twitter.com/#!/UMSUnion
Manchester Metropolitan – https://twitter.com/#!/manmetunion
Middlesex – http://twitter.com/mdxsu
Newcastle – https://twitter.com/#!/LiveNUSU
Northampton – https://twitter.com/#!/northamptonSU
Northumbria – http://twitter.com/Northumbriasu
Nottingham – https://twitter.com/#!/UoNSU
Nottingham Trent – http://twitter.com/Trentstudents
Oxford – https://twitter.com/#!/ousunews
Oxford Brookes – https://twitter.com/#!/oxfordbrookessu
Plymouth – http://twitter.com/UPSU
Portsmouth – http://twitter.com/portsmouthsu
Queen’s – https://twitter.com/#!/qubsu
Queen Mary (London) – https://twitter.com/#!/QMSU
Reading – https://twitter.com/#!/rusutweets
Robert Gordon – https://twitter.com/#!/rguunion
Roehampton – https://twitter.com/#!/RoehamptonSU
Salford – http://twitter.com/Salfordsu
Sheffield – https://twitter.com/#!/sheffieldsu
Sheffield Hallam – https://twitter.com/hallamunion
Sheffield Hallam (Officers) – http://twitter.com/hallamofficers
Southampton – https://twitter.com/#!/YourSUSU
Southampton Solent – https://twitter.com/#!/solentsu
St Andrews – http://twitter.com/standrewsunion
Staffordshire – http://twitter.com/StaffsUnion
Stirling – https://twitter.com/#!/stirlinguni/
Strathclyde – https://twitter.com/#!/StrathUnion
Sunderland – http://twitter.com/sunderlandsu
Surrey – https://twitter.com/#!/Surrey_Union
Sussex – http://twitter.com/USSU
Swansea – http://twitter.com/SwanseaUnion
Teesside – https://twitter.com/#!/teessidesu/
University Campus Suffolk – http://twitter.com/UCSunion
University College London (UCL) – https://twitter.com/#!/UCLU
Warwick – https://twitter.com/#!/WarwickSU
West London – https://twitter.com/#!/wlsu
West of England (Bristol) – http://twitter.com/uwesu
Westminster – http://twitter.com/westminstersu
Winchester – http://twitter.com/winchestersu
Wolverhampton – http://twitter.com/wolvessu
Worcester – http://twitter.com/WorcesterSU
York – https://twitter.com/#!/yorkunisu
York St John – https://twitter.com/#!/ysjsu

Sheffield SU (photo by ShaneRounce.com Design & Photography)

Sheffield SU (photo: ShaneRounce.com Design & Photography)

How to Ensure Living With Others Doesn’t Resemble Fresh Meat

Have you been watching Fresh Meat on Channel 4? How does it compare with your university experience?

The show follows a bunch of Freshers who are stuck together in a house off campus because there isn’t enough room in the halls of residence for everyone.

Joe Thomas plays Kingsley in Fresh Meat (photo by damo1977)

Joe Thomas plays Kingsley in Fresh Meat (photo by damo1977)

After the first episode, I thought the Telegraph summed things up best:

“Fresh Meat has two types of joke. One, somebody says or does something embarrassing; two, somebody says or does something cruel. And that’s more or less all you get, again and again, for a drainingly bleak hour.”

That’s not to say the show isn’t any good. It’s just consistently excruciating. You’ll no doubt squirm and cover your eyes when you watch it. Or, if you’re hard like me, you’ll just stare open-mouthed and wide-eyed at the insanity of it all. 😉

But Fresh Meat doesn’t portray living together with others as you might experience it:

  • It’s too isolated;
  • The coincidences are too forced to be realistic;
  • Everything happens too quickly;
  • There’s no let up from the awkwardness;
  • The truths and stereotypical situations are exaggerated for filmic effect.

Living with others isn’t always easy, even if it’s not usually as uncomfortable as Fresh Meat portrays. So how do you live together with others and survive to tell the tale?

HackCollege explains how easy it is to establish house routines early. In a new academic year, everything changes, even if you’ve already spent a year living with the same people in the same house. That situation is easier to deal with, certainly, but new timetables and different working circumstances introduce a new dynamic. Don’t think you’re home and dry, whatever you’re doing this year!

