Before you embark on your exciting journey at UWE Bristol, there's a fair bit of preparation you can tackle to ensure a smooth transition. If you love being organised, this guide is perfect for you. And even if organisation isn't your strong suit, we hope these tips will help you get ready for one of the best chapters of your life!
Your Programme and Module Leaders are essential contacts at university. They have valuable knowledge to help you succeed and can assist if you're stuck. Whether in-person or online, find out their office hours and visit them whenever you can.
Don’t know what this is yet? You soon will. Blackboard is a virtual learning environment to support your learning, and on the platform, you can find everything from helpful academic contacts, message boards, forums, reading lists and your sacred module guide. Get to grips with Blackboard and you’re one step closer to your dream grades being a reality.
You’ll never oversleep for a lecture if you sync your timetable to your calendar and set reminders for all those important seminars, assignment deadlines and study groups. Organisation will become your mantra the second you get savvy with tech to do this.
Download important apps, such as UWE Bristol MyAttendace, UWE Sports and many more. We usually view our phones as an extension of our limbs, so having these handy apps downloaded means you’ll be set to take on University life.
A big, big one to do before you start your course is to check out what referencing system your individual course uses (as it can differ between courses) and get to grips with how to reference. It’s easy when you get the hang of it – but can feel like another language if you haven’t checked it out before assignment time comes around.
Group chats on social media with those on your course are the norm amongst uni courses, and chatting about academia has never been cooler than when you’re discussing quadratic equations over Facebook Messenger with highly relatable GIFs.
A very popular way to get around the city, download the First Bus app for paperless tickets, student deals and live timetables to make your life 10x easier.
Perhaps a cute addition to the uni room and also very handy, keeping a tally of everywhere you want to go in Bristol will ensure you’re living your Bristolian life to the max during your years at UWE Bristol.
Did you know there’s so much more to University than your degree? Yes, that’s right – there’s a whole load of fun to be had! Joining a sports club or society – or a couple of each – will enrich your uni experience, boost your CV and, most importantly, leave you with a bunch of awesome pals.
Student Reps are really important people – they help be the voice of the collective student community, and play a vital role in representing students’ academic interests. Their job is to work with students and staff to create positive changes to the learning experience at UWE Bristol to become co-creators of the student experience. The best part? Anyone can become a Student Rep! You don’t need to be part of a secret club or learn a funny handshake – you just need to stand up for election at the start of term!
Need some part-time employment during University to up those pennies? No worries, we’ve got you covered. Check out The Students’ Union’s JobShop: a cracking portal that advertises part-time jobs in Bristol.
The main fact you need to know: The Students’ Union is the place to be at UWE Bristol. We might be a little biased, but we think we’re rather cool. From volunteering, sports and societies, to awesome events, second-to-none student support and, yes, The Freshers’ Fair, your Students’ Union’s got it all. Find out more on what we’re about on our website – and for Welcome-specific events and activities, find out more here.
We’ll give you a little helping hand here. For financial support, UWE Bristol has a great Student Money Service. For study support, you can check out your Programme and Module Leaders’ office hours and also have a research on UWE Bristol’s study support online pages. For well-being support, check out UWE Bristol’s well-being portal, and remember, The Students’ Union’s Advice Centre is impartial from the University, a confidential service, and can help advise you on all matters – everything from the financial, to the course-specific.
UWE Bristol has a dedicated page on their website to help you with all your study, accessibility and well-being needs. Find out more here.
The Global team at UWE Bristol offers the Global Cafés, events and meet-ups for international students. This is such a useful service to utilise as you can interact with people from your own and differing cultures, learn more about Britain and feel welcomed at UWE Bristol. You can find out more here.
With online and in-person career drop-in sessions, you can get help with securing jobs and internships, boosting your CV, cover letter advice, self-employment support, interview tips and more. Find out more on UWE Bristol’s website here.
Want to find out more about life at UWE Bristol? Check out our Welcome website here!
Bristol is a lively city with many transportation options to help you get around easily. Whether youView More
It’s a common story: two weeks into the term, you check your bank balance and it’s lower than you’d View More
Here are all the reasons why you should sign up for both a sports club and a society - whilst thingsView More
