We understand that university life can be daunting and difficult at times.  It is a life changing event, which can see you move away from your family home, leave behind the friends you grew up with and take on the challenge of a new place, new people and a degree course.  

Do not feel like you need to keep your thoughts and feelings in. There is a Student Support team who are here to listen to your concerns.  Student Support will help you make the decision that is right for you.  To contact Student Support, you can email studentsupport@stran.ac.uk, telephone: 028 9038 4510 or contact us via Instagram @stransupport. 

You can also talk to your tutors if you are struggling with a particular area of your degree and they will be more than happy to help. 

Managing finances is difficult, particularly if you never had to do it before coming to university.  We understand that the cost of living is high and student loans quite often don’t stretch too far.  If you are struggling financially, Student Support is here to help you identify ways you can manage your money, budget and plan so that you have enough to meet your basic living needs. 

The DfE also has a discretionary fund which may provide financial assistance to students from Northern Ireland and Great Britain who encounter financial difficulty whilst studying 

• All full-time and part-time (25% of equivalent full-time course) Northern Ireland and Great Britain undergraduates and postgraduate students can apply.  
• Undergraduate students must have taken out their maximum Tuition Fee and Maintenance Loan entitlement. 

• All postgraduate students must demonstrate that they have organised sufficient funding for their course.  

All eligible students must have completed their registration before an award can be made.  Please note it can take up to 4-6 weeks to have your application assessed. 

Course content and facilitation can sometimes come as a surprise and is not always what you expected. 

Courses can include a number of modules, some of which are compulsory and others are chosen by you, the student.  The courses are designed in this way to give you a broad understanding of the subject area you are studying. 

If you are struggling with the current modules you are taking, have a look at future modules and see if they will suit you better.  It is a good idea to speak to tutors or programme leaders about the different modules as they might be able to advise you on which modules would be best for you based on your expectations.   

You could also talk to students in the year above you, or programme coordinators, as this could help you gauge if the course is for you, or perhaps you might think about swapping course or modules. 

At Stranmillis, we have regular Student Voice Committee meetings for each course.  These are attended by student representatives from each year group, lecturers, Students’ Union President and senior management.  You can speak to your representative and ask them to voice your concerns about the course content. 

Student Support is here to provide information on how to study and your learning style.  They  also organise regular events and workshops to help with areas you may have concerns with,  including stress management, preparing for exams and academic writing.

Stranmillis is committed to supporting all students, to enable them to successfully attend and complete their degree.  

The Student Support team is here to offer advice and guidance to students with disabilities. If you have a diagnosed disability which you feel is impacting your studies, please contact P.smyth@stran.ac.uk and together you can discuss how best the College can support your needs. 

As a student with a diagnosed disability, you may well be eligible to apply for the Disability Student Allowance.  Through this scheme, you can avail of a one-to-one study tutor, a note taker or receive specialist electronic equipment to support your academic studies. 

Further information on the scheme can be accessed at Disabled Students’ Allowances NI

Going to university on your own can be scary and making friends is something every student hopes to do as soon as they start their course.  If this has not happened do not worry, there are plenty of ways to make friends including joining a club or society, setting yourself the challenge of talking to one new person each day, joining in with on campus events, such as the back-to-school bop, and team building workshops.  

You could also drop into the Students’ Union office and chat to the President and members of the Executive, who might be able to tell you more about upcoming events that you could attend. 

If you continue to feel lonely, the Student Support team is always here to help and chat to.  You can drop in, phone or email.

We totally understand the anxiety surrounding Covid-19.  This is something we didn’t expect to still be dealing with, but we do understand the impact it is having on the student body.   

Senior management, and all staff on campus, are doing everything they can to keep you safe and reduce the risk of infection.  We are still operating a mask wearing policy, a one-way system in college, social distancing where possible and track and trace is also still in operation through security.  You will find hand sanitiser positioned around campus for your use and windows will be opened to let air into all rooms in use. 

Where possible, any event that is taking place is happening online, for example Mental Health First Aid training is being facilitated via zoom.   

We will continue to reinforce all policies related to Covid-19 to ensure our students are safe and well. 

It has been a difficult year for everyone, due to the pandemic. Outside of this, we understand that there are other things going on in everyone’s lives that might be impacting your ability to study and attend classes.  

Whatever the issue affecting your studies, you can contact the Student Support team to discuss it confidentially with one of the team, who will do their best to help you.  Contact them on studentsupport@stran.ac.uk or p.symth@stran.ac.uk.