Wherever you are and whoever you’re living with, it helps to sort the housekeeping, rotas, admin, bills, and so on, as early as possible. Here are five quick tips (or 4 + 20 tips…) to make sure your experience doesn’t resemble one off Fresh Meat:

  1. Respect requests – You may not agree to every last wish of a housemate, but communicate with them and be reasonable. Try to find a compromise. If you can’t do that, look at other ways to handle the problem, even if it won’t result in your housemate getting closer to what they want. It may only take a friendly ear and you resisting the temptation to raise your voice in exasperation.
  2. Have regular meetings and LISTEN! – People see issues from many perspectives. Before you start thinking your other housemates are crazy, find out how they see the situation. The reason for regular meetings is not so much about formality, but more about continued communication. Keep talking and keep listening, because communication breakdown doesn’t help anyone.
  3. Keep notes, rules, rotas, and all important information up to date and close to hand – Avoid last minute scrambles to find crucial documents. Ensure everyone is fully aware of what’s expected and required. Commit to five minutes of admin once every week or two so you don’t have to timetable several hours later on when you’re busy doing more important things.
  4. Consider your housemates at all times – You want to feel at home in your own accommodation. And so does everyone else! Remember you’re not living alone. Flip things the other way… When you come home late at night, making huge amounts of noise, would you be happy if one of your housemates did the same thing when you were trying to get some sleep?
  5. Read my 20 hints for living with others – Loads more information to help you tidy, pay bills, and party with ease.

Make Contact, Make Friends!

It doesn’t matter if you’re a Fresher or a third year. Your university life is likely to involve a lot of socialising.

There is no perfect way to blossom as a social butterfly, but there is plenty you can do when getting to know new people at uni. Here are a few things to remember for getting friendly with new people in a new academic year:

  • You’re in the same boat – You’re equal and you’re looking for new people to talk to. So go forth and talk. Can you be sure they want to find new people to speak with? In most cases, yes Yes YES!
    Fresher or third year, remember? Every new academic year brings new opportunities. Returning students are welcome to re-Fresh.
  • Take easy opportunities – When you’re standing in queues to register for things, don’t look down at your phone or dig your face in all your reading material. Strike up a conversation with others in the queue around you! If you’re sitting down for an induction talk or similar, say hi to those sitting next to you. These are easy opportunities because you aren’t making a determined move toward anyone, you’re staying just where you are.
    And while lots of things can be done online and in the comfort of your own digs, there’s a lot to be said for plonking yourself on campus and showing your face a bit.
  • Listen, listen and listen – People like to talk about themselves. It’s easy. Ask questions and let the answers flow. If you’re asked a question, great! Just don’t go nuts. Let them have another turn. Not only do people like talking, they like to be listened to.
  • Friends come in all different shapes and sizes – Don’t expect to find your best friend on the moment you hit campus. Don’t expect to stay bosom buddies with the first people you spark up a conversation with. Even the people you hooked up with in advance via Facebook won’t necessarily end up being the people you get closest to.
  • So be bold! – Your job is to get out there and enjoy the new experiences at your fingertips. Make the effort to speak to more people and you’ll reap the benefits. The world thrives on communication and, believe it or not, others generally like to help. A casual conversation may offer up all sorts of invitations, suggestions, introductions, and so on. Be bold and let your conversations take you places!
  • Wear a thicker skin – The first couple of weeks in a new academic year provides the biggest and easiest opportunities to randomly walk up to people and say hello. Most of the contact you make will be welcomed by others. On the odd occasion when you’re hit with a rejection, think of how many in-roads you’re making with all the other successful approaches you’ve made. I quoted a Paul McKenna story back in 2007and his story is worth quoting again:
    • “Fear of failure. Fear of rejection. I know. Procrastinators aren’t lazy. They’re scared.” He tells me about a guy he used to envy. “He wasn’t particularly handsome, but he dated more girls than anyone else. I studied him for a while and I figured out that because he was thick-skinned, he asked more girls out than anyone else. And I thought if I up the number of girls I ask out, the down side is that I might be told to F-off more, but the upside is that I might meet the person of my dreams.”

    As a fresher, the situation is less daunting, since most others are looking for new connections too. So grab a thicker skin for a while and tell yourself not to take these small rejections personally. A new year means there’s no baggage and no major cliques yet. There’s no better time to get involved and meet new people.

  • Offer people doughnuts – Looking for a prop to break the ice? Doughnuts are like a cheap round and are appreciated most of the time. Since supermarket doughnuts are usually a pound for 10, you won’t lose much in the process, but you may gain some attention! 🙂

What will you do to get socialising this year?

Doughnuts: a good prop (photo by Stéfan)
Doughnuts: a good prop (photo by Stéfan)